Summer of Sound: Seaboard 2 joins aspiring composers at GEMS

We partnered with Global Entertainment Mentors in Spain to bring multidimensional expression to the next generation of composers

Zainab Hassan

1 May 2026

In the summer of 2025, a group of aspiring composers gathered in Spain for two inspiring weeks that helped transform their musical dreams. The GEMS Summer Music Program, founded by composer Nigel Lees, brought together film, TV, and game composers for a unique musical education experience unlike any other.

During an intensive two-week period, students received creative training, one-on-one mentoring with Hollywood professionals, and the rare opportunity to record original pieces with one of Europe's finest ensembles, the RTVE Orchestra. In support of the program, ROLI partnered with GEMS to gift the students with a Seaboard 2 to use in their compositions and a chance to win the Seaboard at the end of the program.

We spoke with Nigel Lees about how GEMS began, what went down during last year’s Summer Program, and how his vision has since helped alumni land jobs with Christopher Young and James Newton Howard, score a Netflix series, and gain entry to the USC Film Scoring Master’s Program.

What inspired you to launch the GEMS Summer Music Program, and how has your mission evolved since the program's inception?

Well, in 2017, whilst having a coffee in Valencia, I thought to myself, what would I want if I were starting as a composer today? What help, what training, what experiences, and support networks would I need to kick-start my career? I wanted to create a purposeful program that offered more than what the conventional summer programs or typical BA/MA programs I had helped launch and worked on, by caring and being there for the composers before, during, and after the program. So I put together an intensive two-week summer program where composers could have the same creative experiences as top professional composers. I brought in award-winning composers, orchestrators, music technology gurus, and industry professionals, such as agents, music supervisors, and publicists who shared and guided our composers in real-time and in a real-world way.

Later, I brought in the very best orchestra in Spain, the RTVE orchestra, which has been the icing on the cake. The program has become more established and attracts great students and guests, but its identity and growth are founded in that singular thought. That became my mission statement, which I set up back in 2017.

GEMS has grown to include immersive orchestral recordings with RTVE and Hollywood mentors. How did these pivotal partnerships begin, and how have they shaped the program’s direction?

Wow, great question, you spotted it! With patience, tenacity, and a strong self-belief that I was on the right track. I knew that if I were starting as a composer for film, series or game, I would want a chance to show what I could do at the highest level, or at least try it to decide if it was right for me, so I introduced the principal elements composers wanted when they came on the summer program — great training, networking, mentoring, live orchestral recording, and a way to move their careers forward.

To me, that meant I needed a fantastic orchestra that could read, play, and bring the score to life; that had to be RTVE, Spain’s National Symphonic Broadcast Orchestra for TV and Radio. RTVE is one of the top 10 orchestras in Europe, and I tell all our composers that they are the country’s national orchestra; you can’t get higher than that! I had to work hard at building and pursuing a relationship with RTVE long before I got a yes. That was a long time coming and a breakthrough moment for our student composers and me when RTVE agreed to record their music, clearly lifting the summer program to a new level for our composers, who now record multiple tracks with them during the GEMS Summer Program, and are an absolute joy to work with.

I also see it as a wonderful personal achievement, and for me, once again leading the way in education and training. Our composers’ music recorded by RTVE has elevated all their careers, helping composers win awards, get jobs, contracts and agents, get accepted to universities, and above all, get noticed.

I often come across a composer’s work I like and then contact them directly or through their management team to ask if they want to help, give a masterclass, a talk to our composers, or mentor composers. I have become firm friends with each and every one of them, as we all have some common denominators — humour and kindness.

All our Hollywood guest composers were on the same career journey as our GEMS composers currently are at one point, so they know the trials, tribulations, and joys that lie ahead. They selflessly want to help them jump across the proverbial stepping stones in the river to the other side of the bank where they belong, making a living and a career as a composer. It’s a great feeling to know that established composers are keen to give back and support new composers.

What do you look for when bringing in guest composers like Christopher Young, Garry Schyman, and Pete Anthony, and how have their contributions elevated the student experience?

Professionalism, enthusiasm, and that they care. All our invited guests have that bright light of creativity and are still super curious about music and life. They, like me, have a great sense of humour and we quickly became firm friends. I like that each has a different way of teaching towards a common shared goal, amplifying the skill sets of our student composers and giving them confidence. They bring in such knowledge and experience. It’s so impressive and so self-evident that these people are the best at what they do.

When you bring in such industry greats, there is the “WOW” factor that the GEMS student composers face, and that’s important; you have to let that happen. It’s always great fun, because after that is over, they can get on with the job at hand of teaching and the students’ learning. It becomes very special when the student composers start to feel comfortable communicating “composer to composer” without fear or embarrassment, and can relax and settle into the learning experience.

How do you balance the creative aspects (like composition and orchestration) with the business and networking elements (such as pitches, agent relationships, and licensing)?

This is a really important aspect of the GEMS Summer Program. Musicians generally like music, not business, so it is important that we show ways to navigate and understand business without worrying about or ignoring vital business components that they will inevitably face in their future. We weave business topics and business mentoring into the creative assignments. We introduce the business side through real-world case studies, guest speakers, and hands-on examples for pitches or licensing plans, while setting aside separate sessions for pure composition and orchestration sessions that culminate in a mock-up or a cue. We focus entirely on the craft, writing, arranging, music technology, and developing ideas so that students can build a strong creative foundation. This process lets students develop their artistry and learn how to pitch, network, and license. This way the two areas complement rather than overwhelm each other, and students leave not only as better composers but also as professionals who know how to navigate agents, networking, and contracts.”

Students in the program can record two orchestral pieces with RTVE—how does an instrument like Seaboard 2 fit into the program? What inspired you to include Seaboard 2? What instruments or equipment does the program typically consist of?

It’s all about communication and inspiration for the mock-ups. Before the composers start recording with the RTVE orchestra, they have to write a main title composition or a cue using library sounds on their DAWs; that’s where Seaboard 2 comes in.

Keyboards are an integral part of the creative process. We provide standard MIDI keyboards, and composers use their own laptops, DAWs, and notation software, often bringing their own single/double-octave MIDI mini keyboard to help write. They are the connection of creative ideas to sounds, and the Seaboard 2 allows more nuance during the compositional process, for example, mimicking string or horn slides, breathing, or creating a cool pad that moves with ease. At first, you miss the traditional keyboard layout but the keywaves really come into their own for the slide and glide features, which are superb, and help create originality in your compositional mock-ups, setting you apart from the others. It’s a must-have MIDI controller for your studio.

Talking with the students, we all agreed that the Seaboard 2 is a genuinely transformative instrument, especially for anyone looking to push beyond the limits of a standard keyboard. It looks FANTASTIC, super sleek, something Apple would build, but better! The Seaboard 2 really means business, and it does not disappoint! It offers new ways to compose, and that is what the industry is always on the lookout for — original music that can connect with new directors and today's audiences.

How have GEMS’ programs translated into real-world impact? Are there any stories of GEMS alumni you’d like to share as an example?

There are many moments we have seen over the years where composers who have attended the GEMS Summer Program have gone on to have remarkable careers.

GEMS has directly assisted in many real-world jobs for our composers. Some alumni became assistants to Christopher Young or received internships with him in L.A. Another got a job with James Newton Howard in L.A., too. One submitted her GEMS RTVE Orchestral recording to win her first official nomination at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, then recorded the music for the 2025 Sydney New Year's fireworks celebration.

After listening to the GEMS RTVE orchestral recordings of two alumni on our Composer Directory page, a producer in Japan selected one to write music for an animation series, and another alumnus was chosen by a producer in Germany to score a TV series. We’ve also sent one of our students to work on a BBC series, and he has just finished scoring a football video game and music for a Netflix series.

Other GEMS students have secured orchestration work on an A-list movie, and in one year, four other students were able to use their experience meeting with USC faculty on the GEMS Summer Program to secure references and use their orchestral GEMS RTVE recordings to join the USC Film Scoring Masters Program. With such a high number of our students joining the USC Master's Program, it makes us the most successful educational program.

During this year’s program, one of the students using the Seaboard 2 and winner of the Seaboard 2 competition, Farrah (pictured above), was selected by Grammy-winning composer Penka Kouneva, who taught the orchestration module on this year’s Summer Program. Farrah, 17, was just accepted to the BA program at USC and will be working with our GEMS tutors who also work as USC faculty, as well as my friend Jeanine Cowen, the MA scoring program director at USC. She’s also going to study music tech and soundscape development.

The list goes on. That really is the idea — how can I help, before, during, and after the GEMS Summer Program, because if they succeed, we all succeed.

What’s the most common ‘breakthrough moment’ students experience during programs like these?

Well, there are four main standout moments. The first would be the one-on-one mentor sessions with Christopher Young. This is literally a transformative experience. Christopher really cares about the composers, and he knows what they want or need. So, from just a few supportive words about their music to inviting them to stay with him in Los Angeles as his guest, or at his composers’ residency, Tilden House, or getting a job with him, to sponsoring them to stay and study or work in the USA, the impact Christopher has in those mentor sessions is game-changing.

The next would be having Pete Anthony review your main title score, and Garry Schyman review your video game mockup. You are suddenly working with the very best in the business, and this gives you a massive lift in self-belief and determination, as well as insightful learning.

Next, when I started GEMS, I set up the Women Contemporary Composer awards scholarship to help bring more women composers to the GEMS Summer Program who have valuable contributions and equal place not only with us but in the industry itself. That made a significant difference to the program and for the participants who received the award, providing gender balance. We now have several GEMS Women Contemporary Composer Ambassadors who have gone on to do remarkable things in the industry and help introduce us to other great women composers.

The final standout moment is the RTVE live recording, where the composers, often for the first time with a full-size orchestra, record their original composition assignment with the magnificent RTVE, the Symphonic Orchestra of Spanish Television and Radio. This is both an emotional experience and a career game-changer.

What’s next for GEMS over the coming years?

We will be launching a series of short online learning programs for composers over the next 12 months, including an amazing year-long Master’s Program in Scoring, which has a new angle on MA learning. We’re also launching a podcast, so it’ll be a very exciting time for us all here at GEMS.

Learn more about GEMS on their official website and Instagram

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