“Geoff is my 100% go-to orchestrator every time. His orchestrations are flawless and he aims and succeeds in making my music sound as good as it can possibly be. I know I can completely rely on him to produce perfect scores on time, even under the tightest time constraints, and he is always there to make any changes or last-minute additions I might need, even during the recording session. He is also an excellent conductor. I would unreservedly recommend him to any composer in need of an exceptional orchestrator.”
— Jon Wygens (Age of Nature, Permanência, Miss Christina)
A passion for orchestration
A good orchestrator is like a good sound designer. It’s nothing to do with ego, and everything to do with realising a vision in the most unobtrusive way. For me, it’s about working with composers, whether classically trained or not, to produce the best musical results.
Miss Christina 5M4
The above clip is a timelapse video of a typical film orchestration process where the task is to convert MIDI information into a score that is practical and satisfying to play. The process involves decisions about voice-leading, balance, dynamics, idiomatic writing, and so on. All the music in the clip is by Jon Wygens, from the documentary Age of Nature.