the Sony Project
The Sony Project is a composition project that takes place every semester at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as a collaboration between the Technology and Applied Composition department and Sony PlayStation. Students are given a brief for a fictitious video game in development and compose demo music that is critiqued by PlayStation music producers. Each semester, a handful of composers are selected to have their pieces recorded at PlayStation in San Mateo, CA. All of my pieces had been chosen for recording. You can listen to each piece below, where I've also included some information about each fictitious game the pieces were written for.
PARALLEL
PARALLEL (2020) follows a main character as he struggles with the balance between the real world and the magical, virtual world of Atlantis.
"He Watches" is a theme for the main villain of the game, who uses mind control powers to brainwash characters in both worlds.
LUMINOUS
LUMINOUS (2019 - 20) takes place beneath the sea, where our two protagonists discover a delicate ecosystem where bioluminescent creatures, including a species of jellyfish called "angels," live in symbiosis with energy crystals.
"Eighth Wonder" is a main theme for the game.
"Sachael" is a theme for the angels. The title is a reference to Sachiel/Sachael, an archangel of water in kabbalistic and Christian angelology whose name means "the covering of God."
SWAN SONG
SWAN SONG (2018 - 19) features a protagonist with a magical voice who must outsmart a cult that seeks her powers for their own gain.
"Divergence" is a main theme for the game. (The choir does have lyrics, but unfortunately they're just ahh-ing here because Hollywood Choirs WordBuilder kept causing the project to crash 😭)
"Black Swan" is a theme for the protagonist. WordBuilder put on its best behavior for this piece, for some reason.
HEADWINDS
HEADWINDS (2017 - 18) features an astronaut named Eve who is stranded on a distant planet and must survive on her own until her crew can rescue her. Think The Martian but with the main protagonist of Gravity.
"Khamsin" is a main theme for the game.
"Eden" is a love theme for Eve and her teammate and beloved friend, Adam. This is probably where the title comes from.