We recently connected with Valerie Ma and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Valerie, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Growing up in Hong Kong, almost every kid had to learn an instrument. My mother put me in piano lessons since I was 4, and I started to learn the violin when I was 6, out of pure enthusiasm – I even had a toy violin to prove to my parents that I was fully committed to learning the instrument. Since then, I was put in rigorous classical training and participated in many competitions, which pushed me to become a virtuosic violinist at a very young age. This wasn’t anything special, as it was pretty normal in my country.

I had then left for the UK for boarding school, where I had received a music scholarship, providing me opportunities to play in the orchestra and numerous chamber groups. This is where I learnt how to play with emotion and expression, my teachers explaining why the music was written a certain dynamic or harmony. I had then stumbled across the idea of Programme music, my first encounter was playing Smetana’s Vltava. – a piece that depicted the rivers of Prague – a piece of artwork that is painted through orchestration and instrumental textures. Since then, I knew I wanted to pursue something creative – something that would give me the means to translate my emotions into something, whether it was making art or composing. It was essentially an outlet for me to express deep emotions that could not be translated into words; Things that could move people without being told what it is, like a film or even a small street show that might make someone’s day. This was when I knew I wanted to pursue the arts.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

With a rigorously classical background, I was first inspired by the works of Smetana’s Vltava, Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and especially Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet – all works that depicted the raw emotions of what the story is trying to narrate. Since then, I started getting into film soundtracks. From listening to the iconic soundtrack of Star Wars by John Williams to Japanese composers such as Joe Hisaishi and Shiro Sagisu, I wanted to bring my orchestral roots combined with my musical knowledge I have learnt from attending music college at Berklee.

Through my time at Berklee, I have run recording sessions, composed for films, as well as mixed, produced, and prepared scores for recording. I have also dived into sound design, creating digital textures that would go well with my scores, inspired by composers such as Ludwig Göransson and Daniel Pemberton. Although these skills are important in being flexible, I think what’s most important is effective communication when working with others, enabling ideas from both sides to be heard and validated. Whether I am collaborating with a musician or a filmmaker, I always try to understand their vision and communicate a range of ideas that would work for them. Efficiency is key, and being able to work under pressure enables me to communicate and still deliver at a high standard. Being open-minded is also something that I value a lot when collaborating, as it allows creative problem-solving, mutual understanding and most importantly, enthusiasm towards the subject.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Being a creative has its perks, the main advantage being able to pursue something you love doing every day. However, being able to create work that you are genuinely happy with is a struggle that most creatives could relate to. Writer’s block has been and continues to be an obstacle I regularly face. There are many different ways of approaching this, such as taking a physical and mental break, listening to other types of music that inspire me, such as game music or even EDM. Playing my instrument always helps, and creating works that are completely different to what I usually do just for myself takes off the worry for external validation. Taking walks and travelling is also something that I like to do to take the edge off as well. Seeing the world and bits of nature in silence is also naturally another medium for inspiration and creativity.

I had also struggled with overthinking too much, basing my self-worth on how productive I am. I remember one of my best friends, as well as my professor, telling me this one thing that still resonates with me to this day – creating art is like being in a relationship. When you are doing it and thinking it every day, of course, there will be days when you hate it and feel like you are stuck. However, there will also be days when you feel great about it. The most important thing is to forgive yourself, and because I am experiencing this, it almost validates the fact that I really do love what I’m doing.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My biggest goal since I was a child is to be a media composer in Hollywood, whether it is working with game companies such as Riot or animation studios such as Disney or Dreamworks. Working and collaborating with like-minded artists while developing my own sound, taking inspiration from composers like Nobuo Uematsu, to modern scores like Jonny Greenwood’s score to ‘One Battle After Another’. I aim to create a sound that is not only modern and fresh, but also incorporates my orchestral roots and production skills into the picture.

Storytelling is one of the most important aspects of scoring for film, and I aim to translate the language of visual media into music. As I continue to explore new timbres and textures through cultural instruments or sound design, my mission is to move people emotionally.

What I most love about what I do is seeing people come together through media. Whether it’s a mother seeing a show with her children or a group of adults stumbling across a small light show at the airport, I truly love seeing how the art communicates with them, to the point where you could even see it in their eyes. This is exactly what I attempt to achieve. Essentially, I would describe my composing as if I were holding a camera and capturing moments in life, and the feelings they evoke. Just merely seeing people step away from their stresses and busy lifestyles to appreciate works of art is something that gives me the drive to continue my passion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://valeriema.com
• Instagram: @valsmusicaladventures
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-ma-6b7734364