Edmonton Composer Geoff Li Featured in Anime in Concert

By Micha Oostenbrink

A feeling of "immense gratitude" overcame Edmonton-based composer Geoff Li as he listened to his music being performed by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra a few weeks ago at Anime in Concert.

He described the experience as "humbling, as hearing something that was written on a computer be played by live musicians is always a big learning experience," adding, "this moment was a culmination of several different passions and pursuits."

Geoff is part of the music production team Madcap Labs, with whom he scores the English and international dub versions of the Pokémon TV series. For Anime in Concert last month, he arranged a suite comprised of three cues from Pokémon Horizons – one from each of the three composers that work on the show – Ed Goldfarb, Akhil Gopal, and himself. They compose weekly for the TV series, plus other projects like mini-series or animated shorts. "We’ll get an episode with the Japanese audio and a translated script, go through the episode and mark which sections could use what music, divide the work, and start composing away," says Geoff, describing the process of scoring for TV.

He has had a relationship with music for most of his life. "My parents put me in music lessons as a kid—the first time for accordion when we were still living in China, and the second time for guitar when living in Calgary." He adds, "after that, music was simply one of the pillars that held my life together (next to anime and video games). I listened to mostly metal and video game music growing up, but eventually branched out to other genres."

When talking about getting into composing, Geoff has a piece of advice: "The two things that worked out for me were routinely putting myself in work situations with stakes involved, and that old cliché of 'luck meets preparation'. Low-stakes situations for composing might be writing a piece for a friend’s recital, scoring a student film, or attending a game jam. High-stakes situations usually involve money, a large audience, or working with well-established artists. When you’re not busy with these high-stakes gigs, seeking out the low-stakes ones is a fantastic way to improve your craft and make friends. Both feed into your 'preparation' for if/when the stars align and an opportunity rolls your way."

Learn more about Geoff on his website.