We were lucky to catch up with Alba S. Torremocha recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alba , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I’m currently working on an app that is developing a dynamic, adaptive and reactive way of listening to music. The app reads information like your location, heart rate and speed at which you’re moving and crafts a cinematic sonic background that fits your exact needs in the moment. Pretty cool!
Alba , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a composer, conductor and orchestrator/arranger. I work primarily creating music scores for film, video games and series, but I also compose orchestral works for the concert hall.
Music has been my world since I was 5 years old. I studied violin, composition and conducting in Europe, first in the conservatory (7-18 years old) and then through my undergrad. I decided to come to the US 8 years ago to study my masters in Screen Scoring at NYU.
Since then, I’ve been working on music composition, production, orchestration and conducting for various projects in the audiovisual industry. What I love about my job in the scoring world is that the needs for each job are completely different! So you need to have a very wide skillset to be able to tackle whatever the project requires. .
For example, one month I might be composing a piece for an orchestra, which means that I need to conceive, orchestrate and notate the whole score and each of the different parts, travel to a different country to attend rehearsals and work with the conductor and the orchestra to make sure the concert reflects my vision as closely as possible. Another month I might be asked to design a sonic logo for a tech company, which means that I have to put on my corporate hat and interpret their keywords and mission to produce a sleek and modern sound brand. The month after, I might need to work with an indie video game company and help them design and code the logic for a sound system in their game.
This industry is unpredictable, and you always have to be ready for anything!
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I’m currently very interested in Cymatics (the study of how different vibrations create geometric patterns on physical matter, like liquids or sand)
Considering that the human body is 60% water and that many physical processes rely on rhythm and frequency patterns, I’m fascinated by how sound/music could have a direct impact on human cognition and health.
Human bodies and music are very similar in the sense that both are, at a core, an interplay of frequencies and vibrations. In essence, our physiological processes, such as heartbeat and brainwaves, use rhythmic patterns very similar to musical rhythms. The concept of resonance applies to both, where specific frequencies can influence and harmonize various components. Moreover, like a musical composition, our body’s health is influenced by the balance and coordination of different cyclical patterns.
I’m currently researching this parallel and how certain frequencies and patterns of sound can significantly impact the nervous system and neural activity.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect for me is that I get to deeply understand human emotions and how they’re affected by music. Knowing that certain types of harmonies, melodies and instrumentations trigger different responses in us, regardless of our personal or cultural background, is wild!
It’s wonderful to be able to have that insight and be able to craft a piece of music that put someone on a specific mood. After all these years, it still feels like magic to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: albastorremocha.com
- Instagram: @albastorremocha
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alba-s-torremocha-9a1089135
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-njx5ki7AJabnU5ixOHDFg
Image Credits
Photo by Samuel Jared