Collin Brefka (b. 1996) was an untrained musician who had no formal lessons until the age of 11. Here, he began to take piano lessons with Rob Meyer. He continued these lessons until he was 15 and then stopped due to his mentor moving away. At 16, Mr. Brefka was undecided on his future professional career. This is was until experiencing both John Powell’s score of the film How to Train Your Dragon and the music of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. It was a combination of both that grounded his decision to pursue a career in music composition. He then continued his musical endeavors, and began to take them as a higher priority. At this time, he also created his first true composition.
As a composer, Collin is largely influenced by the modern works of Nico Muhly, John Powell, Yoko Kanno, and John Luther Adams. He enjoys writing music that creates sonic landscapes and feel as organic and alive as the environments they depict. He also often tries to take more abstract ideas and forms of music and present them in ways that are more accessible to a wider audience. As a fan of older music, such as the works of Bach, Beethoven, and Ravel, he also attempts to blend the old world with the new to create a timeless state of existence; as if the composers of different eras had been collaborating together. |