DownBeat magazine is recognizing CJ Rhen, a student in the Music Business and Industry master’s degree program, with the award for Best Engineered Studio Recording from a graduate-level student.
More than 50,000 jazz professionals, students and fans subscribe to DownBeat, which is considered the go-to resource for “jazz, blues and beyond,” and features a variety of content ranging from critic reviews to the latest performance techniques. Each year, the magazine recognizes college students across the country who exhibit exceptional skills in performance, studio recording and more.
“I’m extremely excited to get recognition for my hard work over the past year,” Rhen said. “There are so many talented musicians and engineers I've met and I’m grateful to be in their playing field.”
To enter the competition, Rhen compiled a short collection of recordings he recently made in the WVU Music Business and Industry program. His final package featured WVU Jazz Program and Jazz Ensemble members, and included two original works and two Christmas arrangements.
“I didn’t even think I was going to apply originally,” Rhen said. “I just looked back on the amount of recordings I put out over the last year and picked songs in varying styles that best reflected my abilities. Some songs were original compositions that were heavily engineered by me playing most of the parts. Some were live jazz combos set up in the studio where I got to act as the producer.”
Rhen graduated from the School of Music in Composition and Music Performance in 2023 and now serves as a graduate assistant, providing support for Music Business and Industry faculty leaders Darko Velichkovski and Joshua Swiger.
“This program allows me the freedom to create the projects I want to make at my own pace, all while giving me the professional work and experience that takes my skill set to the next level,” Rhen said. “I love studio-engineered recordings because of the intricacy of working in the mix. There are countless methods, skills, procedures and creativity that go into them. The music industry at WVU and West Virginia is full of unrealized opportunities. You have to take the initiative and create them yourself and the community and university will always support you.”
The Master of Arts in Music Business and Industry is a fully online program that offers an integrated and methodical approach to understanding current music industry systems, commercial practices, regulations, income streams and business models. Velichkovski and Swiger bring a wealth of global industry experience into the classroom, and students have the opportunity to produce works through the WVU record label Mon Hills Music Group. Alumni of the program have gone on to work for major labels including Warner Music Group and BMI.
In addition to the program’s resources and industry experience opportunities, recognition from DownBeat will provide a competitive advantage for Rhen when entering the music industry.
“This award provides credibility to go with my vast portfolio. It’s basically a way for a client to look at my work and know they can trust me to capture their vision,” Rhen said. “I hope to also teach at the college level and having these sorts of qualifications makes me feel confident in guiding students to start their careers.”