We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ben Carlee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ben below.
Ben, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
As a kid, I was really into video game music, which might’ve seemed a bit unusual back then, but honestly, the early 90s had some amazing games with awesome soundtracks, so who can blame me? Because of this obsession, I was determined to join the band when the opportunity came up in middle school… I eagerly became a band geek. After dealing with numerous setbacks and challenges after high school, I finally got the chance to pursue music studies at The University of Texas San Antonio. During this time, I chased after an opportunity to play with a touring video game symphony. Long story short, I ended up playing in that concert, and it completely changed my life. That concert only solidified what I had been thinking about for so long—that I should share my love of video game music with others whenever I got the chance.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Since I was young, I knew music would be a part of my life, and it all started with my Super Nintendo. Growing up, my family couldn’t afford symphony tickets (which is undoubtedly where many great musicians find their initial inspiration), and honestly, I’m not sure we would’ve attended even if we could. It just wasn’t our thing… growing up Chicano in an under-resourced community, I’m not aware of anyone who really attended symphony concerts. Later, when I finally went to one, I understood why… no one on that stage looked like me, and, at the time, the music didn’t hold any special meaning for me, but that’s a different story for another time. Super Nintendo games like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Mortal Kombat, Star Fox, Killer Instinct (which had a SUPER COOL CD with game music), Zelda, filled my childhood. Even though I eventually moved on to other systems, those games still hold a special place in my heart. I OFTEN paused my gameplay just to listen to the music, getting lost in their wonderful and repetitive compositions… It allowed my imagination to run wild. Sometimes I was helping Mario find Princess Peach, sometimes I was a Kombatant in Outworld fighting to save Earthrealm, and the list goes on.
In middle school, joining the school band was an easy decision for me. I quickly became proficient on trumpet, flute, clarinet, and saxophone, but it was the flute I loved the most. I remember one of the first things I did was learn the Ocarina tunes from Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I spent hours every day practicing, striving to improve. In high school, I seized every performing opportunity and competition I could, despite minimal guidance or instruction due to my family’s financial constraints. When it came time to audition for music school at UT Austin, I had no idea what orchestral excerpts or concerti expositions were (I literally took an orchestral part that I found in my band’s music library to my audition), but I gave it my all. After all, I had worked so hard on my own; surely I would succeed, right? I didn’t get in. I was devastated.
After some setbacks, including a brief stint studying journalism at UT Austin and a few years of gigging, I finally pursued private flute instruction now that I could afford it on my own. Soonafter, I auditioned for music school again, this time at UT-San Antonio, and got in as a flute performance major. I felt whole again, finally doing what I was meant to do. My life had direction. During my studies, I practiced relentlessly, earning principal spots in my school’s orchestra and wind ensemble, winning our school’s concerto competition and auditioning for competitions across the US. Then, in the summer of 2017, I found out the Video Games Live tour was coming to my city and playing with the local youth symphony. I knew I had to play. I emailed the conductor of the youth symphony BEGGING him to let me play, and he did. I played 3rd Flute/piccolo with the Video Games Live symphony for their 2017 stop in San Antonio, TX at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. I remember the enthusiastic audience, the amazing arrangements; the entire experience had a profound impact on me. I remember crying on stage mid-concert. The nostalgia of the games mixed with the difficulty of my journey hit me hard. On that tour was Laura Intravia – singer, flutist, voice actor extraordinaire – whose vocals captivated the audience. Especially in the Journey arrangement. I was in awe.This is what music could do. I knew, because of that concert, that I wanted to pursue music professionally. If I could impact audiences the way the music impacted me, I’d be doing a great service to the world. Eventually, I would go on to receive a Graduate Assistantship to study flute at the Master’s level at Texas A&M Commerce, where my amazing teacher was supportive of my love for video game music… even letting me program a gnarly 12 minute Zelda: Breath of the Wild suite for one of my recitals!
Fast forward to the present. I’m now a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Flute performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Fellow in the Mead Witter School of Music. I’ve premiered two flute works based on video games, one of which was at this year’s North American Conference on Video Game Music held at Michigan State University… and guess who was the keynote speaker… none other than Laura Intravia. Things had come full circle. Because of the tools afforded to me at UW (thank you Bolz Center for Arts Administration… Proud Bolzie here),
I have recently started the Madison Gamer Symphony Orchestra (MGSO). We’re planning our inaugural concert later this year.
Though my journey was anything but easy, anything but linear, I’m grateful for where I am now, and it all started because of the music from my Super Nintendo. Video games, and by proxy, video game music, is intergenerational, cross-cultural, and for the most part, overcomes financial obstacles. The VGM genre’s audience is broad. Where traditional instrumental music concert attendance is falling, VGM concerts are thriving. I wholeheartedly believe that MGSO will help bring audiences outside of the traditional concert sphere back to concert halls and help funnel them to other instrumental music performances.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Support and appreciate what we do and the contributions we make to the world. It’s disheartening to see funding sometimes cut from creative and artistic programs in schools. Yet, without these programs, the creatives who are the driving force behind the art we enjoy on a DAILY basis, like video games, music, TV shows, movies would not exist. Value us. Support us. Attend our shows. If you can’t make it, spread the word on your social media platforms, encourage your friends and family to support us. Consider donating to arts organizations, especially those making a difference in your community, or even volunteering. Take our work seriously. The arts enrich life, so ensure that artists have the means to thrive. Just four years ago, during a time where we forced to shelter in place, what did we turn to? Art. Or creating art-some of us for the first time. It’s what makes us human. It brings us together. In the age of STEM, lets not forget that the Arts make life worth living. What would be life without art?
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, it’s all about the connection you establish with your audience. As I mentioned in my earlier story, I’m a Doctoral student at UW-Madison, where I serve as a TA for the infamous ‘clap for credit’ course. Essentially, students attend a weekly lecture where they write about a concert played for them that week. I’ve performed in a few of these classes, and reading their responses is incredibly uplifting. For instance, in one of my concerts, I featured themes from video game music. I performed these themes alone—just me and my flute, no pianist, no backing tracks. In a class of 600 students, many of them told me how the music transported them back to memories of playing games with their parents or siblings, reminding them of carefree, happy moments from their childhood. Knowing that I helped them revisit those joyful times by playing music I love is incredibly fulfilling. The impact it has on you as an artist is indescribable—to realize that, even if just for a moment, you were able to bring someone happiness.
Contact Info:
- Website: madisongso.com
- Instagram: @thatflute_guy, @madison_gso
- Facebook: Ben Carlee
- Linkedin: Ben Carlee
- Youtube: @ThatFluteGuy, @bencarlee8708