Conversations with Hari Muhic

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hari Muhic.

Hi Hari, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I like to think my journey began even before I was born. A few months before I came into the world, my mother asked my older sister what name she would give the baby if it were a boy. Without hesitation, she said, “Bach.” Later, she started piano lessons—unknowingly laying the first brick in a path I would eventually follow.
I was born in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina—a place where the cultural landscape had been stripped bare. There were no concerts, no theaters, and almost no access to creative spaces. In this void, I found two parallel passions that would eventually converge: music and technology.
With no formal guidance in technology, I taught myself to code, becoming fascinated with making computers produce sound. I wrote basic audio players and experimented with waveforms—essentially trying to make machines sing. Meanwhile, my formal musical education began at a local music school, where I studied piano and discovered the profound joy of performance.
When I joined a band as a teenager, I wasn’t content to just play the keys. I wanted to understand every aspect of how music was captured and shared. I learned to set up equipment, run live sound, record our sessions, and mix tracks. Every technical element felt like uncovering a new dimension of musical expression.
During those years, I would watch movies on TV or get them from video rental shops, always staying through the end credits, fascinated by the long list of roles I didn’t yet understand. Something in me knew I wanted to be part of that world someday.
As my musical studies advanced, I enrolled in a high music school in a nearby city, graduating in piano performance while immersing myself in harmony, counterpoint, and composition. The discipline I developed during those years—practicing for hours, performing constantly, writing my first compositions—laid the groundwork for everything that followed.
But my technological pursuits continued in parallel. By 18, I had developed something remarkable: the first ear training software based on a solfège methodology used in my region. What began as a personal project gained academic recognition, becoming the subject of scientific articles and PhD research, and finding practical application in music education.
Although I wanted to study music technology formally, such programs weren’t available in my region. Instead, I enrolled at the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), majoring in composition and piano performance. I performed extensively—as a soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician—even playing Scriabin’s Piano Concerto with an orchestra for my graduation recital.
Then came the pivotal moment: a local TV station asked me to compose music for a documentary. Despite having no film scoring experience, I embraced the challenge. The documentary won six international awards, but more importantly, it revealed my calling. Film scoring wasn’t just a career path—it was the perfect synthesis of my passions for composition, performance, and technology.
This clarity led me to apply to Berklee College of Music for Film Scoring. Receiving a scholarship in 2021 marked the beginning of an incredible chapter in Boston. For the first time, I was surrounded by like-minded creators who understood my artistic language. I composed, recorded, and collaborated with musicians from across the globe, living my childhood dreams.
After graduating in 2023, I was invited to stay as a teaching assistant for Berklee Online’s Master’s Program in Film Scoring. I also had the opportunity to teach music technology at MIT’s Creativitas Summer Camp, further expanding my involvement in education.
In October 2024, following the well-worn path of many Berklee graduates, I moved to Los Angeles. This decision quickly proved fortuitous when I became the assistant to Simon Franglen—composer, producer and music tech wizard whose credits include films like Avatar, Titanic, The Amazing Spider-Man, Skyfall, and The Magnificent Seven, and legendary artists including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Celine Dion, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand and Pink Floyd.
Today, I’m living at the intersection of my childhood fascinations: creating music, performing, and leveraging technology to push creative boundaries. Working alongside one of the industry’s most accomplished figures, I’m building a career that honors the journey that began even before I was born—a journey from the silence of post-war Bosnia to the symphonic possibilities of Hollywood.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Sometimes I like to think that if I had no struggles—if I had access to everything from the start—I wouldn’t be able to put a single note on paper. It would be meaningless. I grew up in a post-war atmosphere, pursuing a kind of music that didn’t really exist around me. Over the last ten years, I’ve packed my belongings and moved about fourteen times, lived in twelve apartments across six cities on two continents. I’ve left behind family, friends, relationships, comfort, and financial stability.
All of it adds up. It brings existential questions—questions about worth, direction, and whether what you’re doing is actually any good. But somehow, in every moment of transition—every time I moved, every goodbye—it always felt like the right time. Each new place felt like it was calling me. Even when the decisions didn’t make sense at first, they somehow turned out to be exactly what I needed.
And then, while writing music—being who I am—I began to realize: this is what shaped me. These struggles and choices are what formed my voice, my work ethic, my character. It’s what people connect to in my music. The imperfections, the perseverance, the honesty—they find something human in it. And from where I stand now—working in the heart of where some of the world’s greatest music is created—I can say: every part of the journey mattered. And I wouldn’t trade any of it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Among my peers, I’m often known for two things: being both a film and concert composer, and someone who can solve just about any technical—or even mechanical—problem. That mix isn’t common, and it’s something that makes me versatile in any team or work environment. I can write and orchestrate music, but I can also improve workflows, fix unexpected tech issues, and support others behind the scenes.
I’ve written music for around ten short films so far which were awarded at many festivals around the world, composed concert works for ensembles and orchestras, performed in many concerts, produced shows, and taught students. But the thing I’m most proud of is that I’ve managed to build a life entirely centered around music. I don’t feel a split between work and life—creating, thinking about, and sharing music is just part of who I am.
I feel incredibly lucky that what I do for a living is something I truly enjoy. That passion is what drives my work ethic and my constant curiosity.

What are your plans for the future?
This year, I’m especially looking forward to the release of three incredible short films I scored earlier, as well as the debut of my first album—something I’m truly proud of. The album was made possible thanks to a very successful Kickstarter campaign last year, and it features about 60 minutes of concert music recorded in Boston.
It’s more than just a collection of compositions—it’s a musical reflection of my life’s journey, much like the one I’ve shared in this interview. Almost every piece was written in a different apartment, city, or even continent, and together they trace a deeply personal path through change, growth, and movement.
Since I’m still relatively new to Los Angeles, I’m also focused on continuing to build connections in the industry—learning from professionals I admire, collaborating on meaningful projects, and establishing myself further as both a composer and orchestrator.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hajrudinmuhic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hari.muhic/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hajrudinmuhic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@harimuhic/videos