AS A SOUGHT-AFTER TV AND FILM SCORE COMPOSER IN LOS ANGELES , CHUNG FEELS LUCKY TO SPEND HER DAYS
FULFILLING A CHILDHOOD DREAM .
There are people who stay busy . Then there ’ s Sherri Chung ' 01 .
As an accomplished television and film score composer in Los Angeles , she constantly juggles multiple projects that span different genres , formats and timelines .
“ I ’ ve been very fortunate to stay quite busy ,” she said . “ I do a lot of episodic television , as well as film , and so because of that … it ’ s kind of this rolling schedule that ’ s always going .”
Currently , Chung is working on an hourlong action-adventure drama for CW called “ Kung Fu ,” a groundbreaking reboot of the 1970s TV series with a predominantly Asian cast . She ’ s also composing for the HBO Max animated series “ Gremlins : Secrets of the Mogwai ,” a much-anticipated prequel to the 1984 film , and she ’ s working on the Netflix film “ Happiness for Beginners .” Then there ’ s “ Riverdale ,” CW ’ s teen drama series based on characters from Archie Comics , which Chung has worked on since 2017 , and there ’ s the “ Batwoman ” series which just wrapped its final season . Add to that a pilot for a new show , some concert work , and a few other side projects here and there .
“ Staying busy ” may fail to adequately describe the pace of Chung ’ s creative output and her prolific body of work . But to her , telling stories through music is what she was meant to do .
“ I realized early on that I felt a little bit more creative than just wanting to study other people ’ s music . I also kind of wanted to write my own ,” said the New York native , singer , and classically trained pianist .
Kevin Costner changed everything for Chung . Well , actually , it was the music that was playing while Costner shot bad guys with burning arrows and rescued Lady Marian in the 1991 action film “ Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves .”
Michael Kamen composed the iconic score . The thunderous timpani . The triumphant horn melodies . The frenetic , tension-filled strings . It was transcendent for Chung , sweeping her up in an emotional journey .
“ I was really blown away by that kind of storytelling ,” said Chung , who was in middle school at the time . “ I had never been moved by music so much . So , I was like ‘ I want to do that . I don ’ t know what it is , but I want to do that !’”
When Chung began looking at colleges , there were very few schools that had a focus on writing for film , television , or media . She chose Jacksonville University ’ s music composition program , which offered her scholarships , a small-school environment , warm weather , and the ability to study with beloved JU Professor of Music Theory and Composition Dr . William Schirmer .
“ I consider myself a composer first , then a film composer ,” she said . “ If I ’ ve had any success at all , it ’ s because I had more formal training in composition .”
During her time at JU , Chung was president of the Chamber Singers and president of the JU chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon music fraternity . After graduating with a bachelor of music theory and composition , she moved to Los Angeles to study at the University of Southern California ’ s Scoring for Motion Picture and Television graduate program , where she was selected for a mentorship with legendary film score composer and songwriter Randy Newman . Chung says she soaked up every word he said and sought his feedback on her original music .