Emmaline Sanders and Faculty Mentor: Aaron Merril, Commercial Music
While many students apply for an ORCA grant to fund scientific research or, in the case of other
Commercial Music majors, technical audio application, I wanted to complete a project that was
purely artistic. My emphasis has always been in classical concert composition first and foremost,
and when I received the opportunity to write the music for a ballet, I wanted it to showcase my
best work. My ORCA grant made that possible by allowing me to hire 6 top quality musicians
and a professional recording studio to layer live players in with my software instruments. The
finished product is almost indistinguishable from a live recorded orchestra.
The story of the ballet centers around C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a
classic children’s tale. I knew I wanted the music to be traditionally orchestral and simple in a
charming way (reminiscent of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”), so I planned to use my high
quality orchestral sample libraries—electronic copies of acoustic instruments. On top of this, I
wanted to mix in recordings of live players to produce a more realistic sound.
In order to remain within my ORCA budget of $1,500, I had to limit not only the amount of
music recorded (the total length of the ballet reaches 1 hour) but also the players to record. As
sample libraries typically have excellent winds and brass for all styles and articulations, I
decided to focus my efforts on strings. Only live string players can produce a truly emotive
sound. With some money left over, I also added flute and alto flute to cover the many exposed
flute parts throughout the ballet.
I found players by putting ads up in the Harris Fine Arts Center and sent them the MIDI
(electronic) recordings and sheet music in advance. I also contacted June Audio in Provo to set
up a recording session, and I sent the audio technician the MIDI recordings, click tracks, and
MIDI files to line up tempo information for recording. The first session included 5 string
players—2 violins, viola, cello, and bass—and the second session was for the flutist who covered
alto flute parts as well. After each session was completed, I paid the players and studio with the
ORCA funds, downloaded the recorded audio files onto my hard drive, and processed them into
my mixes in my home studio.
The results were very satisfactory. Both sessions went off with very few to no problems at all,
and the raw recordings were high quality, as could be expected of college-level performance
majors. There were a few sections that I had to tweak or replace with different takes, but once the
adjusting and mixing were done, the final product sounded like a live recorded orchestra.
My mentor Aaron Merrill, who helped find players and gave recording and mixing help along
the way, agreed that the final recordings were ready for professional use. I sent a few of the
songs to Peter Merz, the artistic director for Ballet West, and he was also highly satisfied with
the results and excited to start the choreography. The performance of the ballet will take place in
Spring of 2018 and will likely feature a live youth orchestra performing my music. The
recordings made with the ORCA funds, however, will be instrumental in rehearsal use and for
any studios that may wish to perform the ballet in the future.
Upon reviewing my process, there’s little I would have done differently. I think layering high
quality software instruments with live players is a very effective method for low-budget projects.
My sheet music was straightforward and detailed enough for the players to perform correctly on
the first or second read-through, and I managed time efficiently enough to get through every
song I had on my list.
One thing I might have done differently would have been to hire more professional players.
Although university musicians perform at a high level, they lack some sight-reading and quick
learning skills that an older professional may have developed.
Despite this, the recordings still reflected the quality of a live symphony orchestra. The project a
as a whole also propelled my goal of reconnecting the different art forms. Original ballets
haven’t included composers in their creation since the mid 1900s, and I hope to see that tradition
return within my lifetime. Outside funding for such projects is crucial until they regain enough
popularity to support themselves.
My ORCA funding made it possible for me to be involved in this artistic movement. It helped
me raise my music to a level that would not have been possible otherwise, and it aided in
building a professional portfolio that will help me achieve jobs with my recently earned degree.
The project was an educational success, and I hope to someday repay my gratitude to my ORCA
donors.