Music has an almost unparalleled power to stir our emotions, striking chords within us that we may not even have known were there before. Music is also a central element in scriptural imagery, as well as in much of mythology. Tolkien fans will recall the Ainulindalë, in which the creation account of Middle Earth is framed in a breathtaking symphonic narrative. C.S. Lewis’ account of the creation of Narnia portrays the world literally being sung into existence by the great Lion, Aslan.

I believe that this is no accident. I believe there’s music written into our hearts and into the world around us in a way that words fail to describe, the pounding throb of ecstasy that can only recall from afar the echoes of the voice of God speaking in our hearts.

This week we’re highlighting Sean Beeson, a musician, composer, and digital audio production master. Recently Sean composed the soundtrack for the trailer for the next “Pivotal Players” production from Bishop Barron and Word on Fire. Enjoy:

The music in this piece is beautiful, evoking feelings ranging from epic raw emotional power to peaceful focused harmony, supplementing and supporting the flow of the piece without distracting or calling attention to itself above the narrative of voices and imagery.

And yet every creation points not to itself, but to the mind of its creator. Sean Beeson is a remarkable example of artistic creator and polished professional, besides being an all around solid guy, husband and father, with a great sense of humor and a heart for service. And he rocks a mustache, which is a rare accomplishment!

In his own words:

“I am a 34 year old composer, producer, and sound designer who lives in rural Ohio. I am a husband and father to five children. We are parishioners of Sacred Heart of Jesus Bethlehem, Ohio where I am also a music teacher a few hours a week (to teach my own army of children!!) and a choir director, pianist, and organist.

As a composer I have worked on hundreds of sacred and secular media projects including games, films, trailers, ads, with clients like Google, SpiritJuice, Word on Fire, Taco Bell, Disney, Sprout Studio, Wizards of the Coast, and Sony.

As a sound designer, I have designed sounds for Google apps, and hardware devices as a UX sound designer.

What I do is driven by my passion to create emotionally engaging music, and fueled by technology. I use cutting edge tools to create authentic sounding scores using a stack of workstation computers and also working with live musicians and orchestras when the projects allow for it!

I sit down at an acoustic piano and sketch ideas out until I find something that I feel strengthens the core purpose of the project, be it emotional music, neutral underscore, or intense, driven themes. I then begin to mockup the idea into a fully-produced, realized version of the sketch, tweaking it as needed until it fits the final projects perfectly.

It is my job as a composer to bring extra beauty, life, intensity (or lack thereof!), to your visual art. What I am doing is engineering music to evoke whatever emotional response will help a project sound its best.”

— Sean Beeson

Sean was highlighted in this short from the Benedict XVI Institute, created by Spirit Juice Studios.

Personally I’m a well-intentioned and enthusiastic, but unpolished and undisciplined musician. So for me Sean’s prowess is particularly inspiring and uplifting. But I think all of us can learn from his example.

To see him continue to pursue, improve, and share his music with the world in the midst of the duties of life and family, with such determination and grace, is extraordinary.

Don’t give up on your art, people. It isn’t always, or even often, easy, but it will always be worthwhile, and if you put in the effort, you will reap the reward of mastery.

Feel free to contact Sean or hire him for all your digital music needs!