Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmanuel Segarra.
Hi Emmanuel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Coming from a Caribbean island that have countless cultural mixes in its history has granted me the opportunity to interact and reflect on different point of view. When I was a child, I was introduced to music because of my father who is a trumpet player and because of him, I got my first influence of Puerto Rican secular music. From Salsa to Jazz to Classical and Contemporary, I could see and hear how I was surrounded by the Latin and Puerto Rican influences in music.
After a while, I noticed that I enjoyed creating my own sounds and being inspired by nature, I started writing my own melodic lines. That’s when I started experimenting with visual and narrative elements, trying to capture dramatism into my music.
Growing up and studying in Puerto Rico, I developed my composition skills in different styles of music as much as I could, Writing mostly orchestral music. I graduated in 2019 with honors and then attended the NYU Screen Scoring Summer Workshop where I met with composers such as Mark Snow, Michael Levine and Mark Suozzo. This is the time where it hit me that I wanted to pursue my career into Film Composition and applied to the University of Southern California where I went ahead and finished my Master’s Degree in Screen Scoring. Studying with top composers and orchestrators just as Garry Schyman, Eric Schmidt, Pete Anthony, Patrick Kirst granted me an opportunity to expand my musical language and invoque harmonic colors into my music.
I am currently residing in Los Angeles, California working as a Film Composer, Conductor and Orchestrator.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I cannot say it has been easy. Being in an island that is not connected to the mainland has limited me to some opportunities that other people may have. From hurricanes to earthquakes and serious economic crisis, we have been trying to survive everything in modern times and it is rough, however, my love for music is always growing and I search for every opportunity I have to give it life.
Coming from Puerto Rico also makes things a little more difficult with our cultural identification because of history and politics. It is a complicated topic that deserves more scrutiny but it’s something that we must endure for our lives.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Something that I am proud of is my cultural influences and how I can manage musical styles. My work is hugely inspired by narratives and forms that are invented by myself or seen in Nature. In my music, I try to capture the melodic essence of a scene or idea and use the atmosphere for harmonic inspiration. My instrumental compositions are based on orchestral-acoustic music where I seek to deliver a great and personal sound that the spectator will be found emotionally attached to and be fully immersed in the narrative of the scene or piece.
What matters most to you?
The first thing that I think when I see this question is family. Being so far from them and my island just makes my heart sad and every time I work on something or even put a single note, I am reminded that this is for the better. Missing them is clearly part of the process of growing but knowing that they will always be there for me is something I treasure a lot. Because of them, I have the energy and mindset to continue working hard.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.emmanuelsegarramusic.com/
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/esegarra_composer
