About
Patrick Gutman, PhD, is a classically trained composer and pianist who creates music for a variety of mediums, including Film, Concert, Electronic, and Ambient/Meditative settings. Patrick's musical interests, ranging from classical and film to rock, ambient, and electronic dance music, inspire him to mix these styles and produce genre-expanding music rich in storytelling. He brings emotional sensitivity and awareness to his compositions, allowing him to craft specific and intentional pieces of music that reflect his diverse background and interests.
As a young child Patrick began piano lessons at the age of 8, and by his pre-teens started writing electronic beats on the computer. With a passion for film music, Patrick began creating piano arrangements of film scores and started writing his first songs in high school. His love for writing led him to study piano performance and music composition at Chapman University’s Conservatory of Music. He then pursued advanced studies, earning a Master’s of Music in Composition at Cal State University, Northridge, and ultimately a PhD in Music Composition from UCLA.
Throughout middle and high school, Patrick's piano playing led to opportunities, including joining a rock band through the Kids Rock Free music program at the Fender Center in Corona, California. The band performed classic rock covers by Rush, Deep Purple, Boston, Genesis, and more. They opened for artists like The Gin Blossoms, John Waite, Dick Dale, and Gary Hoey, and performed a pre-show for Steve Miller. A highlight was playing on stage with Joe Walsh during a fundraising event at the Fender Center, which raised $500,000 for the program. Patrick's love for rock music later inspired his PhD dissertation, where he analyzed the musical structures and compositional components of The Beatles' album Abbey Road.
As a composer, Patrick has scored dozens of short films, both animated and live action, and written music for commercials. In Fall 2015, he released his first album, featuring piano and electronic-based music for meditation. The following year, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles commissioned him to compose a song for Bloomsday, an international celebration of James Joyce's life and writings. In spring 2017, Patrick received the Hugo Davise Fund for Contemporary Music at UCLA and premiered his piece, Play-Etude, with the NOW Ensemble, a contemporary new music group based in New York. As a pianist, Patrick has performed throughout Southern California as an accompanist, solo artist, and recording session player. He has also won several piano competitions, including the MTAC (Music Teachers Association of California) Southern California Adult Piano Performance competition.
Patrick’s passion for meditation and personal growth began in 2011 when he attended a transformative 10-day retreat at the Shambhala Mountain Center in the Colorado Mountains. This experience, combined with his desire to help others, inspired him to compose more ambient and meditative music. In 2015, he released his first meditation album, Grief: From Pain to Possibility, as a companion to a book of the same title, which guides people in transforming their grief into freedom, love, and joy. Continuing his exploration of sound as a tool for relieving mental and physical tension, Patrick partnered with a friend in 2018 to form Sound Bath Alchemy, creating sound bath meditations with crystal singing bowls and other instruments.
For over a decade Patrick has taught a wide variety of musical courses including musicianship and theory, 20th century pop music, the history of the Beatles, the history of EDM, Film Music, and private and group piano lessons. Patrick is a fellow of the Cortona Sessions for New Music; the Chamber Music Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; the American Conservatory of Fontainebleau, France; the Talis Festival and Academy in Saas-Fee, Switzerland; and the Screen Music Program in Pavia, Italy.
As a young child Patrick began piano lessons at the age of 8, and by his pre-teens started writing electronic beats on the computer. With a passion for film music, Patrick began creating piano arrangements of film scores and started writing his first songs in high school. His love for writing led him to study piano performance and music composition at Chapman University’s Conservatory of Music. He then pursued advanced studies, earning a Master’s of Music in Composition at Cal State University, Northridge, and ultimately a PhD in Music Composition from UCLA.
Throughout middle and high school, Patrick's piano playing led to opportunities, including joining a rock band through the Kids Rock Free music program at the Fender Center in Corona, California. The band performed classic rock covers by Rush, Deep Purple, Boston, Genesis, and more. They opened for artists like The Gin Blossoms, John Waite, Dick Dale, and Gary Hoey, and performed a pre-show for Steve Miller. A highlight was playing on stage with Joe Walsh during a fundraising event at the Fender Center, which raised $500,000 for the program. Patrick's love for rock music later inspired his PhD dissertation, where he analyzed the musical structures and compositional components of The Beatles' album Abbey Road.
As a composer, Patrick has scored dozens of short films, both animated and live action, and written music for commercials. In Fall 2015, he released his first album, featuring piano and electronic-based music for meditation. The following year, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles commissioned him to compose a song for Bloomsday, an international celebration of James Joyce's life and writings. In spring 2017, Patrick received the Hugo Davise Fund for Contemporary Music at UCLA and premiered his piece, Play-Etude, with the NOW Ensemble, a contemporary new music group based in New York. As a pianist, Patrick has performed throughout Southern California as an accompanist, solo artist, and recording session player. He has also won several piano competitions, including the MTAC (Music Teachers Association of California) Southern California Adult Piano Performance competition.
Patrick’s passion for meditation and personal growth began in 2011 when he attended a transformative 10-day retreat at the Shambhala Mountain Center in the Colorado Mountains. This experience, combined with his desire to help others, inspired him to compose more ambient and meditative music. In 2015, he released his first meditation album, Grief: From Pain to Possibility, as a companion to a book of the same title, which guides people in transforming their grief into freedom, love, and joy. Continuing his exploration of sound as a tool for relieving mental and physical tension, Patrick partnered with a friend in 2018 to form Sound Bath Alchemy, creating sound bath meditations with crystal singing bowls and other instruments.
For over a decade Patrick has taught a wide variety of musical courses including musicianship and theory, 20th century pop music, the history of the Beatles, the history of EDM, Film Music, and private and group piano lessons. Patrick is a fellow of the Cortona Sessions for New Music; the Chamber Music Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; the American Conservatory of Fontainebleau, France; the Talis Festival and Academy in Saas-Fee, Switzerland; and the Screen Music Program in Pavia, Italy.