The origin of Skywalker Sound can be traced back to 1975, when George Lucas and Gary Kurtz hired Ben Burtt, a young graduate of the USC School of Cinema & Film. They were looking for a “director of sound,” someone who could imagine and implement a creative soundtrack to match the revolutionary visuals they planned for a low-budget science fiction adventure called Star Wars. The company soon became Sprocket Systems, and shared space with Industrial Light and Magic in San Rafael, before moving up to the newly completed Skywalker Ranch in 1987.
Since 2013, Skywalker Ranch has hosted the Sundance Institute’s Music and Sound Design Labs. The Sundance composers and filmmakers are given invaluable access to collaborate with Skywalker Sound’s Editors, Sound Designers and Re-recording Mixers during the post-production process in ways they have never been able to before. In hosting the Sundance Labs, Skywalker Sound is proud to continue the legacy that George Lucas began years ago, and to help realize his vision of what the Ranch could be. At its heart, Skywalker Ranch remains a colony of artists who come together to collaborate in a unique environment dedicated to filmmaking and storytelling. Official Website
The Piano Connection
In descending chronological order
| Description | Generation | Date | Place | People |
| For cello/piano: “Wings of Music”, “Sky of Dreams”, “Songs Without Words” Opus 20, 21, 23, 24 | 1st Gen Steinway 338662” | Jan 30-31 2023 | Skywalker Sound, Nicasio | Jonah Kim (cellist), Kendall Ross Bean (composer/pianist/lyricist), David v.R. Bowles and Dann Thompson (engineer), Larry Lobel (technician), Karen Earle Lile (producer/lyricist) |
| “Break Free on Wings of Music Opus 50 v. 5”, Bean Sonata in B | 1st Gen Steinway 338662” | Jan 30-31 2023 | Skywalker Sound, Nicasio | Kendall Ross Bean (composer/pianist/lyricist), Jaco Wong(conductor on 1/31/23), David v.R. Bowles and Dann Thompson (engineer), Larry Lobel (technician), Karen Earle Lile (producer/lyricist) |
| “Break Free on Wings of Music Opus 50 v. 2”, “A Quiet Voice” “Reverent Love” | 1st Gen Steinway 338662” | Jan 28, 2023 | Skywalker Sound, Nicasio | Kendall Ross Bean (composer/pianist/lyricist), Leberta Loral (soprano), David v.R. Bowles and Dann Thompson (engineer), Larry Lobel (technician), Karen Earle Lile (producer/lyricist) |
| “Break Free on Wings of Music Opus 50 v. 9”, “Still Life” “It’s Going to be Okay” | 1st Gen Steinway 338662” | Jan 27, 2023 | Skywalker Sound, Nicasio | Tammy L. Hall (composer/pianist), Ruth Davies (bass player), David v.R. Bowles and Dann Thompson (engineer), Larry Lobel (piano technician), Karen Earle Lile (producer/lyricist) |
| “Break Free on Wings of Music”, “Sky of Dreams” recorded with “Stella” cello and Boesendorfer piano | 2nd Gen to Steinway 161912 | June 15, 2021 | Skywalker Sound, Nicasio | Jonah Kim (cellist/cello arranger), Kendall Ross Bean (pianist/composer), Karen Earle Lile (lyricist, producer), David Bowles and Dann Thompson (sound engineers), Larry Lobel (Piano Technician) |
1st Generation refers to how close the Relationship is to a piano. Cello is also significant instrument in this chronology.
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