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The NMGS Board
A classically trained violinist and music educator, Michael Klinberg earned a BM in Violin Performance and a Master’s in Music Education at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Mimi Zweig. With five years of teaching as a faculty member of the IU String Academy, during which he operated his own private studio and acted as Mimi Zweig’s associate instructor, and extensive experience in K-12 classrooms, he has established himself as a dedicated pedagogue. As a researcher, he explores intersections between video games and classical music, presenting his work nationally at conferences such as the Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference. In 2022, he founded the Music in Games Society @IU, serving as its President, and secured numerous grants for a variety of interdisciplinary, community-wide video game music projects. He also collaborates frequently with the Videri String Quartet, performing at festivals such as the Music and Gaming Festival and the Video Games and Music Convention, and additionally serves as their Director of Educational Programs. Klinberg currently serves as the Strings Director at Watson Mountain Middle School and continues to be a passionate advocate for video game music education. When away from the classroom, he can often be found playing video games, brewing teas, or recreating recipes from his Ukrainian grandmother's kitchen.
Sy Anderson is a recent graduate of the Jacobs School of Music. Most of his experience in composing and performing is within classical music, but he holds a real passion for music in media. He has worked on scoring short films and plans to continue at Jacobs in the school’s program in scoring for visual media. Sy regularly spends time listening to podcasts from professionals, such as Austin Wintory, learning about how to become an innovative and meaningful contributor to the progression of this field. Outside of music, he enjoys reading, watching movies, and keeping up with the progress and history of the video game industry. He's a pretty involved collector of video games as well!
Favorite artists - Austin Wintory, Michael Giacchino, Yasunori Nishiki, Imagine Dragons, Daft Punk, and others!
Board member Ava Andrews recently graduated from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance. In tandem with her passion for classical violin, Ava holds an intense love for all things video game music. A founding member of the Music in Games Society @IU, Ava has been involved with countless concerts, panels, and seminars related to video game music. After gaining an interest for game music in high school, she sought ways to introduce more video game music into her community, and share in the joy everyone gets when they hear their favorite soundtrack performed live. Ava is working on her Diploma in Violin Performance, and hopes to join a major orchestra in her future. Outside of music, she enjoys biking, spending time with friends, and learning new languages.
Dr. Isaac Smith is a composer, educator, and lifelong video game enthusiast. He holds a Doctorate of Music from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. He is a member of the Society for the Study of Sound and Music in Games (SSSMG). He is one of the founding members of the Music in Games Society @IU, and has arranged for nearly all of their concerts. He has also performed with and arranged for The Game Brass on their albums Horns of Hyrule and Brass Effect, and has arranged music from NieR: Automata for the Videri String Quartet. His academic research deals with adaptive music in video games, as well as music and machine learning. Isaac comes back to play through Celeste once every few years, and is anxiously awaiting the next Deltarune chapter.
