Meet Severyn Petersen, current Music Production Recording and Business student! We sat down with Seve and asked him a few questions:
getting to know you
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to Nimbus!
Hi there! My name is Severyn, but to my friends and family, I go by Seve. I grew up in a tiny ski town called Crested Butte Colorado. I’ve been a DJ for the past five years and more recently I picked up production and playing guitar. After I graduated high school, I wanted to find a program that would improve my music while also giving me skills to find different forms of work in the music industry. I looked at four-year universities, but I could never find a program that offered what I was looking for. One day I randomly found Nimbus on the internet and I realized that the MPRB program was exactly what I was looking for. I got accepted and the rest is history.
2. When did you know that music was your passion and path?
When I was 13, I became a volunteer radio DJ at this funky little community radio station. I’d come in on Thursday afternoons and play cool electronic tunes for a couple of hours. I would always be looking for new music for my show, and by searching for new music, I started to learn about new genres and truly explore the depth of music. That was before I started DJing gigs and making my own music, but I realized then and there that music is the most powerful thing we have as humans and that I was going to be involved in music one way or another.
3. Coming from the States, have there been any difficult challenges you’ve faced living here in Canada as an international student?
I’d say the most difficult challenge was finding good housing. Vancouver has a pretty tough housing market, and it didn’t help that I didn’t know anyone who lived here before school started. If you’re moving to Vancouver to go to Nimbus, I recommend starting your housing search early and trying to find somewhere close to campus. If you find something that’s relatively affordable and close enough to school, it’ll make your time here a lot more enjoyable.
4. What do you love most about Vancouver?
I love that there are super cool mountains very close to the city. On some days I can be in the city in the morning and mountain biking or skiing in the afternoon. That’s one reason I came here rather than a place like New York or Los Angeles. Being able to spend time outside clears my head and makes me feel like I’m back home.
5. What’s been your favourite course at Nimbus so far?
Sound design. I love learning about synths and cool effects and how to use them to add interesting flavors to music. It doesn’t matter if it’s a digital plugin with crazy out-of-this-world sounds or a classic old, dusty synth, I can just get sucked in for hours experimenting with cool sounds. (Although I’ll admit sometimes I spend more time making sounds than writing music haha, there are worse things I guess)
6. And lastly, as a Nimbus student now, what would you say to someone who was looking at coming to school?
If you have any kind of musical goals, you’ll find the resources you need here. The gear and equipment here are next level but it’s the instructors that really make a big difference. They’re not just someone who learned how to teach a class. They’re all talented musicians and engineers in their own right so their passion and knowledge are immediately noticeable. They’re also incredibly nice people and genuinely want to see you improve. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, you have to put in a ton of hard work and there can be some late nights, but it is super rewarding to improve and learn the behind-the-scenes of the music I love.
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