Ron Meza is a film composer and award winning sound designer | re-recording mixer. He has been playing trumpet since the age of 8 and has over 35 years of musical experience. He was lucky enough to have been taught by Mel Won in Stockton, California for 7 years. Ron credits Won for choosing to become a professional musician. Mr. Won was able to take a bunch of poor kids from all ethnic backgrounds and teach them to excel as musicians and people. He gave us the confidence to be able to go head to head with the more privileged schools and show them that a bunch of poor kids from the east side of town could kick some butt. And win we did! We won top awards at every festival that we entered. Won's concert band and his stage band never failed to take top honors in every festival that we entered. Early on his students learned to swing (do-dot dot), sight read and compete on an international level. Mel Won taught at Franklin high school for more than 25 years and accumulated a who's who of alumni students that are still playing to this day. This confidence is the driving force behind Ron's success as a musician. Thanks Mel!!

In 1975 Meza started playing bugle in the Commodores Drum and Bugle corps instructed by Jim Ott. Ott was a big influence on Ron and is credited with the love of competition and discipline that Ron enjoys to this day.

In 1978 Ron joined the Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle corps on Jim Ott's recommendation. There he was mellophone soloist and helped the Blue Devils take 3rd place at the Drum Corps. International competition in Denver Colorado's Mile high Stadium.

Ron began studying trumpet with Claude Gordon in 1979 in San Mateo and decided to go to college at San Jose State. He graduated from San Jose State in 1981 with a BA in music (jazz trumpet). Ron moved to Los Angeles in 1982 and continued his studies with Gordon as well as with Uan Racey.

In 1986 Ron was befriended by jazz great Donald Byrd and spent that summer hanging out with him. Ron was part of the LA Jazz scene until moving to Paris, France in 1987. While in Paris (1987-1996) Ron stumbled into the red hot world music scene. His first african gig was with Tony Allen, former drummer for Fela Kuti. Shortly after he started playing with malian singer Salif Keita. He spent 8 years on and off with Salif and recorded 2 albums with him.

Ron has played and/or recorded with Salif Keita, Lester Bowie, Joe Zawinul, Carlos Santana, Youssou N'Dour, Carlinhos Brown, Wally Badarou, Les Têtes Bruleés, Ismäel Lô, Baaba Maal and many other World Music artists culminating with a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, produced by Quincy Jones, in 1991 with Mory Kanté sharing the stage with rock group TOTO.

Ron is a MacHead since 1984 and is proficient on trombone, french horn, piano and drums. He also plays the EVI (electronic valve instrument) made by Nyle Steiner.

Ron composes music using Digital Performer. He has been using Performer since about 1985 and has been very busy composing music for Indie films and Documentaries for the past 10 years.

Ron is also a highly regarded re-recording mixer | sound designer and has worked at the WB, UPN, NBC, FOX Family, DirecTV, Eurosport and is currently at FOX television. He uses Pro Tools for sound design and was a beta tester for the version 5.0 release.

For more information on his post sound career, visit:
http://www.oopsaudio.com

Recent film scoring projects:

Run to the Wall (2006 release)
E-X-P-I-R-E-D (2006 release)

Motherless Child (2005)
Lisa and Lauren (2005)
Lis & Ogre (2005)
A lot to Ask (2005)
Cuzin' Sista (2004)
GrandMa (2003)