Meet Katherine Beggs

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

Hi Katherine, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
My whole career has essentially been about taking risks, especially as an artist. Choosing to pursue a non-traditional career path was not easy and took some blind faith (and still does). It went against the expectations of my family and my peers to do music professionally. Many people still do not know what film composers do, so I constantly have to explain what exactly my work consists of. I know deep down that if I never took this risk, I would have lived with a lot of regret. There was a moment when I was working at a record label on the music data analytics side. I had a moment where I was working at my desk in the office and thought to myself I want to be the one to create the music, not analyze the charts of other artists. I am certainly glad I took the risk that I did.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a composer for film, television, and other media. At the start of my journey as a composer, I intended to pursue classical composition. In high school, I was writing for choir, solo piano, and chamber ensembles. I almost went to a music conservatory for college to study classical composition, but I ultimately decided to instead go to Brown University to study music and political science. While I was at Brown, I got involved in the filmmaking community. My freshman roommate was a filmmaker and encouraged me to score Brown and RISD student films. The more student film compositions I created, the more excited I became about the prospect of film scoring as a career. In 2020, I was lucky enough to join a team called Cutting Room Music with two professional media composers – Mark Roos and Adonis Tsilimparis. We score a variety of media, film, and television projects. Learning from their experience has propelled me on my journey. After Brown, I decided to get my master’s degree in film scoring at NYU. The program expanded my skills and knowledge of the industry exponentially. I am one semester away from completing my master’s and working professionally as a film composer, and currently scoring my very first feature film. Pursuing music has not always been a smooth road. As someone who struggles with uncertainty, I have experienced self-doubt and second thoughts throughout my career. There have been moments where I have wondered if I am good enough to do this, if I would be able to support myself as an artist, and if people would appreciate my work. Comparing myself to my peers from Brown who pursued more stable, traditional jobs was not easy either. What I have learned though is to keep going. If I had quit when I faced those moments of intense self-doubt, I would have robbed myself of the successes that came later.
What makes my sound unique is that I imbue my classical music and pop background into my compositions and songs. Many of my tracks are hybrid – combining live instruments and electronic instruments. I like to add my own vocals to my scores as well. At this point in time, I am most proud of the four films I have been working on this past year. One of them was an NYU Journalism documentary called “It’s Not The End of the World” written and directed by Izzy Stokes. This is a profound documentary about grappling with homosexuality in the protestant church. I am quite proud of the soundscape I created for the film, again combining both live and electronic elements. Another film I just finished is called “Not a Word” by Columbia student filmmaker Clive Thompson. The film also tackles some intense subjects involving family, religion, and sexual abuse. I wrote a score that used live saxophone which is now one of my favorite compositions. I am currently composing for a film called “Paint Me Blue,” which is special to me because the score is composed entirely of piano, strings, and vocals. The film is 30 minutes and 20 minutes of it is my original music. I plan on releasing an album of the score after the live instruments are recorded. I am also composing for my first feature film called “Bellyache,” directed by Van Ditthavong. This is my very first feature film about a grieving mother who loses her husband and unborn child. The score is a combination of piano melodies and experimental sound design which has been a fun challenge. It has truly been a gift to score such a beautiful motion picture.
Ultimately, I am passionate about composing for media projects that tell meaningful stories and have diverse production teams. I want to expand people’s perspectives and make them feel connected to powerful stories through my music. I also want to provide representation in the industry for Asian women like me, and ultimately inspire all women and POC to pursue scoring. I intend to be a leader in this industry, and a voice for all composers by uplifting their music and their representation.

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.
I am originally from Pasadena, CA. I would take them on a tour of Pasadena and East LA. The first stop would definitely be the Huntington Gardens, probably the hidden gem of LA. The Japanese Garden is my favorite. After that, I would go to Vroman’s bookstore on Colorado Blvd. This is one of the best local bookstores and shops in LA. To eat, we would go to Lunasia Dim Sum house in Alhambra. This place has some of the best Dim Sum in SoCal. Another spot I love is Mijares Mexican Restaurant, a Pasadena staple. Their tableside guacamole is the best guacamole you will ever have. My favorite Pasadena landmark has to be this statue of a fork right in between an actual fork the road. It is a sight to see. I would also take them to Old Town Pasadena, which is a cute area with great food and shops. My favorite tea room, Tea Rose Garden is here. They have the best tea sandwiches and desserts. The Norton Simon Museum, down the street, is one of my favorite art museums. It’s a great place to peruse on a summer day. To end the day, check out a classical music concert at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. They have amazing chamber ensembles. I have had a few of my own compositions played here. These are some of my top Pasadena activities.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been fortunate enough to have stellar mentors on my journey as a composer. When I first started formally composing, I studied with Reena Esmail who is one of the most inspiring and brilliant composers of our time. I would not have pursued composition formally without her. She showed me a path for women composers I would never have imagined when I was a kid. She inspired me to do composition as a career. Mark Roos is another valuable mentor who really helped me on my film scoring path. I shadowed him during the year of 2020. He is a fantastic film, television, and media composer and we are now co-founders of the media scoring company Cutting Room Music. He has been such an advocate for me in the industry, and I am very grateful for it. Lastly, my dad is one of my great mentors. He has always encouraged me to pursue my creative dreams, as someone who is also in the entertainment industry. I would not have had the courage to make this leap without his support.

Website: https://katherinebeggs.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katherinebeggs/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-beggs-a04552177/ 

Image Credits
Lauren Hurt