2 Southern Utah University music tech alumni earn Grammy nominations – St George News

st. George —Two graduates of Southern Utah University’s Master of Music Technology program have been nominated for Grammy Awards.

Alumnus Marie A. Douglas was recently nominated for a Grammy for her work as an arranger on musician Sean Ardoin’s album Full Circle. The Zydeco-based album features a historic collaboration with Louisiana State University’s Marching Her Band.

Alumni and adjunct faculty member Ted Kocher was also nominated as a producer for the score of “Call of Duty: Vanguard.” This is his second Grammy nomination for Coacher.

The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5, live on the CBS television network, and streamed live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Below are profiles of Douglas and Kocher.

Marie A. Douglas:

“I have my own point of view”

Dr. Steve Meredith, Chair of Douglas’ Alumni Committee and Founding Director of Master’s Programs, said: Music Degree Program in Music Technology at SUU. “Success as a musician depends on many factors, but the most important are talent, a strong work ethic and above all, determination.

“Marie embodied these traits during her school days and continues to do so throughout her career.

Full Circle, released in September, is a homage to Louisiana, both artistically and musically. The album featured Ardoin’s band Kreole Rock and Soul and his LSU Golden Band from Tiger Land, Marching his band and popular genre bands collaborating on his full album. is the first time. The music is Creole His Rock and Soul created by Ardoin, based heavily on his Zydeco, a Southern Louisiana musical genre featuring accordion and guitar.

“Zydeco is one of the great Americana genres,” says Douglas. “I am obsessed with American culture, especially black American culture, and have a unique perspective. I wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity, and I’m proud to have been able to capture a piece of that music.”

“Full Circle” was nominated in the “Best Regional Roots Album” category.

“Personally, this nomination means a lot,” said Douglas. “I’ve always dreamed of doing what I do, but even getting this close to something like this seems a little surreal. It gives you the stamp of dealing with stuff, and it’s a blessing to have my name near it.”

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Douglas knew from an early age that he was going to be an entertainer and that music was his favorite field. After she joined her high school band, she marched in Florida A&M’s Marching 100 and her career path solidified after attending major performances, including a performance with Prince.

Douglas said her time on the program helped her structure her creative process and understand her voice as a composer who came from a different stratum from the mainstream.

“For me, education is the only thing that cannot be taken away from me,” said Douglas. “My parents taught me how to read. It has stuck with me my whole life. I have to push myself to the highest level. .”

Douglas often imbues his work with musical attributes of his favorite genres. Currently, she is fixated on blending elements of hip hop, especially the subgenre “trap music”, and instrumental her ensembles. Her work is inspired by the music of contemporary African-American and minority music composers such as R. Nathaniel Dett, Quincy Jones, Duke Ellington, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Lili and Nadia Boulanger. It has been. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Composition and Music Theory from the University of Memphis, furthering her education.

Ted Kocher:

“We are proud of him”

Dr. Steve Meredith, Founder of the Master’s Degree Program in Music Technology, said: “Ted Kocher is the supreme representative of this educational philosophy and we are proud to have him as a graduate of the program and as an adjunct lecturer for future students in the MMMT program.”

Kocher is a music and audio expert with a high level of experience in all areas of audio. He currently works as a music supervisor for Sony Interactive Entertainment, home of the PlayStation brand. It will be Kocher’s 14th year working with her PlayStation and Sony.

Kocher has worked on four of the last six Call of Duty games, which are typically the best-selling franchises of the year. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category “Best His Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media” for being part of the team that produced the score for “Call of Duty: Vanguard.”

“I was the music supervisor for Call of Duty Vanguard,” Kocher says. “For me, the development cycle was about two years. The first year and a half was spent working with the composer and his team to develop the score and sounds. About two and a half hours of music. Our team is back to edit the music and implement it in line with our creative vision.”

This is not the coacher’s first nomination. In 2012, Coacher was part of what is believed to be the first ever Grammy-nominated team in the video game world. The soundtrack for the video game Journey was nominated in the category “Best Score Soundtrack in Visual Media”.

“I’m really proud of my score for Journey,” Coacher said. “After a lot of hard work, it was a great moment to be nominated for that year. Not only was it nominated for a Grammy, but the game was widely acclaimed. It was an interesting game because it sounded positive and positive, and our work was a big part of the experience.”

The video game industry has been lobbying the Recording Academy to create video game specific categories, but until this year there was no specific category for video game music. This new category recognizes composers of original scores created for or as companions to video games and other interactive media.

Kocher’s accolades also include several Film Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards, BAFTA nominations, and multiple TEC and GANG Awards. He holds a Master’s degree in Music Technology from SUU and a Bachelor’s degree in Musical Performance from Duquesne University. For his SUU students who wish to learn from Kocher, he is an adjunct faculty member in the Music Technology Program.

By KENZIE LUNDBERG, Southern Utah University

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