A soundscape everyone can enjoy

As the chamber ensemble Density512 began moving bowstrings across instruments, Ridge Hall ’27 knew this was a culmination of his University of Redlands experience. Not only was he in attendance at the Austin Music Game Festival, but the ensemble was performing his composition, “Sacred Strife.”

“Hearing my own music come to life by a professional orchestral ensemble was such a boon and an invaluable investment to me as a composer,” he said.

Before arriving at this moment, Hall, a music composition major in the Conservatory of Music, dreamed of creating music for video games and other animated works. Growing up in Utah and Arizona, Hall sought community among fellow musicians and landed at U of R after meeting with Composition Professor Anthony Suter.

“He has such a wealth of knowledge and harbors such a good community here — I’ve been very thankful for that,” Hall said.

In addition to working closely with Suter over the past three years, Hall had the opportunity to partner with musicians at all skill levels. As part of the composition program, he collaborated with animation students at Woodbury University, tirelessly crafting original underscores for their animated shorts.

“It’s been such a good experience for me, as I’ve been able to work with various tools in applying raw audio files to moving images,” he said. Hall has come to see these moments as a direct attribution to his U of R education and the community he has immersed himself in.

“You're so closely intertwined with the musicians here that it boosts your skills as a composer,” he said. “You learn the hard stuff about what that instrument can do, which has become invaluable.”

While attending the Austin Game Music Festival this March, Hall had the opportunity to learn and network with other artists and video game enthusiasts. As he worked on his composition, a requirement for the application to attend, he recalls Suter suggesting he push past his comfort zone and explore something with faster beats per minute (BPM).

“I wanted to capture the feeling and joy of being in a video game battle, of experiencing the throng of swords and shields being thrown around,” he said. “I brought inspiration from playing games like Deltarune, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Smash Bros Brawl. I wanted to take that experience and put it into a soundscape that everyone could enjoy and be present in.”

Today, as Hall continues to collaborate with his fellow Bulldogs and further prepare for a career in composition, he’s encouraging those looking into the world of music to consider U of R.

“If you work hard, you’re invested, and love music, this is the place for you,” he said. “Keep practicing, go to orchestra, go to band, and write those songs. Invest in yourself — it’s a skill that will help you down the line.”

Discover Music Composition at Redlands.