Alumni Who Give
Alf Clausen '66
Alf Clausen '66 talks with students
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The FOX Network's The Simpsons has established itself as one of the most popular and culturally pervasive series in television history. An important part of the show's success, unprecedented for an animated program, is the contributions of its composer, Alf Clausen '66, who has two Emmy Awards and 15
additional Emmy nominations to prove it. Clausen also garnered six Emmy nominations for his work on the smash ABC-TV series Moonlighting, and his compositions and orchestrations have appeared in a number of feature films, including Ferris Beuller's Day Off,
Mr. Mom, and The Naked Gun. Clausen,
a French hornist and bassist who
studied composition and arranging at Berklee, says that his education at
the college had, among other things, prepared him for a schedule that just gets more demanding with every
new achievement.
"The ability to meet deadlines while sometimes juggling multiple projects was always emphasized during my time at Berklee," Clausen says. "Meeting those deadlines while working under extreme pressure was a hallmark of the Berklee educational process. I didn't realize what a real-world concept this was until after graduation. It became invaluable training for me."
"I have always believed that attending Berklee was the smartest thing I ever did to launch my professional career.
I passed that sentiment on to my
son Kyle," Clausen says. "Interestingly enough, he now feels that attending Berklee was the smartest thing he ever did to launch his professional career. That really is the ultimate endorsement. I strongly believe in the Berklee
philosophy of education, and the results speak for themselves."
Clausen attended Berklee before the college's Film Scoring Department
was introduced. He may not have been on campus to take advantage of that new course of study, but he actively works with Berklee's
current film scoring students, both on and off campus. He's been a film
composer long enough to know quality when he sees it.
"I am very familiar with Berklee's Film Scoring Department," Clausen says.
"I have visited the department on many occasions to give seminars in the art of scoring for films and television. Most
of the instructors are personal friends
of mine, and they do a wonderful job preparing the students for the challenges and rigors of a film scoring career. I am
a mentor for two internship programs in Los Angeles, one sponsored by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the other sponsored by the Society of Composers and Lyricists. In blind auditions of entrants (listening to the music first and viewing the film and TV projects submitted with no knowledge of names or backgrounds), Berklee film scoring students always rate among the top entries."
And the students of yesterday have become Clausen's colleagues of today, a connection he doesn't mind in the least.
"Many of my industry friends in
Los Angeles are Berklee alumni," Clausen says. "We always seem to have a common bond, with many interesting Berklee experiences to share. Any
collaborations I have had with Berklee alumni have always been of the finest professional nature."
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