Meet Joel Lindberg

 

We recently connected with Joel Lindberg and have shared our conversation below.

Joel, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

In my home country Sweden, the perspective on individual success is very different compared to American culture. There is a phenomenon in Scandinavia known as “the law of Jante”, which is a set of beliefs that basically boils down to this: “Don’t think you’re more special than anyone else”. Considering this, I had quite the culture shock adapting to life in a country where attempts at distinguishing yourself from the masses are so encouraged and celebrated — I still feel a sort of instinctual “Swedish shame” whenever I tell people about accomplishments such as winning competitions and receiving awards. I’m actively working on allowing myself to sincerely enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes with achieving goals, so I can use that feeling as a motivator to go after my dreams in spite of challenges and obstacles.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Ever since the first time I played around with the notation software Sibelius on my dad’s computer at age 7, I’ve been hooked — making music has been front and center in my life. Now, I’m an LA-based composer, orchestrator, and cellist with experience in a large variety of genres, specializing in film/TV music. I love connecting with fresh new voices in the film director community and working on scores for short films — my aim is to continuously expand my comfort zone by exploring new genres and soundscapes, helping realize the director’s storytelling vision.

With 15+ years of experience playing cello in orchestras internationally, I have my roots in the Classical world and the orchestral film score world. This has helped me get intimately acquainted with both strengths and quirks of live orchestral instruments, and when I as a composer/orchestrator/arranger have the chance to create different orchestral textures and soundscapes, that’s like visiting Disneyland to me. If I also get to add a soaring melody on top, I’m in heaven. Still, I like to fuse the traditional with bolder techniques and instruments, introducing elements from my experience with jazz, pop, and other contemporary genres into the music, giving it my own flavor. Every year I encounter new sounds that I need to add to my toolbox — I didn’t know I loved synthesizers as much as I do until I discovered the scoring work of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, for example.

A recent project where I had the pleasure of flexing my orchestral writing muscles was as orchestrator for a bold reimagining of Mozart’s requiem, together with the forward-thinking nonprofit Classical Uprising, where we complemented Mozart’s original work with contemporary, brand-new material — including vibraphone, aleatoric elements, more liberal use of harmony, and even new lyrics in several different languages. I’m really grateful to my collaborators — Classical Uprising’s founder Dr. Emily Isaacson, and Don Mitchell from the indie folk band Darlingside — for entrusting me with the project.

I’m lucky enough to have received an extensive musical education which has helped me develop not only as a musician but also as a person. As a student at Gotland School of Music Composition in my home country Sweden, I was introduced not only to Classical writing styles, but also a lot of contemporary and avant-garde compositional techniques that help me think outside the box and challenge convention. Studying jazz at Dublin City University in Ireland opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on harmony, and taught me the value of improvising and taking risks. Lastly, during my years studying Film and Media Scoring at Berklee College of Music, I learned not only the technicalities of scoring for media and the ins and outs of recording sessions, but also so many other things that are impossible to summarize in one sentence considering that Berklee is a smorgasbord of musical diversity. Getting the opportunity to study with Grammy and Emmy winners as professors was a dream come true.

This winding path has brought me where I am today, a graduate of my dream college, living in the heart of one of the creative hubs of this planet. Here, I have the opportunity to foster relationships with people who inspire me to be a better musician every day; there are exciting projects to partake in not only as a composer but also as a cellist, arranger, orchestrator… the list goes on. Earlier this month, I had the privilege of assisting multi-award-winning composer Natalie Holt during the recording of the score for her upcoming TV series. I admire her writing a lot — I can’t imagine anyone more deserving of collaborating with the composers that my entire generation grew up admiring, John Williams and his long-time collaborator William Ross, which she did on the ”Obi-Wan Kenobi” Disney+ series from 2022. Never in my wildest dreams could my younger self imagine I would end up only two degrees of separation away from my childhood heroes… I feel truly blessed!

To stay up to date on my latest musical endeavors, check out my website.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Personally, I feel that it boils down to one quality rather than three — curiosity. In my experience, when curiosity is allowed to grow larger than fear and you take a leap of faith, those are the most optimal conditions for significant growth. Curiosity brings knowledge and experience, which in turn guide you in the right direction, increasing your chances of success exponentially.

My curiosity took me across the Atlantic to study film music, and it opened doors I didn’t even know existed. Every day, it shows me new dialects of the language of music, allowing me to consistently grow as a composer and musician; it introduces me to diverse cultures and people, fostering understanding, which is vital in a collaborative field such as music; it motivates me to push myself, to find out what a better version of me could look like… The list goes on.

Stay curious! And if you end up stumbling upon a truth you don’t like in the process, that counts as a step closer to success too.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Both film and music are collaborative artforms, so I’m super excited to keep meeting new people to create with. Whether you are a filmmaker or artist or other composer: don’t hesitate to reach out!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Danielle Yao

Wang Congyuan

Ryan Nava

Bruno Doig Gonzales Otoya

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