Today we’d like to introduce you to Anya Lagman.
Hi Anya, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in a musical family as the youngest child of four. My siblings and I were all musicians and bonded through performing together in a band and orchestra. However, in my freshman year of high school, I found my own identity and voice as the youngest child through composition. I wrote a theme song inspired by Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film Inception and was particularly inspired by Hans Zimmer’s Time. Experiencing my music played alongside the film was my first experience in seeing the alchemy of audio-visual experiences. This motivated me to pursue a Bachelor’s in Composition at USC’s Thornton School of Music. Throughout my undergrad, I found my voice was best developing when I created interdisciplinary art. I collaborated with dancers, choreographers, performers, filmmakers, and composers. I wrote for ensembles like Hub New Music, MUSE Cincinnati Women’s Choir, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and more.
A turning point in my journey as a composer was returning home to Manila during the height of the pandemic for my sophomore year. This was my first time using a digital audio workstation, which later became my preferred composing method. I created my own audio-visual works and developed a different relationship to my hometown.
Upon returning to Los Angeles in 2021, I brought with me an interest in connecting with my roots as Filipina through my compositions. I created Bayan, a four-part movement work that explores the complicated nature of the Filipino diaspora. Having recently completed Mother Tongue (the final movement), premiered all four works at BAYAN–my capstone composition recital–last April 13th at Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall.
Alongside writing classical music, I also further explored writing for visual media by working with student and professional filmmakers. I also participated in the NYU Screen Scoring Workshop last summer as a scholar. Last fall, I spearheaded my initiative of producing a live film concert at USC called filmUSiC. My goal was to diversify the audience of live orchestral music beyond the Thornton community and celebrate USC’s artistic talent from their cinema and music schools. Currently, I am the composer’s assistant to Nicolas Snyder for the upcoming HBOMax series, Scavengers Reign.
As I am about to graduate in May, I look forward to gaining more first-hand experience in the screen-scoring industry. But I also am driven to continue creating works that celebrate and shed light on Filipino culture.
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?
I have faced challenges along my journey as an international student and Filipina composer. Fortunately, Los Angeles is an eclectic and inspiring environment filled with like-minded and supportive individuals. I am inspired by female composers who are paving the way for future generation female composers. Composers like Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid have created Luna Composition Lab, which has given opportunities for female and nonbinary or gender-conforming composers throughout the country. I am also a member of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, founded by Laura Karpman, Miriam Cutler, Lolita Ritmanis and Chandler Poling. Without these platforms, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to take risks along my path as a composer–particularly in producing filmUSiC, USC’s first student-led live-to-picture concert. Another struggle I faced has been establishing my compositional voice as an international student. I’ve had to adjust to a new environment, culture, and musical education; my works were largely inspired by these experiences. Fortunately, Thornton has been a supportive community to diverse musical ideas and compositional methods.
Even with my own composing process, it was difficult to define my voice through my works until I came across composing through a digital audio workstation. The freedom I feel composing through this medium has given me the confidence to engage with profound conversations regarding my own Filipino identity.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My works serve as my biographical lens for viewing the world. My musical curiosity revolves around phenomena I encounter with intimacy and vulnerability. I am interested in working with different mediums, musical sounds, and the alchemy created from audio-visual experiences. Before composing musical ideas, I ensure my pieces are backed by research from theses, dissertations, and articles. With a concrete understanding, I incorporate my own personal perspective through abstraction in my works. I invite listeners to draw attention to their own relationships with their culture and how it influences their identity.
My most recent work, Bayan, explores the complicated nature of the Filipino diaspora. The four-movement work celebrates Filipino culture and the unique intricacies that come from the country’s history. Balikbayan (my choral work for SATB) won the Peter David Endowed Memorial Award last April at the Thornton School of Music Honors Convocation. Bayanihan was workshopped and premiered by Hub New Music last November. I Am Mother was commissioned by the May Festival, in partnership with Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid’s Luna Composition Lab. This SA choral work was recently premiered by MUSE Cincinnati Women’s Choir at the May Festival’s 150th anniversary showcase, in the 25 for 25: A New Time for Choral Works. Bayan was first premiered in its entirety on April 13th at Joyce J Cammilleri Hall.
What sets me apart from others is that I am interested in starting conversations about the Filipino identity and of the country’s history in my works. While my pieces are an abstraction of these topics, they celebrate the country’s unique intricacies.
I also am eager to learn through firsthand experiences in developing my voice as a composer and navigating through the industry. As an Emerging Talent Associate for Warner Records, a composer’s assistant for HBOMax’ upcoming show Scavengers Reign, and a publishing associate at See-A-Dot Music Publishing–I believe learning is best done outside the classroom.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I spearheaded USC’s first student-led live-to-picture concert, filmUSiC. I was also inspired by the LA Phil’s live film concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Having seen Black Panther in concert in 2021, I was motivated to bring this experience to USC and diversify the demographic of concertgoers for orchestral music, similar to the audience attendance at the Hollywood Bowl. I underestimated how many different roles I needed to play and how much preparation was needed to execute a concert like this, which had many risks involved. I found that the journey of producing the concert was quite complex. It was a process of learning along the journey and taking on roles outside of being a producer in order for the concert to have its most potential. I took on many hats as a composer, producer, executive director, marketing head, and performer.
The process of syncing the conductor’s film with the audience’s film was the riskiest part of the concert. However, I embraced the improvised aesthetic of the concert and leaned into this by breaking the fourth wall for the audience to experience. It was an intimate concert experience where the orchestra and music took center stage, which is atypical for an audio-visual experience. The audience was engaged and were immersed in the experience by seeing the humanness to the film’s score –a unique experience only found in live film concerts.
With the marketing of the event, I took initiative in creating an online presence for the concert by posting three to four times a week and sharing behind-the-scenes footage of rehearsals. Ultimately, filmUSiC was a sold-out and full house concert that celebrated USC’s talent in cinema and music. Without this experience, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to conduct my own film score (I only thought this opportunity was for established composers whose works would only be presented in large venues like the Hollywood Bowl), gained experience in marketing an event, and producing an entire concert. I hope this sets a name for myself as I graduate from college and helps me prepare for the screen-scoring industry in the near future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://anyalagman.com/
- Instagram: anya_composer filmusic2022
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anya-lagman-9295b1237/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmU0QUhFS6iTJe7gUMQzr1g
Image Credits
Headshot image credit: Haris https://www.instagram.com/haristjio/?hl=en Concert stills taken from video footage by Jason Yu
