The University of Miami Frost School Of Music announces that multi-Grammy Award winning music producer, singer, rapper and composer Pharrell Williams was at UM Gusman Concert Hall this fall (September) to record a new work for orchestra entitled “I Am Other” with the Frost School’s Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra. Williams hired the all-student orchestra for the session upon recommendation of producer Quincy Jones (honorary D.M.A. ’99). Williams composed the mixed-genre orchestral work—which features soft and ethereal atmospheres contrasted with fortissimo brass themes and driving rhythms—to explore a different side of his musical creativity, and to encourage his hip-hop fan base to expand their musical horizons.
Shelly Berg orchestrated and conducted the work, and Director of Recording Services Paul Griffith (B.M. ’83) was the recording engineer. Pharrell Williams is best known for his work with Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Shakira, Jay-Z, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg. The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra at the Frost School Of Music is comprised primarily of graduate student “fellows” who are focused on developing cross-genre performance and entrepreneurial skills that will help prepare them for today’s professional world. I guess, that’s the classical piece that Pharrell has been talking about back in September, check out the snippet I’ve managed to edit for the mp3 player below.
Pharrell Williams & Henry Mancini – I Am Other Theme (12′)
*n-e-r-d.skyrock.com
*miami.edu
Previously:
Pharrell: “I Just Did A Classical Piece”