Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Bonzani.

Hi Isabella, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

I’m a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Fairfield, CA. I studied music industry performance at Loyola New Orleans and am currently earning my Masters in Theory and Composition: Screen Scoring at NYU. My music journey started when I was 11 and picked up the saxophone. I quickly learned the clarinet after that and fell in love with performing. I grew up studying a mix of genres, so my background is a mix of jazz, classical, and pop/com music. I loved focusing on being a diverse player and was thrilled when I was accepted to study performance at Loyola with the dream of becoming a session musician for film. I studied in their classical and jazz program before switching focus to composition.

I started writing music when I took a class on film scoring during my Sophomore year of college. I loved film, and wanted to play on film scores, but learning to compose totally shifted my focus. I absolutely fell in love with it and began studying with my film scoring teacher. Knowing I wanted to pursue film scoring in graduate school, I applied and got accepted to NYU and have since scored dozens of student films, video games, and independent films.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

I would definitely say my biggest obstacle has been myself. I loved film and film music so much and for so long, but I pigeon-holed myself as a performer before I even tried writing music. While in high school, I remember people asking me what I wanted to do as a musician and I always said I wanted to play movie scores. They would always ask if I would like to write scores instead, and I just said “no, I don’t know how to write music.” I was telling myself this before I even tried! I was letting fear get the best of me. Knowing myself, I needed to do something that would force me out of my comfort zone. That’s when I decided to take a film scoring class. I spent almost 4 years telling myself “no” before trying, which is the worst thing I could’ve done for myself. I’m thankful that I broke that habit.

Though I was able to get myself out of my comfort zone and take a class on film scoring, it was a huge challenge. I was a long time performer and I had never written music before that class. I remember being terrified about showing my music to the class. I had to do it though, and as scary as it was, I was learning. And the more I did it, the more confident I became. I don’t think that anxiety ever completely goes away, but we learn how to navigate it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

Work
I am a multi-media composer and session musician. I write music for film, video games, and other forms of visual media. Outside of writing for film, I work on personal projects that are usually a blend of orchestral and electronic elements. I love 20th century classical music and use it as inspiration for my own concert music. What I love about being a film composer is the collaborative process, whether it be with other musicians, composers, or film directors. I get to help bring their vision to life which in my mind is such a privilege. Film music has this amazing ability to elevate a film, and I want to impact others as I was.

As well as being a composer, I am also a multi-instrumental session musician focusing on saxophone, clarinet, and flute. I record for other composers and artists, specializing in flexibility between genres and sight reading. Growing up as a performer, I could never pick just one genre to study, I loved the variety! I I think that’s why I love writing for films. You are never tied down to a specific genre. I believe studying multiple genres of music as a performer helps me compose a variety of music.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?

The biggest risk I’ve taken was when I decided to pivot from performance to composition my junior year of undergrad. I never officially changed majors as it was too late in the program, but I studied composition outside of school with film composer Jay Weigel. When I decided that I wanted to study film scoring in graduate school, I only had a year and a half to study it. I knew it was risky, but I felt so passionate about it and didn’t want to waste anymore time. Taking on composition while still studying performance definitely came with its challenges, but I always kept the end goal in sight. The risk of pivoting fields paid off though, leading to my acceptance to NYU. Without taking risks, I would not be where I am today. Attending NYU has been the best decision of my life. Risks are terrifying, but to me, it’s worse wondering what would be if you didn’t do it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://isabellabonzani.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabella_bonzani/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaBonzani/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabella-bonzani-3556722a4/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/isabella-bonzani
• Other: https://isabella-bonzani.disco.ac/

Image Credits

January Yucheng Li
Nina Feliciano
Chris Casillas