Meet William Brueggemann | Composer, Podcaster and Music Educator

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

Hi William, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the youngest of four children in a highly musical household. There is a significant age gap between me and the rest of my siblings which was very significant for me as a developing child. When I was young, I was lucky to get so much attention, not only from my parents, but especially from my two brothers and my sister. As I developed, I felt severely inadequate because I would regularly compare myself and my abilities with that of my siblings, even though they were much older than me and in different stages in their lives. These feelings of inadequacy proved to be both a blessing and a curse because, while they were painful, and would cause me to become discouraged, they were also a strong motivator to “catch up” to the older kids.

Since both of my older brothers were music obsessed from the time I was born, in some ways, I feel as though I had no choice but to become a musician. Perhaps there are some family, genetic components to our shared vocation but honestly, as a kid, I felt as though I was just seeking their approval and I wanted to do whatever it was they were doing. Both of my brothers have had such a profound impact on my, not only as a person but as a musician particularly.

Even though I often felt left behind, too young to participate in their higher-level music making, I would come to realize that being exposed to it from such a young age was such a gift and gave me significant advantages from other kids my age. My two brothers Marty & Karl were nice enough to bring me on stage several times as a kid and I had multiple opportunities to sing and perform in front of a large crowd. I would soon learn how uncommon my experiences were, but I still was tremendously impatient and I needed to grow up as fast as possible.

I think that being from Minnesota meant that I was exposed to a lot more choral music and probably a lot more religious music than I would have been in other parts of the country (which would become more relevant in high school and college when I started composing large choir pieces.) Also, being so removed from what felt like an epicenter of media or popular culture gave me the feeling that making music was something personal and magical, not a business or something to be pursued professionally. I essentially learned everything from my brothers and much of my early tastes were absorbed or heavily influenced by theirs. Even many of my core musical philosophies (though refined and shaped on my own in the decades since) are owed entirely to the lessons I learned watching my brothers grow and develop as performers and composers themselves.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always been a very outwardly emotional person. When I see a friend or family member, I get visibly excited, loud, and affectionate. I cry regularly and hold my hand to my heart when someone tells me a touching story. I can get my feelings hurt easily and I have been told that I may be “oversensitive.” I have struggled with mental health issues, suffering from depression and bipolar disorder, both of which I have taken medication for and both for which have received a great deal of therapy. I used to think that there was something “wrong” with me because of how sensitive I was but now I see what a blessing it is for a composer to be ever-present and connected to their emotions. I believe it’s essential for any great artist to be able to connect with their deepest inner feelings in order to communicate something of value to an audience.

Both of my parents frequently emphasized the importance of empathy, growing up. I always thought that it was only in the interest of others to act empathically, but I think it’s of even more benefit to ourselves to practice empathy. It can allow you to forgive someone when they’ve hurt you, or anticipate a person’s reaction when sharing a piece of unpleasant news. Empathy connects our imagination to our deepest feelings of pathos and has the potential to form true bonds of friendship and brotherhood. In the arts, the ability to empathize is absolutely crucial. Weather its an actor empathizing with the antagonist in a film in order to bring nuance to the character or a composer empathizing with the state of mind of a bored audience member when arranging music for a concert, our ability to imagine ourselves in the minds and bodies of others is central to what it means to be an artist.

I have found that by being in touch with my own emotions, I am better able to express them freely through music, in the form of things like “melody”, “harmony”, “timbre” and “groove”. As a composer who works in media regularly, an awareness of the breadth of human emotion is often required of us in order to move an audience or to subtly inform them of a particular character’s feelings or intention. One of the things I adore so much about writing music for video games is that the audience, (in this case the “player”) IS the central character and the music I write, has the ability not just to inform them, like in film or TV, but to inspire their body, mind and spirit to overcome certain challenges and alter or hopefully enhance their ability to play.

Stylistically, I have always been all over the map from retro, 80’s chiptune to big romantic orchestra, writing pop music, choral pieces, musicals, and even an opera. Like most composers, I am a product of my environment and my influences. Being a child of the 90’s, the influence of music from video-games, movies and television has greatly affected my sensibilities. I have always been drawn to simple, memorable and beautiful melodies as a listener and that is first and foremost my aim as a composer. I feel this compulsion to create music that can be enjoyed by people from entirely different backgrounds. I often attempt to combine simple, hummable tunes with complex and surprising arrangements, hopefully providing a more universal appeal as well as the kinds of subtle details that focused listeners and serious musicians could appreciate as well.

I tend to write a great deal of “genre” pieces, many that pay homage to specific composers or past musical trends. I think this is also owed to the eclectic nature of media music (particularly games) and also due to my own attention span, urging me to try something I’ve never done before or at the very least, different from my last piece of music. I adore the music of composers like Koji Kondo, Joe Hisaishi, Alan Silvestri and John Williams. That mixture of elemental melodic craft with beautiful and impactful harmonies never fails to spark my imagination or ignite deep feelings of melancholy, nostalgia and love.

In addition to writing, I host the Super Marcato Bros. Video Game Music Podcast as well as UnderScore, a podcast about film music.For over ten years as a podcaster, I have had the privilege to meet and interview many of the media composers who first inspired me to compose in the first place. Through the podcasts, I have met hundreds and hundreds of brilliant artists, game designers, filmmakers and composers, many of which have since become close personal friends and collaborators. I think of any choice I’ve made, starting podcasting back in February of 2012 was probably the one thing I’ve done that has lead to the most incredible experiences in my life. From interviewing composers to playing live shows, hosting panels and doing Q & A’s with fans, I have met so many wonderful humans that have made my life incalculably better. I also think that hosting a weekly podcast in which I analyze roughly 20 pieces of music each week, has vastly improved my verbal abilities which has helped me in professional situations that require strong communication skills. The podcasts have also made me a stronger composer, because they have provided outlets for me to discover new music and force me to spend a great deal of time on thorough musical analysis, which I believe is the best way for a composer to grow.

Currently, I do my best to balance my time between my many varied projects from film scores, indie games, concert pieces, chiptune albums, my band/soul-pop duo Ember Willow, the podcasts as well as several musicals which are in various stages of development. I have learned that I am someone who really values collaboration, especially since I am an extrovert and I don’t much care for spending hours and hours alone, at a piano or staring at a computer screen. Writing music for mixed media gives me the opportunity to share the joy and passions of the creative process with other people. I hope to explore new and different forms of collaboration in the years to come!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely choose to celebrate some of the amazing natural features of the area like the incredible hiking trails, the beautiful mountains and the joy of swimming in the Pacific Ocean!

Truthfully though, I am still quite a newbie to LA so I rely on other Angelinos to give suggestions and recommendations for places to check out. We’ve found some wonderful local restaurants but still no pizza that can compare to anything in Chicago. My wife and I love seeing stand-up and live music! We’ve been to the Comedy Store and the Hollywood Bowl twice. There is so much to do here that it can feel overwhelming but I have loved everything so far and can’t wait for more opportunities to explore!

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?
It may seem obvious, but without the support of my family, I never would have allowed myself to pursue music in earnest. both of my parents, my three siblings as well as their husbands and wives have all supported me in countless ways. As a child, my siblings were patient with me and went out of their way to include me in their music making as well as teach me as much as I could understand about music theory and encouraged me to listen actively, not passively. As I began to compose and took my early steps creatively, they all supported me, attended my concerts, musicals (even the bad ones) and never once discouraged me away from something I was passionate about. My parents have been incredibly generous and have never once faltered in their support of me personally and my music career. I can’t imagine where I would be without the knowledge that my family is the wind at my back.

I know that many artists achieve success in spite of their parents or families but I don’t think I would have had the strength to do so. I’m eternally grateful to each of them! Then of course, there is my one-in-a-billion wife Emma, who not only supports me every step of the way, but is a brilliant musician in her own right and my favorite person to collaborate with. I never tire of making music with Emma and I know that whatever path my life takes, we will be together every step of the way.

Website: www.williambmusic.com

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

Other: www.supermarcatobros.com www.underscorepodcast.com

Image Credits
Main photo by Arthur Siegel (www.siegelarthur.com) Additional Photos by: Travis Anderson (www.travisandersonphoto.com) and Arthur Siegel