Meet Angel Velez: Conductor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angel Velez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angel, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I had not originally intended to pursue an artistic career, or even go to school to study music, rather I was more interested in pursuing pre-med in college in hopes of one day becoming a surgeon.  I certainly loved performing in ensembles and becoming incredibly curious about conducting, but it wasn’t until I unexpectedly attended a Latin Legends Live concert, with my parents of all people, that I felt this undeniable pull that further deepened my desire for music.  Since then, I’ve been very fortunate to have been guided by remarkable teachers and partake in  opportunities that have allowed me to have a career in music.  I know it’ll seem cliché, but I think music pursued me at first.  

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

I keep busy with music!  More specifically, I conduct orchestras for both the concert hall and recording sessions for film/television as well as produce concerts such as Silent Films Live.  I also have the immense pleasure of teaching conducting as Co-founder and Director of the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive where I get to work with a dream team of colleagues as we work to address the needs of professional film/tv/game composers, via the lens of conducting.

What sets me apart from others?  Perhaps my concert hall and recording studio experiences uniquely set me apart from others in my field since, typically, a studio conductor usually only works in the studio whereas a concert conductor exclusively works in the concert hall.  However, with the increasing popularity of live-to-picture concerts these worlds will become a bit more intertwined in the coming years and hopefully my experiences in both arenas can help me better connect them in creating great experiences for audiences.

Michael Jordan has a quote associated with him that is along the lines of we know how many shots he has made in his career, but don’t know all the times he has missed or failed and that is failures are why he has been successful.  I’ve been very fortunate to work on projects that have gained international recognition or are part of major franchises, but also have worked on countless indie projects that may not be as easily accessed by the public, as well as projects that have never seen the light of day!  Where I am today has been created by a lot of perceived successes and failures.  The challenge is to not let others define those terms; I need to be the one who determines if I’m being successful or not.  My eye is on where I’m headed next and that’s hopefully to create my best work yet.  So I see it as my responsibility to self-assess, make the next best decision I can, move forward, and repeat.  If I have any successes, it’s because I’ve failed repeatedly but have either been given an opportunity to try again, or I sought out an opportunity to keep on moving forward.

There are so many lessons I’ve learned along this path so far.  During the pandemic, I’ve given a lot of Zoom talks to high school and university groups and while preparing for one of them I found myself jotting down a litany of things I thought just might be helpful to share with others who haven’t had as many opportunities to fail as I have, which ended up being a thirty-one point list of “Some Important Lessons I’ve Learned So Far”.  A couple that immediately stick out are

• You’re hired to give someone peace of mind. Know the job. Know what their definition of success is.
• Opportunity comes more than once.  It may not be in the same form you expected, and rarely happens on the timeline you preferred, so be able to recognize it and be prepared to seize it.
• Surround yourself with people smarter than you.
• Be kind.  If you lose a job/audition/etc., let it be for creative differences, not because you couldn’t remember basic sandbox rules such as “plays well with others” or “is kind”.
• No matter what, bring your A game to the job, no matter if it pays a lot or a little, be it a big project or not, build your reputation based upon quality and reliability.
• In the professional world, no one will insist upon your standards. You set them. You keep them.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Obviously, COVID-19 has put a pause on the vast majority of things we can currently do, but if you only had one thing to choose to do in town, I’d say, hands down, go to the Hollywood Bowl and experience the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  You get a taste of one of the best musical groups in the world while in a location that is bustling, yet serene, as well as have plenty of fun things afterward from street food to the iconic landmarks of Hollywood just steps away.

My pre/post-COVID list for place, and in no particular order: Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl, The Getty, Drive up the PCH to the Starbucks at Trancas in, Malibu for any celebrity sightings and hang at Zuma Beach, USC game (any sport), Farmer’s market anywhere, Barnsdall Art Park, Exposition Park/California Science Center, Warner Bros. Studios, Surf or SUP.  For food: Philippe’s in DTLA, Spruzzo’s in Malibu, Shutters on the Beach in, Santa Monica, Peninsula Hotel Roof Garden in Beverly Hills.  For cocktails: Casa del Mar hotel bar in Santa Monica, Noé bar in DTLA, Seven Grand in DTLA, Caña Rum Bar in DTLA

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

Absolutely.  To be able to work as a professional musician in this town is thanks to a large group of people who have given me so much love and support and taken a risk on me by providing opportunities for me to learn and grow; thank you for letting me give them a brief shoutout.

From my incredibly supportive parents and siblings who always attended my earliest concerts and were dragged along to every college audition, to my late grandfather who purchased a professional grade digital piano as a graduation gift, in hopes I might be able to land a job as a bar pianist in a nice restaurant or casino boat on Lake Michigan, my family has always been very supportive and I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dreams if it were not for their selfless love and support.

Professionally, the late conducting pedagogue and orchestra administrator, Donald Thulean, had a tremendous influence on me.  He helped reframe my understanding of conducting and music-making as well as got me to rethink the physicality of this art form.  Don also taught me how to be a good student and stay musically hungry so as to learn as much as possible in a profession that will rarely leave one with the feeling they have truly arrived.  His commanding artistry, kindness, and encouragement to pursue my craft further changed my life.  Another big influence in my conducting career has been Kenneth Kiesler, who shifted my foundational approach to conducting technique.  After working with Ken, conducting gestures and their purpose started to really make more sense, providing me with a stronger understanding of technique as well as stressing the immense value of developing a meaningful relationship with the music itself so that it could help better facilitate my musical ideas.  This also led me to achieving better results in both competitions and auditions and eventually landing my first job offer as a conductor!

When I first came to Los Angeles, film composers Kevin Kiner and Ron Jones were two of the first composers I had met and who introduced me to the recording studio system and generously offered me opportunities to learn from them and eventually work with them on projects.  My traditional “classical” music background was in for a bit of a shock at first as I witnessed the incredible speed and high quality in which these musicians, composers, contractors, orchestrators, etc. worked under and how their task was to simply get the job done right the first time, within the budget and deadline, and be ready to make any and all possible adjustments at a moments notice.  I quickly realized I had some professional holes I had to address first if I wanted any chance to try to operate at this level and am forever grateful to them for giving me my first chances to start in this side of the music industry.

Lastly, there are a group of people who have joined me with the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive program, that leave me struggling to adequately express how much they mean to me, how much I learn from each of them, and how they inspire me daily to be at my best.  David Newman, Conrad Pope, William Ross, Jorge Mester, Emilie Bernstein, and Booker White.  If you recognize these names, you know of these giants and the influence they have in our profession.  If you don’t know these names, they are not only at the top of their game in their respective fields, but are some of the best teachers I’ve had the pleasure to work with.  They share so generously of their time and expertise in hopes we might be able to raise the bar of quality just a bit higher and leave our profession in a slightly better shape than how we first encountered it.

These are just a few of the people I am deeply grateful to for the opportunities they have given me.  I’d like to think I know how much I don’t know, and as I look up from my position at the very bottom of this musical totem pole, I see these giants of music and life who have been so generous to let me breathe their air, listen to their words, be patient with me as I digest and reflect, and who continue to inspire me each day.

Website: www.lafci.org

Instagram: la.fci

Facebook: @LosAngelesFilmConductingIntensive

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AngelVelezMusic

Image Credits
Hector Cruz Sandoval Carlo Godoy Joel Henderson Ryan Robinson