From Joysticks to Strings: Stephen Geering’s Musical Odyssey in Games, Song & Ojai episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 10, 2025 · 1H 40M

From Joysticks to Strings: Stephen Geering’s Musical Odyssey in Games, Song & Ojai

from Ojai: Talk of the Town · host Bret Bradigan

On this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town, I sit down with composer, songwriter, and sound designer Stephen Geering — whose music you’ve likely heard even if you haven't heard his name. Growing up in a deeply musical family (his mother, Jenny, was a concert pianist and teacher), Stephen began his musical education at age seven, learning piano and classical music in Chicago and Ravinia.In Geer MusicFrom there, he forged a path that spans studio albums, video game scoring, commercial work, and soundtrack composition. After postgraduate studies in scoring at UCLA under Don Ray, his original songs began to draw attention, which opened doors to composing for television, commercials, and ultimately the booming world of interactive gaming.In Geer Music+2IMDb+2We dive into his time creating music for major studios and game publishers, his creative process when shifting between musical genres and media formats, and how he maintains artistic identity in commercial work. Stephen also shares how he and his wife Dawn — an attorney — chose Ojai as home, and how they became involved in nurturing music education and youth programs such as the Ojai Music Festival's Bravo! Program with their daughter.We talk of ambition and adaptation, of composing as storytelling, and of the joys and challenges of being both a commercial and personal artist. We did not talk about new discoveries at Pompeii, Germanic diphthongs or Czech nymph fishing.He also also offers sound (sorry, couldn't resist) for young people seeking a career in music. If you’ve ever wondered how a musician builds a life out of sound, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. To learn more about Stephen and his fascinating career, point your browser to ...https://www.ingeermusic.com/about.html

On this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town, I sit down with composer, songwriter, and sound designer Stephen Geering — whose music you’ve likely heard even if you haven't heard his name. Growing up in a deeply musical family (his mother, Jenny, was a concert pianist and teacher), Stephen began his musical education at age seven, learning piano and classical music in Chicago and Ravinia.In Geer MusicFrom there, he forged a path that spans studio albums, video game scoring, commercial work, and soundtrack composition. After postgraduate studies in scoring at UCLA under Don Ray, his original songs began to draw attention, which opened doors to composing for television, commercials, and ultimately the booming world of interactive gaming.In Geer Music+2IMDb+2We dive into his time creating music for major studios and game publishers, his creative process when shifting between musical genres and media formats, and how he maintains artistic identity in commercial work. Stephen also shares how he and his wife Dawn — an attorney — chose Ojai as home, and how they became involved in nurturing music education and youth programs such as the Ojai Music Festival's Bravo! Program with their daughter.We talk of ambition and adaptation, of composing as storytelling, and of the joys and challenges of being both a commercial and personal artist. We did not talk about new discoveries at Pompeii, Germanic diphthongs or Czech nymph fishing.He also also offers sound (sorry, couldn't resist) for young people seeking a career in music. If you’ve ever wondered how a musician builds a life out of sound, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. To learn more about Stephen and his fascinating career, point your browser to ...https://www.ingeermusic.com/about.html

NOW PLAYING

From Joysticks to Strings: Stephen Geering’s Musical Odyssey in Games, Song & Ojai

0:00 1:40:55

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Ojai: Talk of the Town?

This episode is 1 hour and 40 minutes long.

When was this Ojai: Talk of the Town episode published?

This episode was published on October 10, 2025.

What is this episode about?

On this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town, I sit down with composer, songwriter, and sound designer Stephen Geering — whose music you’ve likely heard even if you haven't heard his name. Growing up in a deeply musical family (his mother, Jenny, was a...

Can I download this Ojai: Talk of the Town episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!