Grammy winner Narada Michael Walden to discuss Art of Record Production at SF State

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, November 7, 2011 — Music producers and engineers will step out from behind the mixing board Dec. 2–4 to attend the annual Art of Record Production conference, held this year at San Francisco State University.

Walden keynotes national conference Dec. 2–4, in conversation with NARAS’ Maureen Droney

Featuring artistic leaders and top academic theorists talking about the future of this dynamic industry, the conference looks specifically at music production in the 21st-century. Conference tracks include sessions on “Performing” in the Studio, Business and Artistic Practice in the Contemporary Recording Studio, Women in Music Recording, and Mixing In and Out of the Box.

“We are delighted to bring the Art of Record Production conference to one of the music capitals of the world and, more specifically, to the music mecca of San Francisco State University,” said Scott Patterson, professor and chair of Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts at SF State. “In turn, for the first time, our students will be able to gain access to the keynote and full conference, providing them with a valuable learning and networking experiences with top scholars and leading industry professionals.”

Narada Michael Walden, the Grammy-winning music producer and musician, will deliver the keynote, in conversation with Maureen Droney (B.A., ’88), executive director of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Producers and Engineers Wing. Walden is a drummer, songwriter and producer, with Producer, Album and Song of the Year Grammy Awards to his credit. He has helped achieve 56 No. 1 records with artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin, Wynonna Judd, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, The Temptations and Jeff Beck. He was an integral part of introducing such superstars as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to millions of fans worldwide. Billboard Magazine has honored him as one of the top 10 producers of all time.

Other featured speakers include award-winning producers Keith Olsen (Fleetwood Mac, The Grateful Dead), Cookie Marenco (Internet audio pioneer), Marcelle “Ms. Lago” Araica (Missy Elliot, Brittany Spears, Timbaland), Val Garay (Kim Carnes, Dolly Parton) and Mike Howlett (A Flock of Seagulls, Tears for Fears) as well as Richard James Burgess (Spandau Ballet, Melba Moore), director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

The conference’s scholarly sessions feature speakers such as Albin Zak (“I Don’t Sound Like Nobody: Remaking Music in 1950s America”), Anne Danielsen (“Presence and Pleasure: The Funk Grooves of James Brown and Parliament”), Alex Case (“Sound FX: Unlocking the Creative Potential of Recording Studio Effects”) and Gary Gottlieb (“Shaping Sound in the Studio and Beyond”).

Tickets for the full conference are $250 general admission, $200 for members of the Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production and $90 for students. Tickets for Walden’s keynote speech and reception are $30.

SF State’s Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department presents the conference in conjunction with the Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production. The conference is supported in part from generous contributions to the BECA 1000 Fund, Peter and Rosemary Casey Endowment and National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

The Association for the Art of Record Production aims to provide an international and interdisciplinary organization for promoting the study of record production.

San Francisco State University is the only master’s-level public university serving the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin. The University enrolls more than 30,000 students each year. With nationally acclaimed programs in a range of fields— from creative writing, cinema and biology to history, broadcast and electronic communication arts, theatre arts and ethnic studies—the University’s more than 205,000 alumni have contributed to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area.

Location and parking
Seven Hills Conference Center
is on the SF State campus, 1600 Holloway Ave. (at 19th Ave.), San Francisco. Public parking is available in Lot 20, accessed from Lake Merced Boulevard between Winston Drive and Font Boulevard. On weekends and evenings only, public parking is available in Lots 1 and 2, on Holloway Ave. (at 19th Ave.). Parking is $3 per hour with a $6 daily maximum. Nearby street parking is readily available on weekends. For details, visit www.sfsu.edu/~parking.

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Calendar Editors, Please Note:
The Art of Record Production

Dec. 2, 12:30 – 7:45 p.m. (Keynote: 6:30 p.m.)
Dec. 3, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Dec. 4, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Seven Hills Conference Center, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. (at 19th Ave.), San Francisco, CA 94132
Admission: $250 general, $200 members of the Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production, $90 for students, $30 keynote/reception only
Information/Registration: 415/338-2467; http://beca.sfsu.edu/arp

Music producers and engineers will step out from behind the mixing board to attend the annual Art of Record Production conference, held this year at San Francisco State University. Grammy-winning producer Narada Michael Walden will deliver the keynote, in conversation with Maureen Droney, executive director of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Producers and Engineers Wing. Featuring artistic leaders and top academic theorists talking about the future of this dynamic industry, the conference looks specifically at music production in the 21st-century. Conference tracks include sessions on “Performing” in the Studio, Business and Artistic Practice in the Contemporary Recording Studio, Women in Music Recording, and Mixing In and Out of the Box.

Presented by the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department at San Francisco State University and the Association for the Art of Record Production.

Media Contact: 

Contact: Matt Itelson, 415-338-1442, matti@sfsu.edu, College of Arts and Humanities, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, CA 94132

News Release