Meet Michael Staffeldt | Composer & Violist

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

Hi Michael, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and was lucky to be guided and encouraged by incredible musical mentors like Guillermo Quezada (Principal Violist of El Paso Symphony Orchestra) and Ida Steadman (Principal Cellist of EPSO and a Texas String Educator of the Year). I started playing viola at the age of 11, and in Texas we have this thing called All-Region and All-State where musicians from your region and State audition to be placed in a 3-day festival orchestra of the best musicians. The first year I auditioned for All-Region I was placed last chair in the bottom orchestra. The audience can see how you’re ranked against your peers based on where you sit in the orchestra, so I knew I had to work really hard to improve. Music was always my respite from the everyday pressures of life – I grew up with pretty bad housing insecurity and in my first 18 years we bounced between at least 12 different houses/apartments. So I kept myself occupied with schoolwork, Boy Scouts, and music. I never knew how things were going to pan out and the possibility of having a professional career in music didn’t even cross my mind until senior year of high school after completing an idyllic 6-week summer program at Interlochen Arts Camp and placing 3rd viola in the State. But I was always hedging my bets and shooting for Ivy League ever since I could pick up a book. I got my Eagle Scout award just before turning 18, and when I received full scholarships to Harvard and Columbia I was faced with a serious dilemma. I realized that most people would never have this kind of opportunity – but I had this romantic perception about the life of a musician – the passion, the struggle, the occasional triumph, the possibility of impacting and influencing millions of people. It seemed worth a try and I had grown up with so much financial discomfort already, I was used to the struggle.

When I entered my first year at the Eastman School of Music, already slammed with student debt that I’m still paying off to this day, I found myself in a world where my peers had perfect pitch, synesthesia, and had been playing piano, violin, or cello since they were 2 years old. I knew I had to work harder than ever to even play on the same stage as some of these people. So there’s a theme here – I tend to go down these very risky paths and to put myself in situations that force me to practice resilience and persistence against all odds. I like being the underdog though, because that’s how I started improving myself. For the working class in West Texas, grit and hard work are how you get where you want to go.

Please tell us more about your art. 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?

Now I compose and produce film music, I produce electronic dance music under a DJ moniker, and I play and record on viola as much as possible. I make a living doing this in LA – I still can’t believe it really. The pivot towards this film music path in my career came during my sophomore year of college at Eastman, which was 10 years ago now. That’s insane to think about. My friend Dylan Price, who also deserves an incredible amount of credit in my story, was a music theory major at Eastman. Dylan told me about his dream of becoming a film composer someday and moving to LA to break into Hollywood. I had never met anyone with that lofty goal. I told him that the reason I learned music in the first place was because of Howard Shore’s spellbinding score to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Since Eastman is mainly a school for classical and jazz, there weren’t any opportunities to do music in film or video games or other media. Wouldn’t it be cool if we started an orchestra that performed film music?

We called it the Empire Film Music Ensemble (EFME for short – a name reflective of our rebellious, debaucherous young minds and was later changed by a unanimous vote of the board of directors to be something a little more wholesome – the Empire Film and Media Ensemble – or EFaME), and they are still producing concerts to this day 10 years later. We had no money except for $3k we raised with a Kickstarter campaign, and it was a lot of work. We started with convincing 60-80 musicians to practice, rehearse and perform an hour or more of music for no pay. We bribed our friends with pizza and a few of the real stubborn, but admittedly talented ones, with straight up cash. Getting the music, and the rights to perform the music, was a huge undertaking. We spoke with a publisher once who laughed in our face when we asked how we could get the score to Disney Pixar’s Up. “Unless you have at least $40k, it’s impossible,” he told us. But we persevered with alternative programming – there’s so much good film music out there. We probably broke a few copyright laws along the way, but our intentions were pure and we were determined. I never would have been able to do it without Dylan, and I think he would say the same about me. That’s a big lesson – life is so much more rewarding when you work together with others to achieve your goals.

Dylan and I both later interned at Remote Control Productions, Hans Zimmer’s film music production house in Santa Monica. It was life-changing. These people were the real deal. I had so much respect for the composers and engineers there and I knew then that my goals in music had changed. I wanted to compose. Electronic, orchestral, whatever – but especially for film. In my intern cohort I was the only person who was not a composer – in fact, I had really only composed a handful of short pieces (mostly for either solo viola or a very small ensemble) and only for school projects. The only reason I was there was from my experience with EFaME, and the fact that Dylan was 2 years ahead of me and put in a good word. So it was clear I had a lot to learn again. It would probably take me years to even get an assistantship at a place like this. But I had the classical music education, conducting and performance experience that gave me confidence. That background certainly has helped, but my close relationships with friends like Dylan and other friends from Eastman have helped me even more.

One lesson I should have remembered from my decision to study music in the first place was that it was going to be a lot of struggling. After college, it was either audition for an orchestra, create my own band, or go do something else. Most kids did something else eventually, and I knew I was probably going to have to do the same, especially after two unsuccessful pro orchestra auditions and the dissolution of my string quartet that I thought was going to make it big someday. My journey in music was slowing down, and as my peers continued on with advanced music performance degrees (a nickname we had for DMA – Doctor of Musical Arts – was “Doesn’t Mean Anything”), I knew I needed a restart and a new perspective.

I spent that entire summer in Kenya, volunteering as a teacher at an orphanage on a farm in a village called Bukembe. I was just down the road from Bukembe Boys High School, a nationally recognized high school for music achievement. As they were preparing for a national competition, I sat in on some of their rehearsals which involved dancing, Kenyan and other East African instruments, singing with well-tuned harmonies and tones of voice just on the edge of screaming. It was incredible. And at some point after the rehearsal I pulled out of my backpack a book sized synthesizer, a Roland JU-06, and some of the boys and I improvised together. There was something there – between the worlds of acoustic ethnic instruments and the sounds of the digital synthesizer. Maybe it was just my self aggrandizing nature as an invasive Mzungu (white person), but it sounded undeniably unique and cool and we all shared this moment together which was special. This combination of acoustic world and electronic sounds has had a big influence on my sound as an artist and musical sensibilities over the years.

I made my way to LA by way of Austin just two years ago with my fiancé, now wife, and the risk has been worth it so far. By the grace of God I’ve been able to connect the dots, follow my dream, and live without fear of eviction. I’m almost 30 years old, and while many of my friends are buying their second home and starting to have kids, I just landed an entry level job in film music typical of a 22 or 23-year-old. I took a $70,000 pay cut after leaving my previous job (no joke), walked away from stocks that were about to vest, and I don’t have “great” insurance anymore. In fact, I don’t have any insurance anymore. So there’s a lot of risk here, but it’s a now-or-never kind of thing. The job is a technical assistant for one of Hollywood’s most respected film composers and one of my all time musical heroes – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When you know what you want, these kinds of decisions are no-brainers. It’s just what I have to do. It’s that simple. Honestly, my wife is an angel for dealing with my stubbornness and respecting and supporting these decisions, all of which impact her life. But my victories are hers as well, and hers mine. I’m probably still years away from becoming a respected Hollywood film composer myself – I’m at the bottom of the big league and once again I have so much to learn. But that’s how I know I’m in the right place.

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 your view what are some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people, places or things to check out?

My favorite place in LA is Playa del Rey – it’s quaint, devoid mostly of tourists, and you get this wonderful view all the way up to Malibu and down to Palos Verdes. Occasionally you’ll see dolphins, and sea lions, and there’s some decent surf.

Grand Central Market is a must. So many good restaurants and I love the chaos in there.

Catalina Island is often overlooked I think. I’ve met people who have lived in LA for 25+ years and have never been to Catalina. It’s a short, $35 ferry ride and if you’re physically capable the 38-mile Trans Catalina Trail is a life-changing backpacking experience.

Since my wife and I moved to Jefferson Park (South Central LA), we discovered this place called Johnny’s in West Adams. The Pastrami sandwiches are bomb and the bar has a really cool vibe with vinyl turntables.

I think going to the movies in LA is a unique experience. It’s the only place I’ve lived where the people who actually made the movie might be sitting in the seat next to you.

I’m also obsessed with coffee and ice cream. Best local coffee in my opinion is at Joliet in Playa Vista. They get their beans from Australia and my wife works there on the weekends. Ginger’s Divine Ice Cream or Dear Bella Creamery are incredible local ice cream joints.

A concert at the Greek Theatre or the Hollywood Bowl or Walt Disney Concert Hall is always an amazing time. And if you like to rave go to Sound or Academy. The owners of Sound put on the DoLab at Coachella every year.

Alright, so let’s jump right in! 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 a person, group, organization, book, etc that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in your story?
I would be nothing without the help of my family and friends. My dad is the one who identified my “musical talent” and he sacrificed a lot to make sure that I continued with music. He and my Boy Scout master deserve a lot of credit for teaching me discipline and the power of suffering and resilience. My mom is the one who encouraged me to go to Eastman and pursue music professionally. She is the most authentic, honest person I’ve ever known, and a lot of how I navigate my personal and professional relationships is influenced by her. My oldest brother is a business lawyer, and when my parents couldn’t afford it, he would help me without hesitation. He even bought the viola which got me into Eastman, and that I still play to this day. He and my other older brother got me into electronic music. I’ve been to so many music festivals and shows with them – some of my best life experiences. And my younger brother and I lived together, mostly in the same room (sometimes in the same bed) for most of my life. He let me practice in our room until 2am or 3am while he slept – for years. Can you imagine? I’d hate me. His talent was golf and so we grew up always kind of competing, but in different fields. My childhood friends deserve a lot of credit as well – they were healthy competition and some of the best minds and qualities of character that El Paso has produced. I respect my friends immensely and that’s a big lesson for others out there – surround yourself with people you truly respect. I really want to dedicate this Shoutout to my wife though. By some miracle, I’ve convinced this beautiful, talented Mexican goddess of my dreams to be by my side for the rest of our lives. When you do that with someone, your struggles become theirs, and theirs yours. She struggles with me, but we believe in each other and work together towards achieving our individual goals with the understanding that it will benefit both of us in the long run.

Website: https://www.222hermosa.com/mike-von-paul

Instagram: @mikevonpaulmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikevonpaul