Erich Stem: Composing for Orchestras Since Age 12

In this episode, I sit down with songwriter, composer, and pianist Esther Ling to discuss her unconventional path from engineering to music. Born in Malaysia and now based in Calgary, Esther spent years building a career outside the arts before rediscovering her passion for music while teaching piano to her daughter. We talk about making a major career change as an adult, balancing creativity and family life and building an independent music career without a label or management team. Esther also shares the stories behind her songwriting and why she decided to pursue a lifelong passion rather than stick to a conventional path.To learn more about Esther, listen to her music, or contact her, you can visit the link below:https://www.estherlingpianist.com/Liked the episode? Make sure to like and follow this podcast, and feel free to leave a review. Every listen, button pressed, and comment left keeps it all going, so thank you!To learn more about the podcast, click here.To sign up to the newsletter, click here.

If you're looking to learn more about how to take yourself seriously as a musician, create a brand and business around what you do, and want the steps to get to there, you will find your answers in this episode.Amani Roberts is a coach for musicians, professor of music business, keynote speaker, global performer, renowned DJ, entrepreneur, and USA Today's best-selling author of "The Quiet Storm" and "DJs Mean Business". His experience in the hospitality and music industry have given him vast experience in how to make music writing a career, and he's passionate about helping others do the same.Join us as we discuss what composers (including songwriters and other musicians) can do to grow as a business, make music their income, and unlock their true potential.To find out more about Amani and what he does, click the link below:https://www.amaniexperience.com/Please like and follow this podcast, as well as leave a review if you like the content. Every listen, button pressed, and comment left keeps it all going, so thank you!To learn more about the podcast, click here.To sign up to the newsletter, click here.

Join me in interviewing Odaline de la Martinez — an award-winning composer, conductor, record producer, and event curator — as we speak about Afro-Cuban's influence in western music, her background, and why she chose to pursue music composition.Odaline moved from Cuba to the states at a very young age, growing up in the influential city of New Orleans, then moving to study music throughout Europe. She is now based in the UK, where she has acquired an illustrious reputation for her versatile and eclectic vision, with a longstanding special commitment to contemporary music, women composers, and Latin American composers in particular. Amongst her many achievements, Martínez was the first woman to conduct a BBC Prom at the Royal Albert Hall in 1984. If you'd like to get in touch or look at more of Odaline's work, you can do so through her website:https://www.odalinedelamartinez.com/Please like and follow this podcast, as well as leave a review if you like the content. Every listen, button pressed, and comment left keeps it all going, so thank you!To learn more about the podcast, click here.To sign up to the newsletter, click here.

In this second part of my conversation with composer Daniel Asia, we move deeper into the practical and philosophical side of a composing career: how composers navigate opportunities, develop their voice, and sustain creative work across decades.Through sharing stories of real experiences and answering questions about how composers can best start, this episode is about the internal and external realities of a composing life, and how to stay focused while taking care of yourself in a realistic way. It’s a conversation about longevity in music, and what it really takes to stay active, relevant, and creatively engaged as a composer.About Daniel:Daniel Asia was captivated by music from an early age, leading him to study and pursue a lifelong career in composing. His orchestral works have been commissioned & performed by multiple symphony orchestras, including American Composers Orchestra in NYC and Pilsen Philharmonic in Czech Republic, with conductors such as Zdenek Macal, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, and Eiji Oue conducting his works. Daniel has received multiple prestigious grants and fellowships, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and recently had his opera The Tin Angel performed in New York last November (2025). If you'd like to get in touch or look at more of Daniel's work, you can do so through his website:https://www.danielasia.net/Please like and follow this podcast, as well as leave a review if you like the content. Every listen, button pressed, and comment left keeps it all going, so thank you!To learn more about the podcast, click here.To sign up to the newsletter, click here.

In this first part of my conversation with composer Daniel Asia — a Yale graduate with a long-standing career in concert and contemporary composition — we explore his path into music and the foundations that shaped his approach to writing.Rather than focusing only on career milestones, this conversation looks at how a composer’s identity is formed over time: through education, influences, and the gradual development of a personal musical language.We also touch on the broader world of contemporary composition and what it means to build a sustained creative practice in today’s musical landscape.About Daniel:Daniel Asia was captivated by music from an early age, leading him to study and pursue a lifelong career in composing. His orchestral works have been commissioned & performed by multiple symphony orchestras, including American Composers Orchestra in NYC and Pilsen Philharmonic in Czech Republic, with conductors such as Zdenek Macal, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, and Eiji Oue conducting his works. Daniel has received multiple prestigious grants and fellowships, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and recently had his opera The Tin Angel performed in New York last November (2025). If you'd like to get in touch or look at more of Daniel's work, you can do so through his website:https://www.danielasia.net/Please like and follow this podcast, as well as leave a review if you like the content. Every listen, button pressed, and comment left keeps it all going, so thank you!To learn more about the podcast, click here.To sign up to the newsletter, click here.

Releasing music as a composer isn’t just about finishing a track, but involves many forms of creativity in design, marketing, and more.In this episode of The Composer’s Life, I talk about the process of releasing music today: from where to start writing your music, to understanding distribution platforms, and getting your music onto streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.Whether you’re releasing concert music, film cues, or independent work, this episode breaks down the practical and creative sides of getting your music heard.To listen to my EP as mentioned in the episode, click your preference to listen below:Spotify: click hereAmazon Music: click hereApple Music: click hereAnd you can watch my music video of Ho'omau: click hereTo learn more about the podcast, click here.To sign up to the newsletter, click here.

Video game music sits at the intersection of composition, sound design, and interactive storytelling, and in this episode, I sit down with composer and sound designer Michael Sweet to explore how those worlds come together in practice.We talk about his work in video games, how sound and music are built for interactivity rather than linear storytelling, and what it means to compose in an environment where the player shapes the experience.The conversation also looks at the creative and technical side of game audio — from designing sound worlds to building adaptive music systems — and how that changes the way you think about composing altogether.To learn more about the podcast, click here.To sign up to the newsletter, click here.

Erich Stem began composing for orchestras at just twelve years old — and has continued building a career around writing music ever since.In this episode of The Composer’s Life, I sit down with Erich to talk about his journey as a composer, how his approach to writing music has developed over time, and what it means to build a long-term creative life in orchestral composition.We also explore the balance between composing, teaching, and everyday life, along with the decisions and focus required to sustain a career in music over many years.About Erich:Erich Stem is a composer of stunning music for orchestras and ensembles, as well as a professor of music composition at Indiana University. Erich's Website: https://www.erichstem.net/To learn more about the podcast, click here.To sign up to the newsletter, click here.

A career in composition doesn’t always follow a single path. Today I sit down with composer Richard Carrick to talk about his work across composition, performance, and academia, and how those different roles interact over time.We explore what it means to build a life in music that moves between creative practice and teaching, and how a composing career can evolve in unexpected directions depending on the opportunities and interests that emerge along the way.About Richard:Richard Carrick is the chair of the Composition Department at Berklee College of Music. He has a versatile background both in the countries he's lived in and the career he's had as a composer. Check out his website and music: https://www.richardcarrick.com/Berklee Interviews is a series of interviews with professors, chairs, and professionals from Berklee College of Music.To learn more about the podcast, click here.To sign up to the newsletter, click here.

Some of the most famous composers in history had surprisingly strange routines when it came to creativity — from strict daily habits to unusual rituals and superstitions.In this episode of The Composer’s Life, we look at some of these quirks and creative behaviours and ask a simple question: did they actually make a difference to the music they wrote?More broadly, this episode explores the relationship between routine, mindset, and creativity — and whether structure helps composers, or whether it’s just something we attach meaning to after the fact.Here are some references from the episode:Watch the YouTube Video of me trying out these weird rituals for a week: click hereWatch the music video from my EP, The Storm: click hereSign up for the newsletter: click hereTo learn more about the podcast, click here.