Meet Cal Freundlich | Composer, Songwriter, and Artist

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

Hi Cal, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
I think for me it was deciding that it wasn’t too late to throw myself into music full force. Growing up my time was consistently split between music and playing basketball, with music almost always taking a backseat. I was in a band from when I was seven until the end of high school, but basketball practice and workouts always reigned supreme. I ended up playing division I basketball in college at Davidson and the first few months of that year were so busy that for the first time I wasn’t able to write or play music at all, and I felt like I was missing something big in my life. I had always ruled music out as a career because it felt impractical, but I had also never been able to give it all the love and time I deserved to give it to see what I was really capable of. Towards the end of my time in college, but especially after graduation, I was finally able to do that and it was extremely fulfilling. I could see my music grow more tangibly than I ever had in my life, and all the time management skills I had adopted out of necessity really helped me actualize my ability.

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.
Yes! So I’m a film composer and a songwriter, but I really see myself more as an overall musician. As I mentioned before, I think my strongest connection to music has always been when I write, and I think over the years that’s become what sets me apart. It started first when I wrote my first songs; Songwriting in particular is extremely vulnerable, but I think once I got a taste of what it was like to put my feelings or ideas into music and lyrics I kind of couldn’t get enough. Songwriting was the start of everything, and I’m actually releasing my first single since I was in a band in high school really soon, on October 28th, called “Happier.” I’m really excited. It’ll be under my artist name Caleb Moore and is featuring LIV, a super talented artist and friend of mine. The release means a lot to me because it’s my first concrete step towards putting myself out there more and allowing people to see me as an artist – something I’d been hesitant to do for a really long time. My musical identity is multifaceted, and that’s something I want to embrace moving forward.

I also feel like my background as a songwriter is part of what makes me strong as a film composer. When I’m writing a song, I tend to focus a lot of energy on my lyrics to tell the story, but when I write a score, the story is already there for me on screen or in the script. All I have to do is find and support the right moments to make it come to life. And not having to write lyrics makes me feel like there are endless ways to contribute to the scene narratively and emotionally. I know for some people that can make it more daunting, but something about knowing there isn’t just one right answer makes me feel safe and allows me to experiment creatively. I’m just starting work on a feature documentary that I can’t wait to share more about soon.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This question is somehow always so hard for me even though I’ve spent my whole life in the city! I don’t go out that often so a lot of my favorite places are eating spots. One place is Village Pizza on 8th ave in the West Village. It’s been there since I was a kid and has consistently been my favorite slice in the city. Another restaurant near me that my girlfriend and I go to a lot is Malaparte. Also, activity-wise if a friend was visiting I would definitely try to hit up the Comedy Cellar, I love seeing stand-up and NYC is an incredible place for that. Finally, taking a bike ride down the West Side Highway is always a good call, especially in the spring or early fall. You can stay on those bike paths for an eternity.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A lot of people deserve a shoutout but it definitely all started with my parents. They always wished they could play an instrument and so they were adamant on me learning one when I was young. They were supportive no matter how it sounded and through playing I came to understand how meaningful music and art can be. I started taking guitar lessons at 3rd St Music School with Jeff Peretz (another necessary shoutout) when I was seven years old, and it was when Jeff introduced me to writing songs that my connection to music got much deeper. And of course my NYU Screen Scoring community deserves lots of recognition. But my musical journey has been really long, and it wasn’t always clear that it was something I was going to pursue as a career, so I definitely owe a shoutout to my girlfriend, Ki, who for the last five and a half years has been encouraging me in my shift to taking music more seriously. She was a big catalyst for me realizing that I shouldn’t let go of my musical aspirations.

Website: calfreundlichmusic.com

Instagram: @cal_freundlich

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-freundlich

Twitter: @CalFreundlich

Image Credits
Shuhao Tse