Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Beggs
Hi Katherine, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a composer for film, television, and other media. At the start of my journey as a composer, I intended to pursue classical composition. In high school, I was writing for choir, solo piano, and chamber ensembles. I almost went to a music conservatory for college to study classical composition, but I ultimately decided to instead go to Brown University to study music and political science. While I was at Brown, I got involved in the filmmaking community. My freshman roommate was a filmmaker and encouraged me to score Brown and RISD student films. The more student film compositions I created, the more excited I became about the prospect of film scoring as a career. In 2020, I was lucky enough to join a team called Cutting Room Music with two professional media composers – Mark Roos and Adonis Tsilimparis. We score a variety of media, film, and television projects. Learning from their experience has really propelled me on my journey. After Brown, I decided to get my master’s degree in film scoring at NYU. The program expanded my skills and knowledge of the industry exponentially. I am one semester away from completing my master’s and working professionally as a film composer, and currently scoring my very first feature film.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Pursuing the arts in any form is hardly ever a smooth road, which can be very difficult at times. As someone who struggles with uncertainty, I have experienced self-doubt and second thoughts throughout my career. There have been moments where I have wondered if I am good enough to do this, if I would be able to support myself as an artist, and if people would appreciate my work. Comparing myself to my peers from Brown who pursued more stable, traditional jobs was not easy either. What I have learned though is to keep going. If I had quit when I faced those moments of intense self-doubt, I would have robbed myself of the successes that came later.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a composer, producer, and songwriter, what makes my sound unique is that I imbue my classical music and pop background into my work. Many of my tracks are hybrid – combining live instruments and electronic instruments. I like to add my own vocals to my scores as well. At this point in time, I am most proud of the four films I have been working on this past year. One of them was an NYU Journalism documentary called “It’s Not The End of the World” written and directed by Izzy Stokes. This is a profound documentary about grappling with homosexuality in the protestant church. I am quite proud of the soundscape I created for the film, again combining both live and electronic elements. Another film I just finished is called “Not a Word” by Columbia student filmmaker Clive Thompson. The film also tackles some intense subjects involving family, religion, and sexual abuse. I wrote a score that used live saxophone which is now one of my favorite compositions. I am currently composing for a film called “Paint Me Blue,” which is special to me because the score is composed entirely of piano, strings, and vocals. The film is 30 minutes and 20 minutes of it is my original music. I plan on releasing an album of the score after the live instruments are recorded. I am also composing for my first feature film called “Bellyache,” directed by Van Ditthavong. This is my very first feature film about a grieving mother who loses her husband and unborn child. The score is a combination of piano melodies and experimental sound design which has been a fun challenge. It has truly been a gift to score such a beautiful motion picture.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I decided that I wanted to pursue film scoring during the start of Covid-19 in 2020 when I was a sophomore in college. My summer job plans fell through because of Covid, and I was lost at the start of the summer. Having to isolate took a severe toll on my mental health, as it did for so many. I was trying to figure out my life and career while grappling with an indefinite end to the pandemic. It was during this time that I was introduced to composer Mark Roos, who became an incredible mentor to me. The summer of 2020 I worked with Mark and shadowed him remotely. This set the foundation for my film scoring endeavors. My career would have probably taken a different path if I had not met Mark during this time. The biggest lesson I learned during this time is that it is impossible to plan for everything and that life circumstances can point you in unexpected directions. It is important to be open to uncertainty, despite our best efforts to plan for the future. I still am trying to implement this as I advance in my career. Being a film composer I am not always sure what projects will come my way or who I will be working with in the future. I try to be open to opportunities that present themselves. So far I have been fortunate enough to work on some incredible projects – a reality I could have never imagined even a few years ago.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katherinebeggs.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katherinebeggs/
