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Piano practice in high school could be “like pulling teeth,” he recalled, but with composing, something he started at the age of 10, “the hours would just kind of disappear.” And we just had a lot of conversations about how we both wanted to be really, really good at what we do, and what it would take.”įor Hurwitz, part of the answer was an eye-opening class, “Music 51,” which he called “the most life-changing thing I did at Harvard.” Professor John Stewart used Johann Sebastian Bach’s chorales, complex works for four voices that are widely considered masterpieces, to introduce his students to the building blocks of composition - counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, harmony, and form. “Damien and I really bonded over this shared philosophy sophomore year of working really hard and sacrificing … I remember we would really egg each other on and make each other feel guilty for not working hard enough. Though Chazelle didn’t write the screenplay for “Whiplash” until after he had moved to Los Angeles, the story reflected some of the drive and determination of those long nights at Currier House, Hurwitz said. The movie earned critical acclaim, three Oscars (sound mixing, editing, and supporting actor), and the backing Chazelle needed to finish “La La Land,” a project he had begun in 2011. In 2014, came their next collaboration, “ Whiplash,” an unflinching look at a rising jazz drummer, his abusive instructor, and how far some will go for their art. Young Harvard alumni explain the genesis, process of making hit film ‘Whiplash’ Soon they were working on the jazzy musical “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench.” The film, Chazelle’s senior thesis and a precursor to “La La Land,” made a splash on the festival circuit in 2009. “And he was watching what I was working on, composing at my piano … and he started to appreciate what I do.” “He was writing screenplays at the time and directing short films for Harvard’s Department of Visual and Environmental Studies and I started to really appreciate who he was as a writer-director,” said Hurwitz. As roommates at Currier House, in a space crowded with desks and Hurwitz’s piano, they pushed each other’s artistic boundaries, skipping parties and nights out to hone their respective crafts. Sophomore year the pair left the band, but their friendship deepened. “We were just kind of drawn to each other,” said Hurwitz. As freshmen they jammed around Boston with their Brit-pop-inspired band “Chester French” - Chazelle on the drums, Hurwitz on a Fender Rhodes electric piano. As a freshman he met Damien Chazelle, a skilled jazz drummer whose budding passion for film foreshadowed the screenplay and director Golden Globes he took home for “La La Land.” A scene from the opening number of the hit musical “La La Land.” Photo by Dale Robinette/LionsgateĪ shared love of music brought the pair together. On the phone recently from Los Angeles, the composer recalled being told a key Harvard takeaway would be “the people you meet.” It was a spot-on prediction. The storyline struck a chord with Hurwitz, whose own dreams of success began taking shape in Cambridge in 2003. ![]() The film, a love letter to song-and-dance spectaculars from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s, stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as struggling artists who dream of making it big in Hollywood. On Tuesday, “La La Land” received 14 Oscar nominations, a tie with “Titanic” and “All About Eve” for the most in Academy Award history. “I knew I wanted to study music but I also knew I wanted to go to school with a more diverse group,” said Hurwitz, whose score and original song “City of Stars” for the musical “ La La Land” earned Golden Globes earlier this month, intensifying the Oscars buzz that has been swirling around the movie since the fall. An accomplished pianist, the Los Angeles native wanted more from his college years than countless hours of practice and rehearsals. ![]() Justin Hurwitz never even considered conservatory training.
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