Meet Kristine Bernabe | Film Composer

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

Hi Kristine, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I think for many artists, a career in a creative field is a calling. In addition to that, it’s often guided by passion, intellectual curiosity, a love of creative exploration and innovation, and a desire to express and understand our internal and external experiences.

For me, I always knew I was going to devote my life to music. I have always loved music. Looking back into childhood, I see memories of sitting at the piano, formative moments with my favorite pieces and records, and a lifelong curiosity for the music-making process. I was both in awe of music’s beauty and its ability to express complex and nuanced emotions.

I became interested in film music at a young age. I remember getting into movies as a kid and being completely taken by the music. I don’t think I understood the connection fully as a kid but, looking back at it now, I see that film music is a combination of everything I love and am curious about: music, visual art, and storytelling/literature. I am an avid consumer and collector of music and books, and have a great appreciation for the visual arts. Seeing what happens when you combine sight, sound, and story together elicits so many emotions and thoughts that continue to fascinate me. I remember watching (500) Days of Summer, for example, and wondering why the score by Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen made me feel so many emotions at once and how, at times, I felt like I was inside a character’s head. I would wonder why I was left with a certain impression of the film and how the score played a pivotal role in how I understood its themes. That being said, one of the reasons I find a career in film music fulfilling is that it allows me to explore the language of music and how it can be used to express human emotions, thoughts, and experiences.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My road to becoming a film composer was not a straight path, which makes me all the more grateful for having the opportunities I have today in my music education and career. Growing up in a small town in Los Angeles County, a career in film music felt like a pipe dream even though Hollywood was just a drive away. When I first became interested in film music as a kid, there were not many women film composers, and the local schools were very much geared towards STEM and social sciences. Getting the opportunity to engage with the creative arts felt like a rare and coveted opportunity.

Growing up with interests in music, art, and literature, I found myself pursuing a degree in history at the University of California, Irvine with supplemental courses in literature, writing, music, and art. I kept doing music on the side and explored my interests through my other obsession: books. My first career after university was writing for an alternative weekly, which helped shape my perspective as a storyteller. I learned about different kinds of people, thought about character development and story arcs, and read a lot. In the midst of that, I did what a lot of young writers do, which is move to New York City as a writer, and funny enough I ended up here as a film composer – the original career I wanted to pursue as a kid.

In New York City, my transition from writing to film music was slow and gradual. Beyond the technical aspects of composing and producing music, one of the most difficult things is discovering/re-discovering who you are as an artist – and sometimes that involves connecting dots that aren’t so obvious at first. I grew up loving film music, rock, and electronic music production, so I spent a lot of time experimenting with what happens when you put all of those things together. I kept track of work I thought about a lot, artists who influenced me, and tried to understand my own artistic tendencies. This all took time and was, ultimately, freeing. As a film composer now, I’ve been lucky enough to compose several scores that allowed me to draw from those very influences.

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.
In New York City, I would say it really depends on what kind of experience you want to have because there’s something here for everyone. The classic Central Park and Metropolitan Museum combo is quite nice – that’s the kind of thing where you can walk the whole way through so you might get to experience some unique things along the way. If you like improv, I really enjoy Caveat and, for live music, Candlelight Concerts could be a fun thing to do.

For food, I like this Japanese restaurant with good yakitori called NONONO on Madison Ave and also a Korean spot with French and Spanish influences called Thursday Kitchen in the East Village. There is also amazing Filipino food in Queens (Tito Rad’s, Renee’s) that I find myself going back to all the time, so they definitely deserve a shoutout.

Oh, and you can’t forget good bookstores. The Strand and McNally Jackson are good places to start, but there are many good ones all over the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am so thankful for the support I’ve received from NYU’s Screen Scoring Department where I started as a participant in the summer workshops and later became a student in the Masters program. My private instructors, John Kaefer and Ariel Marx, have been so influential in my growth as a composer and musician, and I cannot thank them enough for their mentorship and support.

I would also like to give a shoutout to my partner, Paul, for his endless support and encouragement.

Website: https://www.kristinebernabe.com

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