Meet Joel Lindberg of Studio City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel Lindberg

Hi Joel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you so much VoyageLA for having me!

I owe a lot to my roots. My story starts in the deep forests of northern Sweden, where we have midnight sun in the summer and northern lights in the winter. I had the great fortune of growing up surrounded by music with two music professionals as parents. Me and my sisters played around with the piano, tambourine, and miniature harp in our living room just as much as any other toys when we were kids. I am endlessly grateful to my family for showing me, from day one, that a career in music is as viable and valid as any other. Thanks to that jumping-off point, I was able to play cello in both national and international youth orchestras early on, and compose music for a North Sweden Opera dance production while still a teenager.

Around the age of 11 I had figured out that I wanted to compose music for film. Nothing else managed to set my heart on fire the way movie music did. It seemed too good to be true when I first stumbled upon this career path that combines my two biggest interests: cinema and music. I decided that my goal would be to go to the same college as Howard Shore, composer of the Lord of the Rings soundtracks, namely Berklee College of Music in Boston.

However, I first chose to expand my musical toolbox at two other academic institutions, so I could truly focus on absorbing technical film scoring knowledge once I reached my dream school. Initially, I studied a year at esteemed Swedish institution Gotland School of Music Composition, and then I did a year of jazz studies on cello at Dublin City University, finishing with the highest grade in the class. These experiences made me a more well-rounded musician which helped me go above and beyond once I did my Film and Media Scoring Bachelor’s Degree at Berklee.

Berklee is a melting pot of cultures with students and professors from all over the planet, and I will forever cherish the friendships across continents I made there and the one-of-a-kind music we all created together. Immersing myself in all things film scoring, I discovered the Berklee Motion Picture Orchestra and the Film Scoring Studio Orchestra. With these ensembles, I was able to refine my skillset from the conductor’s podium, the front of the cello section, and the control room. I discovered that my earlier composition experience and orchestral cellist background were superpowers in disguise, helping me discover my professional niche of orchestration and orchestral writing, and also getting my session cellist career started. This was exactly the springboard I needed to make the leap after graduation and get started here in LA!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Creating a life for myself outside of my birth country has been a humbling experience in several ways, and my path definitely had its twists and turns before I got to the point where I am today. Several times have I been forced to find creative solutions to problems to be able to continue down my chosen path, be it due to COVID-19 pandemic complications, financial obstacles, or immigration concerns. The key to maintaining the stubbornness to overcome these challenges has for me been the strong support of my family and friends.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The orchestra is my color palette — and I love to paint!

I think something that sets me apart from others within the media scoring field is my extensive experience as an orchestral cellist, combined with my immense nerdy appreciation for the orchestration techniques of masters such as Maurice Ravel and (to provide a more contemporary example) John Powell. Several of my peers from college lacked knowledge of instrument limitations due to a lack of previous experience with live orchestra, which caused them to struggle when leaving the mockup behind in favor of real performers. My goal is to be the orchestrating helping hand that composers need in circumstances like these.

When you’ve sat through orchestral rehearsals for more than a decade like I have, and spent countless hours studying the scores of masterful orchestrators, you learn first-hand about the particular strengths, quirks, and limitations of each individual instrument. I’m always eager to learn more, since I strive to orchestrate in a way tailored to each instrument, catering to their specific strengths while still adhering to the confines of playability. When orchestrating or scoring for film or visual media, my goal is to unlock the hidden potential of the music by infusing splashes of color through my use of orchestration, elevating the expression of emotion to the next level.

Over the summer, I worked remotely on a large-scale project for Classical Uprising (https://www.classicaluprising.org/) which involved composing, orchestrating, and doing score and parts preparation for a reimagining of Mozart’s Requiem. Our goal was to bring a fresh new flavor of sound to the original work, in part through the use of extended techniques and other orchestrator tricks. I’m excited for live audiences to hear the result of our hard work later this fall!

My love of music includes a lot of other paths besides orchestration and film scoring, such as composing and arranging concert music; conducting; doing music preparation; and working as a cellist in both recording sessions and live concert settings. I have experience teaching cello, music theory, and film scoring, and find that to be very rewarding. Additionally, my background as a performer isn’t limited to orchestral music but also includes a lot of jazz and popular music on the cello and piano/keys. In summary, I’m happy as long as I’m surrounded by music and get to share my love for it with others, so I strive to be as well-rounded as possible in my musicianship and am always eager to learn about new genres and instruments.

Take a peek at my website joellindberg.com for examples of my original music, such as ”Imaginarium” which I had the luxury of recording at the esteemed Power Station Studios in New York City!

How do you define success?
My definition of success is always changing. A couple of years ago I never could’ve imagined that I would be the principal cellist in a recording session led by Hollywood legend Alan Silvestri himself, but that happened. Now, I’m able to dream bigger, because my concept of what is possible has changed.

I believe in the power of setting lots of smaller goals, and celebrating every milestone along the way. That way a lot of time will pass and suddenly you’ll find yourself lightyears outside of what used to be your comfort zone, having achieved that big goal that you thought was impossible without ever realizing it, because you took it one step at a time. First, definition meant going to my dream school; then, success meant getting selected for specific on-campus opportunities — and so on. With every achievement comes a whole new set of possibilities. I keep an open mind and make sure to regularly check in with myself whether or not my values and desires have changed, and make sure to align my goals accordingly.

That said, being able to make a living doing what I love while getting to spend time with my loved ones feels like a good benchmark for success on the macro level.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joellindberg.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joellindbeerg/

Image Credits
Eric @ Seed Music & Arts Center
Bruno Doig Gonzales Otoya
Ryan Nava
Wang Congyuan