LAist: Most of your work has to do with the more eclectic and contemporary music scene could you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into recording film music?
Maya Beiser: I'm originally from Israel, Classically trained, strictly doing Classical music until I went to Yale here, in the US, and I've since dedicated a lot of my work to contemporary music, not just Classical. That's what I've been doing in all of my albums and performances. I collaborate a lot with visual artists and my concerts are not your usual straightforward concerts, I try to do a lot to more to create an event on stage. Along the way I was invited to go to Sundance as a mentor at the Institute to work with some film composers there and a few summers ago I met James Newton Howard, and I've collaborated with him a few times.
Since you've done this a few times, how do you prepare for these recording sessions and can you tell us about what goes on behind the scenes?
It's really cool. When someone like James calls me in, it's because they are looking for what it is I have to bring as an artist, so I come in at a point where he thinks a cello is needed. It varies, some of it is pre-written - there are cues (the way things work is things go cue by cue) and in this case there will be quite a bit of improvisation on my part and we're recording in the beautiful Sony sound stages for a couple days and it's a mix of both cues and improvisation to come up with the music for that particular moment. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes in regards to composing - I come in a little later as a soloist so it's a little different. We have a good relationship and I know his music and he knows what I can do so when he imagines the things that I do in regards to my sound and sensibilities as a musician that's when he brings me into the film.
Read More Here:
LAist