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10/06/09 - World’s First Composition Class in Virtual Space

Never mind the flu, gas prices or connecting flights this October when music creators can attend the worlds first composition class in the virtual world.

Emmy nominated composer Amin Bhatia (currently working on the Flashpoint series for CBS and CTV) is the lead presenter in the Music Academy Online three-weekend composition workshop to take place in Second Life. The virtual community of 12 million Second Life subscribers has embraced Bhatia's recent CD release "Virtuality A Journey Inside Your Computer".

Film and music circles not only know Amin Bhatia for his pioneer work in orchestral electronic music but also for his lively guest appearances and product demonstrations around the world. He has the enduring legacy of having written auto-demos for Roland synthesizers from their flagship D50 and S50, all the way up to their present V-Synth series line.

Those unfamiliar with the Second Life world of avatars and sims (short for simulator) will be given free tutorials on how to become familiar with this virtual world, as part of the workshop admission price. Unlike a webinar or satellite transmission, conferences in Second Life allow interaction between participants, guests and their surroundings. It's like going to University inside "World of Warcraft" explains Amin.

Bhatia's workshop will focus on the technical aspects of synthesizers and film scoring as well as the "big picture" stuff on how to actually survive in the competitive, creative and political world of composing music for media. There will be audio and video examples, as well as an opportunity for each participant to compose his or her own piece of music adjudicated by Amin and his guests to help attendees with building their career profile. Special guests include Emmy-winning composer Richard Bellis, composer Alex Shapiro, and artist/composer Robert Thomas.

The workshop begins Friday, October 16 and lasts through Friday, October 30. Cost for attending the workshop that spans three consecutive weekends is $300. Attendees will receive a custom video that they will score and be able to use to promote their careers.

Says Music Academy Online founder Dave Schwartz, Ph.D., “The really exciting angle for this composition workshop is that attendees will receive tools that they can use to genuinely help build their careers. Not only will they be able to take with them an original video that they have scored, but they will also be exposed to and in a position to exploit some of the newest web technologies in order to develop and promote their own unique compositional and artistic identities.”

Attendees will also have the opportunity to win a Boss Micro-BR digital recorder that is being provided by the Roland Corporation who is sponsoring the workshop in part. Amin’s relationship with Roland spans nearly 30 years. In 1981 and then again in 1982 Amin won the first two Roland International Synthesizer Competitions and he was a judge for the most recent version of the competition that was held in Montreal.

Says Bhatia: "I've been asked to do something like this many times before but I just haven't been able to get away from my studio. Now I don't have to.”

For more about “VIRTUALITY IN ACTION” A COMPOSITION WORKSHOP WITH AMIN BHATIA visit www.musicacademyonline.com.

For more about Amin Bhatia and Virtuality visit www.aminbhatia.com.