UW-River Falls student composer Sam Nesbit, at the podium, guides a concert band of student and community musicians during a daylong cinema scoring event in Abbott Concert Hall. Nesbit and fellow students Ben Garcia and Landon Zientara wrote original music compositions to some of their favorite videogames and the gathered musicians performed them in time with key sections of each game. UWRF photo.
 

Student composers lead Hollywood-style recording session

May 1, 2025 - The University of Wisconsin-River Falls brought a Hollywood-style recording session to life on Saturday, April 26, offering student composers a career-launching experience inside Abbott Concert Hall.

Benjamin Garcia, Sam Nesbit and Landon Zientara conducted a Cinema Symphony composed of UWRF students, faculty, alumni and local teachers. Each led the orchestra in recording original scores for video game and film projects, gaining hands-on experience in a professional-style environment modeled after Hollywood scoring sessions.

“These events prepare students for the film and video game industry by giving them real-world experience,” said Casey Palbicki, a lecturer in UWRF’s Music and Stage and Screen Arts Department who organized the event. “Managing musicians, leading rehearsals and working under time constraints are skills that are critical for their futures.”

Garcia, a senior music composition major from Somerset, re-scored "God of War: Ragnarök." Nesbit, who graduated last May with a Bachelor of Science in music, is from Phillips, and re-scored music for "NieR: Automata." Zientara, a sophomore double major in music and stage and screen arts from Lakeville, Minn., composed an original score for his short film "Vigil" (2025).

For Garcia, the experience was a major step forward in his career goals.

“Having a professional-level recording like this is massive for graduate school applications and future opportunities in the field I love so much,” he said. “At our small school, finding opportunities like this where more than 30 musicians come together to perform our music is simply incredible.”

Zientara echoed the life-changing nature of the event, sharing that the project was not only a step in his career but a personal outlet for storytelling through music.

“Writing an original concert piece and a score for my short film has been an amazing opportunity,” he said. “In a deeper sense, it’s a way of telling important stories—my own and those of the people who have been part of my life. It gives me hope for what’s possible with passion, hard work and the support of my family, friends and educators.”

The recording session, filmed for use in student demo reels, is part of a larger effort to expand screen scoring opportunities at UWRF. Palbicki hopes to make the event an annual tradition, supported by the new Accredited Music & Media Club and potential partnerships with UW-Stout’s game design program.

“We want UWRF to be known for its screen scoring for visual media program,” Palbicki said.