Catherine, it’s great to have you! We’d love to hear about your musical beginnings – how did it all start, and how has it been going?

Thanks for having me! So to get straight to it, I’m an LA-based Vietnamese-American composer for video games, film, and television originally from Raleigh, North Carolina. I started learning piano around age 4, and I eventually went to college on a scholarship majoring in piano performance and sociology with a concentration in the Asian-American experience. I was fifteen at the time, and I really didn’t know what I wanted to be yet. The idea of scoring vaguely existed in my mind, but I never thought it to be a career path I could access, or where I’d even begin. When my sister moved to NYC, I tagged along, taking with me some necessities, the savings my parents worked hard to put aside for me over the years, and an open mind to start over as a composer.

I spent my time in New York learning fundamentals like orchestration/arranging, composition (art music), score prep, and basic recording techniques, until I unexpectedly got a look into the scoring industry through a jazz harmony class taught by pianist and Emmy-award winning composer D.D. Jackson. I became very interested in scoring and how it supported storytelling in media. It was functional, emotional, affecting—intentional but not convoluted in a way that required translation. Realizing this was how I wanted to communicate through music, I decidedly moved to Chicago after being accepted to Columbia College’s MFA program in Music Composition for the Screen, which culminated in a 5-week internship out in Los Angeles. 

My first years in LA, like for many others, were difficult financially. It was 2020, so the peak of the pandemic halted so much production, but there were bills that needed to be paid and I had no time to lose. I couldn’t tell you how many assistant positions I applied for, and amidst all the rejections, I found enough work from different composers—some through the Columbia College network, some outside—to stack up a bit of experience. When contracts were slow to roll in, I worked other orchestration, score prep, and even online Vietnamese-to-English translation work in between my hours as a composer’s assistant. Turning back and going home without having made progress wasn’t really an option I gave myself at this point, so I had a lot of determination to make things happen. 

Fast-forward to 2025 and I’m still here in LA working with great people, which I take as a good sign!

Your career has spanned a fascinating range of projects, from co-composing for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight to Wwise implementation at Blizzard and score production assistance on films like Encanto. Was this diverse path something you intentionally pursued, or did it evolve organically?

I’m very much about letting things evolve organically. While I loved music for games, my initial start was on the TV/film side of the industry. The first two extended positions worked were with Penka Kouneva on Dragon Age: Absolution and then with Germaine Franco and her team on Disney’s Encanto—both incredibly valuable experiences. Because these were both temporary jobs, I had also submitted a cold application to Blizzard when they had a temp assistant opening. To my surprise, I was offered the job right at the end of my time on Encanto.

Working at Blizzard has been a huge point of growth for me. The composer I primarily assisted when I first started there, Glenn Stafford, had me working with his sketches (which really expanded my harmonic language), helping with alternate arrangements, mixing, and even coming up with a few ideas—which is how I got to co-compose a bit for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. It was really nice to have that space to learn. After that patch I was switched over to working on the Diablo IV base game (then the expansion, Vessel of Hatred, thereafter), and that’s when I picked up some Wwise implementation from composers Ted Reedy and Leo Kaliski while also helping out with additional arrangements and music editing. It was a whole different mindset, but I loved expanding my perspective that way. As I got to know more video game composers through the network, I started working on contracts with Adam Gubman whose music I orchestrated for the 2024 Arknights: Ambience Synesthesia live show once I was freelancing again.

More than pursuing a specialized path, I try to do the work in front of me one step at a time, making preparations where I need to secure the jobs that follow after. Recently I did some assisting work for composer Sandrine Rudaz, balanced more orchestration for games, and when I have time, I also contribute production music to the Emperia Music Works library to keep my writing muscle exercised and start creating a bit of back-end earnings.

Your work suggests a particular interest in video game scoring. Could you elaborate on your experience in this field and share your ambitions for your future contributions to the gaming industry?

Probably like many kids in the late 90s and early 2000’s, I was brought up around and loved playing video games. It was something my family did (and still do!) together. Back then, it was difficult to access OSTs, so I have a lot of memories playing games and standing idle on stages or in towns to let my favorite tracks loop—sometimes until the Game Boy Color ran out of batteries!

But aside from a love for games, I knew nothing about working in the industry until I was on the job. There really is, in my eyes, nothing that compares to learning by experience. I’m not sure anything could’ve really prepared me for it other than adopting the mindset of being at square one and diving in.

My future ambition might sound pretty simple, but I have a decent bit of assisting experience at this point and would love to focus more on composing for games and TV/film projects that speak to and are meaningful to me! 

You’ve had the privilege of working with a number of highly accomplished composers, including Penka Kouneva, Germaine Franco, Tom Howe, and Mark Isham. Based on your experiences, what advice would you offer to young composers looking to break into the industry as scoring assistants?

Definitely keep an open mind. Apply to as many opportunities as possible (you can always make things work or politely decline if they accept and you have other engagements by then). Say yes to working with people you genuinely like. A professional relationship is a two-way street. I try to gain what I’d like from an experience while offering my A-game to the team or employer. I’m not always in a place to be selective about work, but I know I can learn at least one thing from every experience (unless it’s detrimental to your mental and/or physical well-being in a way that outweighs the benefits). This is more my own personal boundary, but I don’t really mind putting in the hours as long as I’m in a fair work environment that offers personal growth, proper compensation, and contract transparency.

It’s okay to try out different sides of the job, especially in the early career phase. Taking on different tasks not only expanded my skill set, but also allowed me to better-understand and empathize with my colleagues. I learned firsthand how my timeliness and professionalism (even when working with friends!) can positively or adversely affect them in the production chain. No job is too big or too small. There are, however, the ones that aren’t right for you, and only you can identify those with time. Sometimes, you have to take the risk and move towards where you want to be.

Do you have any exciting projects or plans coming up that you’d like to share, either in your music or your personal life? We’re so thankful for your time and insights.

While some things are under NDAs, I can say that I just wrapped up on a score with fellow Vietnamese-American composer Kristine Bernabe. We scored director Lucia Tran’s short film titled “We’re Okay”—a slice-of-life story about three Vietnamese-American siblings growing up in the Bay Area. This project was incredibly special to me, and a shout-out to our music supervisor Jessica Millete for bringing us on! 

Additionally, I’m excited to have returned as one of the orchestrators for Adam Gubman’s music for the 2025 Arknights: Ambience Synesthesia live show. Working on this project is always a blast, and the show will be taking place this spring in China, so definitely look out for the online replay later in the year! And of course, please look forward to future Blizzard expansions and games!

For personal things coming up, I will be attending GDC (Game Developers Conference) in San Francisco for the first time this March! 

Interview by Michael Van Bodegom-Smith

Check Out Catherine’s Directory Page Here!