Quincy Jones

"Chris has had personal experience with most all of the great composers, arrangers and orchestrators of the past 30 years. His knowledge and command of the orchestra is masterful. His practical experience with so many genres is unsurpassed. I know of few others who have "been there, done that" as well as Chris has over the years. His willingness to share his experiences with future generations is a gift that few can give."

Thomas Bahler

I've had the extraordinary privilege of walking alongside Chris Boardman for nearly five decades in this wild entertainment industry journey, witnessing firsthand how his creative genius has transformed everything he touches. From those early days watching him earn his Academy Award nomination for "The Color Purple" to celebrating his Emmy wins, I've seen Chris navigate Hollywood's most demanding challenges with a level of integrity that's increasingly rare in our business. What always amazed me was how effortlessly he moved between conducting for television one day, composing film scores the next, and arranging Broadway masterpieces after that. Through it all, Chris remained the same humble, passionate musician I first met—someone who treated everyone, from Quincy Jones to the newest studio intern, with the same genuine respect.

The most beautiful part of Chris's story is how he's continually reinvented himself while staying true to his core values. When he shared his vision for SoundBridge Health with me over coffee last year, I wasn't surprised to see his eyes light up the same way they did when we collaborated on our first projects together. Watching him become a legitimate expert in how sound affects the brain and developing techniques using music, breath, and movement to interrupt the fight-or-flight response feels like the perfect evolution of his gifts. That's the Chris I've always known—someone who seamlessly transforms decades of musical brilliance into something that genuinely helps people, always with that characteristic spark of innovation and deep well of compassion.

Michael Kamen

Many years ago I was just finishing the score for Lethal Weapon 1 and I had strong feelings about orchestrating all of my own compositions. I was just about to walk out of the studio the evening prior to the final session when joel Franklin, who has the thankless task of copying the music I write so illegibly, asked me how much more music I had to write for the next morning's session? When I replied, Oh... about fifteen minutes more", He said, incredulusly "How are you going to do that tonight?" I replied, in all innocence, "I guess I'll just go back to the hotel and stay up all night." It was his turn to be incredulous. "What!!" he said "Are you going to kill yourself for a movie??" When I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I guess so" he said "I can't let you do that. Call this number, this guy thinks like you, can write like you, and will help save your life".
About an hour later, Chris Boardman walked into my hotel room and left with two or three cues that in fact, saved my life, completed the movie and began a relationship that continued through all of the Lethal Weapons, Die Hards, and other projects.
He has saved my life many many times and has made my music sound great in the process. He has earned my gratitude and respect. His command of the orchestra is masterful. I never hesitate to recommend him as a great musician and composer as I have recommended him to Joel Silver for his "Tales From The Crypt" feature, I recommend him to you. Listen. Enjoy. You're in the hands of a master.

Larry Grossman

"Chris Boardman has demonstrated over the years not only a broad knowledge of all types of music, but brings to any project on which he works a special, indefinable quality which separates him from his peers. Call it sheer talent, hipness, passion…whatever you will, but you can be assured that if a piece has his name on it, it’s special. His erudition makes him the perfect person to guide new composers and arrangers, since he is at home in all fields of musical expression." -Larry Grossman (Broadway composer).

Carlos Raphael Rivera

FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

August 10, 2017

Re: Prof. Chris Boardman Letter of Recommendation

To Whom it may concern:

My name is Dr. Carlos Rafael Rivera. I am currently Assistant Professor as well as the director of the Musicianship, Artistry Development, and Entrepreneurship (MADE) program at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. I am writing in support of my colleague and friend Professor Chris Boardman.

It has been my privilege to work with Professor Boardman for the past five years, while he has served as the director of the Media Writing and Production program. His professional reputation and career accomplishments are indeed legendary. Not surprisingly, Professor Boardman has successfully brought his integrity and commitment to excellence to his role as Media Writing and Production program director, where his responsibilities have included faculty supervision, student advising, and management of master classes with such notables as James Newton Howard, Sundance Institute, Terrence Blanchard, and more.

Under Professor Boardman’s innovative leadership, there has been substantial growth in both the undergraduate (200%) and graduate (300%) enrollment.

His accomplishments during his time at Frost include the creation of:
• integrated courseware for all courses in the undergraduate major
• created new courses in video game scoring and virtual orchestration
• websites of original and curated information for each class
• design and implementation of a new recording studio for student use
• an online community to connect the student body.

Last, but not least of all, I have co-taught with Professor Boardman in his Film Scoring Class for the past four years. His approach to teaching is unique in that he draws upon his vast experience at will to express the nuance of the topic being presented. For me, it is a thrill to see how invested he is in his students’ success in and outside of the classroom setting. In recognition for these efforts, Professor Boardman was recently acknowledged by The Graduate School of The University of Miami as a nominee for Mentor of the Year.

I whole-heartedly recommend Professor Boardman, without any reservation.

Ginger Poag  MSW, LCSW, SEP

“Soundbridge Health (aka The Missing Link project) provides a powerful voice for trauma survivors, especially for those who do not have words to describe what they are feeling. This is an amazing opportunity to have a front row seat into the experience of trauma and its effects on the psyche. The listener is not only invited to hear the music but to experience it firsthand. The Missing Link does such an amazing job of touching into the deep, painful, and confusing emotions of PTSD but it also plants the seed of hope, and the belief that healing is possible."

Ginger Poag, MSW, LCSW, SEP

Certified EMDR Therapist, Consultant and Trainer

Trauma Specialist

Dr. Jennifer Fraser

The Missing Link concert (which has evolved into Soundbridge Health) is very moving. I'm sure it allowed me to tap into feelings because of the music.  I loved how everyone is incredibly stressed, trying to cope, keeping their worries away from each other, no heroes and villains. I thought the youth romance grounded in support rather than more stereotypical presentations was striking. They become a key team that stops the most deadly force that you identify as isolation.  It's a bit shocking to me that COVID struck, did such deadly work, distressed lives in such awful ways, and yet it seems like history with the new crises that have hit since. How does anyone, let alone our teens, cope?  I felt as much anguish for the parents as I did for the kids and I think that balance is really powerful. 

Thank you for sharing.

Dr. Jennifer Fraser

Founder - Bulliedbrain.com

Beta Test Participant - age 67

"I tested several of these songs and found I needed to go find something from my youthful hearing days. I was having a bad day and decided to come back to this lesson and really give it a good go. I played Abba, "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" and "Dancing Queen." I did my best to work the breathing and movement. It did lift me up and calm me some. It took both songs to get my hands to stop shaking and my heart rate to begin to calm down. Music is great therapy. Thank you for creating this program."