Meet Larry Chang | Music Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Larry Chang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Larry, why did you pursue a creative career?
Music and storytelling has always been an important part of my life. I started to learn classical piano at a young age, and ever since, music has become my way to not only express myself but also connect with the outside world. As I grew older, my passion for music grew deeper. I learned to play more musical instruments, joined orchestra bands, and started to write my own music.

College provided me with opportunities to get to know the creative field more. I worked side by side with accomplished composers to score for many well-received feature-length commercial films and theater productions in Taiwan. Two of the films I worked on even got nominated in the Best Original Film Score category at Golden Horse Awards, the equivalent of the Oscars in East Asia.

These initial opportunities stoked my creative endeavors for more. I decided to come to the USA in 2014 to explore what more my music can offer to storytelling. I chose to pursue a Master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University which provides me with abundant spaces and resources to experiment on music composition for interactive and immersive media. My education at Carnegie Mellon allowed me to combine art and technology like video games, location-based entertainment, and Virtual Reality experiences. My music has evolved its structure to tell more compelling stories to the audience. With all the efforts I made in music and sound for interactive and immersive media, I was glad to get the invitation to share my insights at GameSound Con, the biggest game audio-focused conference in the world.

As a storyteller and composer, I feel strongly to keep telling stories with music that touches people. I believe those stories have the potential to not only heal wounded souls but also inspire them to make positive changes towards their lives.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My main focus has been on writing music pieces and creating sonic branding for stories of all sorts. I value working on my personal concept album projects that tell stories based on my own narratives and background as well as collaborating with clients and other creative souls to develop collective stories that are larger than myself. So far, I have accomplished and released several projects that I am really proud of.

I worked with Construct Studio, an SF-based VR studio, to create immersive music and sound experience for their interactive VR narrative experience, The Price of Freedom, and a Tower Defense-inspired VR shooter, Home A Drone. Both are released on major game distribution platforms like Steam with very positive reviews.

I also collaborated with Pittsburgh-based Orta Interactive Studio to score and design interactive audio for Little Pizzeria, a cute mobile AR narrative experience teaching kids about tomatoes. As well as their heavier location-based immersive VR documentary projects, Auschwitz VR and Kristallnacht VR, which are installed in the Mania Nudel Holocaust Learning Center in Miami.

My most recent personal concept album project, The Legends of Altair and Vega, is based on a well-known story in Chinese Mythology. It is a love story about the forbidden love between Altair, a mortal man, and Vega, the Goddess of Weaving. In the story, Altair is set on a journey to reunite with Vega who was taken away by the authorities in the Heavenly Palace. Altair encountered various characters along the way that became his teammates to help him achieve his mission. Each music piece in the album is a chapter of the story.

Having a background as an Asian immigrant blessed with the understanding of both western and eastern musical culture, I try my best to advocate Asain representation and invite people to listen, appreciate, and gain more knowledge about the voice, stories, and perspectives of the Asian community in this country.

The path is never easy for an artist especially when our creative work is coming from the bottom of our hearts. To stay authentic and true to our stories, we need to do a lot of soul-digging and that includes examining and facing the most vulnerable part of ourselves. And I am no exception. On top of the internal struggles, I also experienced a lot of pressure when first introduced to this country with the language barrier and cultural shock.

As an immigrant with all his support system on the other side of the globe, I constantly felt frustrated to communicate with people. Facing a completely different cultural norm with different expectations and rules, I found myself walking on eggshells for a long time as I was so terrified that my good intention got misinterpreted and offended other people. But it never stopped me from pursuing my dream. With the guidance of friends and lessons from past mistakes, I learned how to express myself and understand others better.

Looking back, I feel appreciated that the bumpy road led me to where I am now. By overcoming one obstacle after another, I have become more sophisticated, humble, and well-rounded. And it reflects not only on my work but also on the way I carry myself and handle interpersonal relationships. There is truth to the saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Balboa Park is definitely on the top of my list as I really enjoy the dynamic over there. Having the options of all those amazing museums, beautiful gardens, and the world-famous San Diego Zoo, it is very likely that visitors find themselves spending a few days just trying to explore everything the park offers. I also highly recommend checking out La Jolla Cove and Del Mar for their beautiful beachside and ocean view.

In terms of food and drink, Coronado Island is my favorite spot since they have the best restaurants in the area in my opinion. After the meal, simply grab some ice cream and walk along the beach during sunset. There is no more relaxing way to end a day than that.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout out to all my friends and family members who motivated me to work on becoming a better version of myself and showed me kindness and support when I felt down in my darkest moments.

Website: https://www.larry-chang.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larrisim/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-yucheng-chang-36442180/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/larrisim

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LarrisimStudio/

Other: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larrisimchang