“My biggest opportunity at Berklee Valencia was recording with a 54-piece orchestra at Air Studios in London as part of our final project. This was one of the most exciting and important experiences in my professional life, as the piece I recorded managed to get the attention of Hans Zimmer.”
Anže Rozman M.M. ’14 recently moved to Los Angeles to work as a composer at Hans Zimmer’s company, Bleeding Fingers Music. Before this and shortly after graduating, he returned to Slovenia and landed a job as an arranger and orchestrator for a musical called Cvetje v Jeseni, composed the main theme for his country’s independence day celebrations, and was commissioned by the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra to work on its 2015 season concerts. Moreover, Rozman has worked with orchestras in Belgium, Poland, and Croatia; composed music for commercials, television, films, and documentaries; created arrangements for Slovenia’s top pop artists; and taught as an assistant professor at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana.
After finishing my bachelor’s degree in Music Composition and Theory at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2013, I decided to enroll in the master’s degree because I heard that the program had a fresh approach. Also, not many other schools in the world can offer the facilities I found on campus, such as the tech labs and studios.
What opportunities did you have in Valencia that you otherwise might have lacked?
The first one was remote control recording with the Budapest Arts Orchestra. This was a huge learning experience—from composing the music, preparing the scores and Pro Tools sessions, to producing the final piece. Although I had recorded with orchestras before in my career, this was something new to me. I gained the knowledge which helped me in my professional career later on in Slovenia. The biggest opportunity was, of course, recording with a 54-piece orchestra at Air Studios in London as part of our final project. This was one of the most exciting and important experiences in my professional life. The piece I recorded managed to get the attention of Hans Zimmer and eventually landed me a job as a composer at Bleeding Fingers Music, where I have just started working.
Watch Anže Rozman conducting a 54-piece orchestra at Air Studios in London as part of his master's degree final project, and the resulting piece, Polyverse, below:
Would you advise prospective students to come to Berklee Valencia for their master’s programs?
Definitely! Not only for the school, but also for the amazing friends they will meet along the way. I regularly keep in touch with a group of classmates from all around the world. I am so thankful I have met people who I can now truly call my friends.
What was the best aspectofthe Valencia campus?
I grew as a person as well as a musician. The Anže that came to Berklee in 2013 and the Anže that left in 2014 are not the same person. During this short year, I realized which are my strong suits, boundaries, and limitations. I got in touch with my inner self, meaning that I focused on the things that had a true meaning for me. That’s what living in another country for a year can do for a young soul.
I was a regular member of the weekly “Lunch with the ICC” meetings. We talked about different career paths we could take, how to approach people and other helpful things that make you think and open up your mind to different options you might have later on. Stine Glismand, Manager of the ICC, was also very friendly and answered any questions I might have had. The ICC really treats you as an individual and not just like another number.
Listen to the music composed by Anže Rozman for the musical Cvetje v Jeseni:
What have you been working on since you graduated?
I moved back to my homeland of Slovenia, where I immediately got hired as an arranger and orchestrator for a new musical called Cvetje v Jeseni, which translates to Flowers in the Autumn. The musical was a big success, and since Slovenia is small my name got out pretty quickly. The musical has had over 250 performances so far. I also connected with SFTV alumnus Álvaro Domínguez Vázquez who helped me with the score and parts. I have to point out that I had a career as a composer before I went to Berklee, so I was by no means a “new guy on the block.” That same year, I did the music for the main celebrations of Slovenia’s Independence Day, which featured an 85-piece orchestra of the Academy of Musician Ljubljana and a 500 joined choir of the University of Ljubljana. This project then led into the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra commissioning new work for me for their 2015 season concerts.
You also have been involved in composing music for two feature films, several short films, numerous television commercials, and for the Finnish/American science fiction film Iron Sky 2.
I got in contact with Laibach, a music collective and a band, and did over two hours of arrangements and orchestrations for live shows with orchestras in Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, and Croatia. They also invited me to score Iron Sky 2 with them. I have also been regularly doing music for commercials, arranging for the top Slovenian pop artists, making music for TV films and documentaries—while I was also teaching as an assistant professor at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana.
Watch a commercials showreel with music composed by Anže Rozman:
You recently moved to Los Angeles. What are you working on there?
Being from a small country sometimes is a privilege. I managed to climb to the top of the music game in a very short period of time. In Slovenia, there is literally nowhere higher I could go. For this reason, I contacted Hans Zimmer in May of 2017 and asked him if I could work for him. This led to a job as a composer at Bleeding Fingers in Santa Monica, where I have just started working.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I would advise future students to have very clear goals on what they want to achieve and learn, and to not be afraid to go outside their comfort zone. Also, assignments should not be viewed as homework but as their “next big thing.” That led me to Bleeding Fingers. And last, don't be afraid to go back to your home country after graduating. It’s better to be a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a big pond!
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