Check Out Angel Velez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Velez.

Hi Angel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I began my career first as a college band director and doing lots of arranging for bands while still being fascinated with the orchestra world and conducting, wishing to one day lead orchestras professionally. A dozen years ago, I had an unexpected opportunity to move to Southern California where I feel my real education began, not just in a decision to attend graduate school at USC or to continue studying conducting, but where I learned about an entirely new world of music making in the studio system. I also had the greatest fortune to meet two wonderful composers, Kevin Kiner and Ron Jones, who gave me so many opportunities to work, but more importantly to learn about the expectations of working in the recording industry and how vastly different it was from my experiences in the academic and concert worlds.

I attended every LA Philharmonic rehearsal and scoring session I could get into began meeting more composers and eventually took on opportunities to orchestrate and conduct while still participating in conducting workshops, competitions, and private study with my two most influential conducting teachers, Donald Thulean and then Kenneth Kiesler. I never had ambitions to venture into this side of music making, but it really reshaped my understanding of creating music and kept me thirsty for learning more and challenging myself. Over the years, thanks to the countless people who have taken a chance on me – not even just for employment, but for the opportunity to be in their orbit and just learn from them – along with my own eagerness to want to be better and compete against myself, I’ve been so fortunate to build a career as a professional orchestra conductor and concert producer.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A smooth road? Of course not, but one that needed every twist and unexpected turn to help me learn important lessons along the way. There have definitely been challenges, but I think the biggest lessons have been about how to adjust internally, making sure I learn how to really prepare which will give me confidence in what I’m doing but also in seeing the entire chess board so I can be able to adapt when necessary. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in the professional world is you are hired to provide someone else peace of mind so it’s critical you learn what their definition of success is. I learned some time ago that my work is part of the service industry and that I am here to serve through my craft and elevate whatever project I am working on through my expertise.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a conductor and concert producer. Whether it’s conducting recording sessions here in Los Angeles, serving as music director for an event such as an awards show, guest conducting a pops concert or creating a live-to-film concert, I try to connect with audiences of all ages and experiences in the music I create. I’m perhaps best known for the films and tv shows I’ve worked on as well as the teaching I do as part of the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive (LAFCI), a program I co-founded about 7 years ago to help professional media composers in their conducting.

What am I most proud of? That’s a tough one to answer since I’m a rather critical person and I’m always looking for ways to be better, but I keep getting very positive feedback about LAFCI and the people it reaches and supports. Even that, I can’t really take much credit for since it’s a team of incredible people that make up the guts of that program. I’m proud, if not simply honored, to call them my friends and colleagues and that we share the same love of teaching and the same goal of slowly trying to push the needle of progress and quality in our industry. I adore those folks, they inspire me.

What sets me apart from others? I think the producing side of my work, especially in creating live-to-film concerts sets me apart, in addition to having first hand experiences working on many of these films or television shows.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
My view on taking risks? Growing your career, at least in my opinion, is all about taking calculated risks. Whether it’s trying out a new concert program with different music or taking on a bigger risk of producing an entire show, that risk is how we learn, not only about the specific idea but is how we take an accurate temperature of ourselves and our understanding of how to approach an opportunity or obstacle. Even with my carefully calculated risks, sometimes I fail. Sometimes I don’t embark upon a project because I think the risks are too great or not worth the potential reward, and sometimes I think the risk is worth it and yet still, it may fail. But you have to take the risk to find out. At the worst, you learned a whole lot you did not know before and can apply that to calibrating your next steps.

To paraphrase the legendary Michael Jordan, “everyone knows the shots I’ve made but don’t know how many shots I’ve missed”. I take lots of shots as part of my work and in building my career. I’d like to think that’s just part of the process of growing and that I’ll continue to get better along the way and I’ll miss less shots. My latest risk is Biscetti Productions, a production company I created for my live concerts, focusing on live-to-film concerts with orchestra. We’ll see how it pans out, but I know I need to take the shot.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.AngelVelezMusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelvelezmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angel.velez.16
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/angelvelezmusic

Image Credits
Jessie Cleveland Tobias Waldenmeier Miguel Zayas American Society of Cinematographers