This GRAMMY week was particularly meaningful to me because my professor, mentor and founder of Center for Computer Research in Music Acoustics, John Chowning, was awarded the Technical Grammy at the Special Merit Awards! Four years ago I graduated from Stanford with my (second!) masters in music science and technology and John became a fast mentor and friend. Heralded for his innovation of FM synthesis and the Yamaha DX7 which would be used most famously in Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, I was so grateful to apply my skillset as a math major and music lover to his decades old program.

The past few years, he and his wife Maureen have continued to mentor me through my work recording nature field recordings (most notably in Antarctica using the hydrophones we hand built at CCRMA) and producing ambient electronic uplifting music, and so this year serving as a governor on the SF chapter and having the chance to contribute a few words towards putting him forth for the nomination was so deeply meaningful and full circle. What a week to celebrate music technology and the great history of these two worlds coming together to change sound and vibration as we know it!!!