STUDIO INTENSIVE
August 11 - 14, 2026
Los Angeles, California
Designed for the orchestral musician and audio mixer interested in learning how to perform in a recording environment, the Studio Intensive is a 3-day immersive workshop and recording experience providing guidance from Hollywood's legendary studio musicians at the famed Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles. Participants will gain rare and invaluable insights and experiences such as daily masterclasses, coaching, sectionals, and guest speakers, all culminating in a full day of recording in the John Williams Building at the Streisand Scoring Stage at Sony Pictures Studios, which will be released as an online album.
Participants will work with click tracks, live-to-picture, pre-recorded tracks, various styles of music, and more all under the guidance of veteran studio musicians who have performed for films such as Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Transformers and countless others.
This workshop is open to all orchestral musicians as well as audio mixers. See below for audition requirements and additional information.
Application deadline: May 1, 2026
Application fee: $20 USD
(if using PayPal, please note added service fee)
Tuition fee: $1,250 USD
(does not include transportation, housing, or meals)
FACULTY
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR
MIXER
ANGEL VELEZ
Angel Velez is one of today's most sought after conductors for film and television and guest conducting for pops concerts around the world. Velez currently serves as Music Director for the Singapore International Soundtrack Festival and has served as Music Director for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Safety Last Centennial, Miss World, Harold Lloyd Symphony Series, Tito Puente 100, HBO’s For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story LIVE IN CONCERT, Star Wars: Across Generations and more.
Velez is also a big advocate for education serving as a mentor for the International Conductor’s Guild, director of the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive and on the graduate faculty at the LA College of Music.
Velez continues to work in the entertainment industry on projects such as Family Guy, Jane the Virgin, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Rebels, Family Guy and the recently released superhero film Samaritan, starring Sylvester Stallone,
and has given the concert premieres of Captain Marvel, Tom and Jerry in New York, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Peter Pan and Wendy, and many more.
SCOTT MICHAEL SMITH
Scott Michael Smith is a two time Grammy Award winning Mixer, Producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. Before his work in movies, Scott’s early years in records saw him working with a range of artists from John Mayer, to Katy Perry, Weezer, Carole King and many more.
Nowadays as a highly in demand Score Mixer and Producer, Scott has recorded and mixed blockbuster scores for some of Hollywood’s biggest films and TV shows, including The Revenant, The Handmaid’s Tale, Mank with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, It Chapter 2, Moon Knight, Shazam!, The Adam Project, and many more credits which can be found here.
Known for combining his years of record production technique with today's modern film scoring work flows, Scott now mixes from his own room at The Village Studios in West Los Angeles, while recording in LA’s most famous studios and scoring stages.
WOODWINDS
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Flute
SARA ANDON
SARA ANDON is an international soloist and recording artist. She has performed all over the world with orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Film Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
Ms. Andon is also Principal/Solo Flutist of the Redlands Symphony, Los Angeles Ballet Company, Brightwork Newmusic Ensemble and records weekly with the Hollywood Studio Orchestra. Her countless TV, video game and film score recordings include such blockbusters as Avatar: The Way of Water and Fire and Ash, The Super Mario Brothers Movies, IT: The Movie 1&2, The Conjuring, Twisters, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Family Guy, Bridgerton, Only Murders in the Building, and Toy Story 5. She has toured internationally performing her recent Warner Classics album "John Williams Reimagined" for Flute, Cello and Piano, produced by Robert Townson and personally approved by John Williams, spanning 50-years of the Maestro's iconic career.
Oboe
LARA WICKES
She became a regular in the recording studios, and has performed solo oboe and English horn on over 200 motion pictures. Some credits include Star Wars episodes VII-IX, Rogue One, an American Pickle, the new Mulan and Lion King, Incredibles 2, Coco, Marriage Story, Ready Player One, Sing, Finding Dory, Frozen 2, Bridge of Spies, Big Hero 6, and Avatar.
Clarinet
STUART CLARK
Stuart's recent TV and film credits include Human Target, Wanted, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Nim's Island, Nights In Rodanthe, Hancock, The Express, Bolt, Year One, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Watchmen, X-Men: First Class, Sucker Punch, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, The Rite, No Strings Attached, among others.
Bassoon
ALEX GARCIA
Alex Rosales García has woven his life as a bassoonist in the diverse tapestry of Los Angeles. He has shared stages alongside orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Royal Ballet, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, WildUP and more. Beyond orchestral realms, he can be heard in various film, television, album, and Broadway productions including Ahsoka, Encanto, West Side Story (2021), Into the Woods, Jennifer Hudson and more. He has also shared the stage with various Latin American artists like Silvana Estrada, Omara Portuondo, Carlos Vives, Café Tacvba, and Oscar D’León.
BRASS
French Horn
JAMES THATCHER
James has the enviable position of being the favored first horn of multiple Oscar-winning composer John Williams performing in such films as Always, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Sleepers (in which he received an on-screen credit), Nixon, Schindler’s List, JFK, Sabrina, Home Alone, Rosewood, Seven Years in Tibet and The Patriot as well as the fanfare for the 1992 Olympics. He also works regularly with other Hollywood greats Jerry Goldsmith, James Newton Howard, Randy Newman, John Barry, James Horner and Alan Silvestri to name a few and can be heard as well in the tracks to Glory, The Rocketeer, Field of Dreams, Monster House, X-Men: The Last Stand, Robots, Spider-Man 3, Ice Age, Polar Express, Beowulf, Dances with Wolves, Toy Story, Cars, Maverick, Apollo 13, Forrest Gump, Titanic, Pearl Harbor, Constantine, National Treasure, Transformers, The Simpsons Movie, Night at the Museum, Dinosaur, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, King Kong, Signs, Lady in the Water, Peter Pan, First Knight, Hook, Independence Day and the Star Trek films. Most recently, Mr. Thatcher was deemed principal horn in James Newton Howard’s soundtrack of The Last Airbender directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Trumpet
WAYNE BERGERON
Wayne Bergeron is enjoying a career as one of the most sought-after musicians in the world. Studio sessions, film dates, international touring, jazz concerts, guest appearances and clinics keep him busy not only in his hometown of Los Angeles, CA, but worldwide.
Bergeron first caught the ear of many when he landed the lead trumpet chair with Maynard Ferguson's band in 1986. Bergeron can be heard on Maynard's recordings Body and Soul, Big Bop Nouveau, Brass Attitude and The One and Only Maynard Ferguson. Bergeron demonstrates daily why Maynard remarked, "Wayne is the most musical lead trumpet player I've had on my band."
As a sideman, Bergeron's list of recording credits reads like a "who's who" in contemporary jazz and pop, running the stylistic gamut from Ray Charles to Green Day. Other names include Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, Michael Bublé, Dirty Loops, Seth MacFarlane, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Seal, Diana Krall, Tito Puente, Christina Aguilera, Dianne Reeves, Michael Bolton, Earth Wind & Fire, The Pussycat Dolls, My Chemical Romance, The Mars Volta and many others.
Bergeron has worked on over 400 TV and motion picture soundtracks. A partial list of film credits include Incredibles 2, La La Land, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Crazy Rich Asians, The First, Smallfoot, The Predator,Sing, Moana, Frozen, Rocky Balboa, Bridge of Spies, Get on Up, Toy Story 3, Monsters University, Planes, Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2.
Trombone
ALEX ILES
Alex has established himself as a very in-demand trombonist/low brass performer, recording artist and educator. Among the varied palette of artists with whom Alex has performed and/or recorded are: Joe Cocker, James Horner, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Alan Jackson, Zubin Mehta, Kid Cudi, The Tonight Show, Sir Neville Marriner, Hans Zimmer, Johnny Mathis, Lalo Shifrin, Natalie Cole, Meghan Trainor, Jeffrey Kahane, Danny Elfman, Ray Charles, Trevor Rabin, Harry Connick, Jr., Henry Mancini, Josh Grobin, John Zorn, Terence Blanchard, Barbra Streisand, John Williams, Fallout Boy, Thomas Ades, Neil Young, Johnny Mandel, Paul McCartney, and Prince.
Alex has toured as lead and solo jazz trombonist with Woody Herman and Maynard Ferguson. He has performed and recorded as a regular member of many of the top big bands and jazz groups in the Los Angeles area including Pacific Jazz Orchestra, Bob Florence’s Limited Edition, Tom Kubis Big Band and he was an original member of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. He has performed on The Motion Picture Academy Awards, The Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, The People’s Choice Awards and hundreds of television series and motion picture soundtracks including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One, Frozen, La La Land, Up, The Incredibles, X-Men, Secret Life of Pets, Avatar, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., LOST, and Transformers.
Tuba
P. Blake Cooper
P. Blake Cooper is a prominent Los Angeles-based studio tuba and cimbasso player with extensive recording credits across major motion pictures, television and video games. Some notable credits include: Encanto, Zootopia 2, Elio, IF, The Lion King (2019), Coco, The Suicide Squad, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Despicable Me 4, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Lightyear, The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Orville, American Dad, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Free Guy, Batman v. Superman, Aquaman, Black Adam, Star Trek Strange New Worlds, Star Trek Discovery, Picard, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, The Conjuring 2 & 3, Halo Wars 2, League of Legends and many more. Some notable composers Blake has recorded for include Michael Giacchino, Hans Zimmer, Germaine Franco, Danny Elfman, The Newton Bros, Jeff Russo, Benjamin Wallfisch, John Debney and Alan Silvestri. As well as album credits with Iggy Pop, Lana Del Rey, Trisha Yearwood, Michael Bublé, Brandon Dixon and more.
STRINGS
Violin
PHILLIP LEVY
Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as the top classical performer of 1995, violinist Phillip Levy has received worldwide critical acclaim performing at the Spoleto, Bayreuth, Edinburgh, Israel, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Ojai, Seattle and Aspen music festivals. Mr. Levy is the recipient of many prestigious prizes and awards.
Born in Cardiff, Wales, Mr. Levy trained in Israel and Europe. After making his highly acclaimed Debut at London’s Wigmore Hall, he joined
the English Chamber Orchestra and the Academy of St.Martin-in-the-Fields, with whom he also appeared as soloist.
He led the London based Locrian and Amphion String Quartets and was subsequently invited to perform Bartok's Violin Duos on BBC television with
Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Moving to the United States, he led the Apple Hill Chamber Players and later
held an eight year senior lectureship in violin and chamber music at Stanford University as first violinist of the Stanford String Quartet.
Currently residing in Los Angeles, Mr. Levy leads the Capitol Ensemble, artists in residence for Classical Sundays at Six.
Mr. Levy is also a recording artist for the Hollywood film studios and has been featured on over one thousand movie soundtracks, including Star Wars, ET, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, X-Men, Frozen and Avatar. He has also recorded with legendary artists such as Barbra Streisand, Sting, Phil Collins and Elton John.
Viola
ALMA FERNANDEZ
She attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and UCLA, where she received a Master’s Degree in Viola Performance. She performs regularly with such ensembles as the LA Opera Orchestra and LA Master Chorale. As a chamber musician, she has been described as “…a soulful violist” by the LA Times. Alma is a member of the Eclipse Quartet, an ensemble dedicated to performing contemporary music, which has released recordings under Bridge Records, New World, and Microfest. She has been featured as a soloist with the Pepperdine University Orchestra, the Jacaranda Chamber Music series, People Inside Electronics, and Electronics Live! at UC Riverside, where she premiered new works for Viola & Electronics. Alma is also active in the Los Angeles recording industry, having played for numerous motion picture soundtracks, television shows, and record albums.
Cello
ANDREW SHULMAN
Andrew Shulman, virtuoso cellist and conductor, is principal cellist with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and cellist with Los Angeles Piano Trio. He enjoys a richly varied career as recitalist, soloist, chamber musician, conductor and pedagogue, maintaining a flourishing studio at the USC Thornton School of Music. Many of his students have gone on to win international competitions and principal positions in major orchestras and chamber groups.
Shulman has directed and performed a wide range of the cello literature with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Utah Symphony, the Singapore Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, among others. He has performed at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Wiener Musikverein, London’s Wigmore Hall, Buckingham Palace, the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Palace in Stockholm and the Hollywood Bowl.
Double Bass
KARL VINCENT
Karl Vincent was raised in the East Bay of San Francisco Bay Area.His deep passion for music started at an early age as he began his music studies at the age of 10 on the guitar, later the violin, and then moved to the bass at 13. His teachers include bass masters Petrio Mercurio, Milt Kestenbaum, Arni Egilsson, Stanley Clarke, and his mentor - legendary bassist Red Callender. UCLA took notice of Karl's potential and he enrolled under a full music scholarship, one of several awards he would receive that also includes a grant from National Endowment for the Arts. You are more likely to find Karl as a soloist or either in or leading the bass section on feature movies, TV shows, live concerts, and acting or cameo appearances on TV, in commercials, and movies.
PERCUSSION
HARP
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MB GORDY
M.B. is an acclaimed drummer, percussionist and educator whose credits include albums by iconic recording artists, blockbuster films, TV series, video games, and prestigious rock/pop/theatrical and orchestral live performances and tours. As a session player he is a go-to resource for the industry’s top composers and record producers.
Some of his Film credits are Selma, Frozen, Transformers (series), X-Men (series), Fantastic Four (series), Moana, Harry Potter, Spiderman (series), Logan, Ride Along 1 & 2, Monkey King 1 & 2, American Sniper, World of Warcraft , Jack Reacher, Men in Black (series), Terminator series, Wonder Boys, The Crow, Minions, Die Hard series, Identity Thief, Despicable Me, 310 to Yuma, and many more.
For TV, Zoo, Battlestar Gallactica, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, Galavant, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Madmen, Good Morning America, Eureka, Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Mentalist, Human Target, The Tudors, Black Sails, Davinci’s Demons, and many more.
Gayle Levant
Gayle has worked with Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, The Carpenters, Joanie Mitchell, Barry Manilow, Céline Dion, Josh Groban, Rod Stewart, Michael Bublé, and the list goes on and on.
She had a musical relationship with Barbra Streisand and continues to be a part of every recording project with her.
In 1977, Gayle was the first harpist to be awarded the Most Valuable Player’s Award by The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. She continued to receive this award for three more years.
In television Gayle worked on Happy Days, Love American Style, Laverne and Shirley, Fantasy Island, Dallas, Falcon Crest, Hotel, Knot’s Landing, The Scarecrow and Mrs. King, etc. For the six years that the T.V. series “Lost” was on the air, she produced a unique, but eerie sound, that composer Michael Giacchino used every week. She was the harpist for “The Simpsons”.
In motion pictures, she was the first harpist to introduce the use of Celtic and Paraguayan harps to the industry.
She has been playing for the Academy Awards for the past twenty-nine years.
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
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Resume (2 pages maximum)
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Personal statement on why you are interested in participating in this program and what you hope to gain from the experience (1 page maximum).
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OPTIONAL Mix sample (.mp3 file)
AUDIO MIXERS
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Resume (2 pages maximum)
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Personal statement on why you are interested in participating in this program and what you hope to gain from the experience (1 page maximum).
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OPTIONAL Mix sample (.mp3 file)
WOODWINDS
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Resume (2 pages maximum) Please also make note in your resume if you double on another instrument
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Video of solo of your choice not exceeding 5 minutes in length
STRINGS
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Resume (2 pages maximum)
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Video of solo of your choice not exceeding 5 minutes in length
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Violists please note Bach solo preferred, but not required
BRASS
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Resume (2 pages maximum)
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Video of solo of your choice not exceeding 5 minutes in length
PERCUSSION
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Resume (2 pages maximum)
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Video of mallet solo excerpt of your choice not exceeding 1 minute
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Video of snare drum solo excerpt of your choice not exceeding 1 minute
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Video of timpani solo of your choice not exceeding 1 minute
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*OPTIONAL video of drumset excerpt playing swing style not exceeding 1 minute
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*OPTIONAL video of drumset excerpt playing rock style not exceeding 1 minute
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*OPTIONAL video of conga excerpt not exceeding 1 minute
HARP
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Resume (2 pages maximum)
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Video of solo of your choice not exceeding 3 minutes in length
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Video should be front facing and at a reasonable distance away from your instrument so as to both see you and capture the best audio reasonably possible (please check your audio before submitting). iPhone, Android or similar video quality are acceptable. All videos should be in horizontal position.
In addition to submitting the required application fee and General Information form (if paying with PayPal, please be aware they will add a service charge on top of the $20 USD fee) please email your application materials to info@lafci.org with your Instrument: Last Name, First Name in the subject line. All materials must be received no later than 11:59pm Pacific Time (Los Angeles) on April 17, 2026. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age by April 17, 2026. There is no age limit for participation. Completion of secondary school (high school) is expected along with advanced musical skills.
Decision notifications will be via email by May 1, 2026.
If accepted, 50% tuition will be due upon acceptance by May 15, 2026 with remaining balance due no later than July 10, 2026.