Today we’d like to introduce you to Chase Chandler.
Hi Chase, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Music has always been a passion for me. Growing up as a trumpet player in San Clemente, I found myself in many traditional music opportunities such as playing trumpet for 5th Grade Honor Band, playing taps for the city on Memorial Day events, or as principal trumpet for the Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble. In high school a good friend of mine and I would set up with an Aebersold accompaniment CD and a boombox in front of the San Clemente pier. We’d play for an hour or so in the summer, improvising and performing for the crowds of tourists that passed by. Years later, our musical education led us further out of the small surfer town we grew up in.
From Saddleback Community College with Dr. Norman Weston to Concordia University, Irvine with my amazing vocal teacher, Daine Elias, then to Cal State University, Fullerton with Dr. Ken Walicki and Dr. Pamela Madsen, I have been very fortunate to have such an eclectic musical journey. After studying in Vienna within the VSMF 2019 Composers Forum, I began online private lessons with my current composition teacher, Dr. Justin Dello Joio, who currently teaches at The Juilliard School of Music and is the faculty composer-in-residence for the music department at NYU.
My adventures in music have taken me down a path I never could have imagined, meeting some wonderful musicians along the way including the legendary violinist, Irvine Arditti, the grammy-award winning cellist, Nick Photinos, and many international stars in the contemporary composition world such as Carla Scaletti, Nina C. Young, Marcos Balter, Oliver Weber, and Dirk D’Ase. I owe much of my musical understanding to the many incredible mentors I’ve had the pleasure to learn from.
This year I had the opportunity to perform for the opening event of the virtual reality based art fair, Art Gate International. I also recently released a new string quartet album on May 5, 2021 with audio production by Luminarcanum Records (Luminarcanum.com) entitled Between the Far Spaces.
I am very excited to announce that my musical journey will continue with my acceptance into the Charlotte New Music Festival , the Impulse New Music Festival, new commissions by the SANS Duo (sansduo.org) and the Brightwork Ensemble, and other exciting projects yet to be announced. So stay tuned!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Growing up we’re always taught about the road less traveled and while it presents the greatest difficulties, it also offers the greatest reward. Each crossroad in my life has led me to realize the truth of this parable. Having chosen music as my career early on, I faced many challenges both personally and professionally. Further on in my musical training, I began to shift my focus toward contemporary composition because it presents the endless challenge of questioning the mainstream and seeks to create new connections yet to be explored.
In 2019 I had an opportunity to study within the composers forum of the Vienna Summer Music Festival and met many international peers with similar interests. After talking with other composers and musicians from around the world these past few years, my excitement has only grown and a recent realization has begun to stabilize my creative lifestyle: contemporary music and art is more of an exploration of one’s mind and the world around us, not necessarily a system of proving self-worth or intellectual ability (something of which is often the assumed stereotype of the misunderstood composer).
When the pandemic hit in 2020, self-inquisition and existential questioning was at an all time high. I began exploring my creativity further through visual expression, illustration, and modeling/animating 3D music videos through my VR headset. My recent goal of sharing more frequently through social media outlets like Instagram has really become an amazing experience! Content involving both my contemporary art and music has received more recognition than I could have imagined. A big shout out to the IG community for so much encouragement over the past few months! And I also wouldn’t be where I am today without the loving support of my amazing wife and two dogs, who keep me grounded and balanced in life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
By trade I am a contemporary composer, vocalist, and private music instructor. After teaching privately for over 10 years with a studio of over 25 students, I have come to really enjoy providing my students some knowledge, technique, and work ethic toward their musical endeavors. Teaching keeps my music philosophy fresh and reinspires my creative outlets.
For my specialty in composition, I try to write with a unique combination of varying color-timbres, fearless counterpoint, and organic musical development. I like to draw inspiration from the addition of dramatic textures and rhythmic illusions to the traditional emphasis on melody. With my strong passion for vocal performance, a healthy amount of jazz influence, and an adventurous approach for honest expression, my contemporary music is meant to challenge musical categories through my attempts at balancing accessibility and complexity.
Above all else, I value exploration and experimentation! I’m always up for trying new things, which in the past has included projects such as directing choirs, conducting chamber orchestras, performing opera scenes, publishing music albums, self-publishing a SciFi novel, running a non-profit, and learning how to implement audio in 3D environments..
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Contemporary music has always had a smaller audience than the mainstream entertainment industry. But I have come to find in recent years that the audience for new musical fusions (any music trying to escape labels) is growing now more than ever thanks to the ease of communication brought on by the internet and the recent influx of online opportunities.
Social media is an amazing tool for the world of contemporary art and music. The internet is one of the most powerful mechanisms we could have asked for in sharing thought-provoking material to a potentially unlimited audience at a fraction of the overhead. On a near international level, people can literally reach out and interact with any artist or musician they find on social media. Artists and musicians can even start conversations with each other from across the globe. And we all know that conversations can often be catalysts for great things.
With that being said I am very excited to see where the music industry takes us. The next 5 to 10 years may very well be a defining time period in the field of contemporary music due to the sheer accessibility of it all. My hope is that society continues to expand its embrace of art and music, because honest human expression and communication is such a necessity during difficult times. And as we’ve all learned over the last year, we can’t live shut off from the world or shut off from ourselves. Perhaps art and music can act as an emotional guide for those who need it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://ChaseChandlerMusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chasechandlermusic/
Image Credits:
Chandler Photography
