Familiar Faces

Photos by Pat Christman

NAME: Benji Inniger

HOMETOWN:

Mostly Mankato-North Mankato for the last 20 years, Wisconsin before that

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD?

Crepuscular

GO-TO LUNCH SPOT:

The Rapidan Dam Store in season, Nakato or any food truck

FAVORITE VIDEO GAME:

Hard question! Maybe any Assassin’s Creed, Red Dead Redemption or Zelda

THE MUSIC MAN

Benji Inniger remains busy during the pandemic

Composer. Sound Designer. Director. Chicken owner?

Benji Inniger wears many hats in the music world. Inniger began working at Bethany Lutheran College as an adjunct faculty member from 2006-2010 to then full-time professor in 2012.

Most recently, he has taken on a few more responsibilities in the business, though he remains as an adjunct at Bethany.

Inniger also composes music for video games and has had the chance to work with people from all over the world. Some works include

“Whipseey and the Lost Atlas” and “Here be Dragons” for the Nintendo Switch. Variety in composing music for video games, Inniger said, is what he likes the best about the profession.

MANKATO MAGAZINE: Just wondering, how have you been doing during the pandemic?

BENJI INNIGER: Not too bad, thanks for asking. Busy!

A recap: In the past few months, my wife, Alyssa, and I moved to a small farm south of Mankato and inherited 37 chickens, took a new job as the director of operations with the Mankato Symphony, transitioned to adjunct at Bethany, became the executive director of a new professional chamber music-producing organization called ProMusica Minnesota, and working on a new big piece for a Minnesota State Arts Board grant.

I’ve never put it in a list. It sounds crazy seeing it like that.

MM: The pandemic has caused many things to be postponed or canceled, including theater performances. What has been the experience of theater at Bethany Lutheran College during the pandemic?

BI: It’s been an uphill battle, but I’m very thankful we have been able to forge forward with some public performances while trying to keep our audience and students safe and comfortable.

Our staff and students have been fantastic rolling with all of the last-second changes and surprises,

MM: Tell us about “Jam Jar Sonnets,” a play you co-wrote with Peter Bloedel. What was the process like?

BI: At the time, my longtime friend and Bethany colleague Pete and I spent an enormous amount of time developing “Jam Jar Sonnets.” Every aspect of that project was built from scratch: the text, the songs, the recordings, everything.

It was a tremendous amount of work but the product was extremely special. We had such a warm response from our local audiences and were chosen to remount the show at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Kansas City.

It’s had several performances at schools around the country too, which is fun. It’s hard to believe it was a decade ago!

MM: One of your hobbies is birdwatching. What is your favorite part about it?

BI: Probably the simplicity and serenity. Birding is available to anyone under nearly any circumstance — with any level of commitment, at any time of the day or year, there is stuff to see and hear.

When I was learning, it was a truly eye-opening experience to better understand what had actually always been surrounding me, but I hadn’t paid enough attention to it.

MM: You’ve composed music for various video games. How did you get into composing music for video games?

BI: It was something I had been interested in for a long time, but a high school friend of mine put me in touch with a game developer who took the time to listen to my work and give me some great advice.

From there I got to start working with some Minnesota developers and met other indie developers through message boards, Reddit, conferences, etc.

My theater background was very helpful being already acquainted with creating music in a narrative and adaptive manner. Benji Inniger working from his home’s studio.

MM: What’s your favorite part about composing music for video games?

BI: Probably the variety. Certainly in all the different styles, ethos and methods of music, but in also the variety of people.

Much of remote video game development happens all over the world, so I particularly love that I have been able to meet and work with great people from all over the place.

In the couple of years, I’ve been able to work with folks in Seattle, Kentucky, Malta, England, Germany, San Salvador, Italy, China and Finland.

I’ve also found the people in the game industry to be particularly kind and open folks. MM: Among many things, you are also a sound designer. What are some things that people might not know about being a sound designer?

BI: One of my favorite aspects of sound design is its transparency. It’s easier to notice other design elements such as set, costumes, hair/makeup, lighting, etc. Of course the big, ostentatious moments are highly noticeable and potentially memorable, but it is great fun as a sound designer to see how you can affect an audience’s experience without them noticing you did anything.

MM: If you could share a meal with any four individuals, living or dead, who would they be?

MM: Can you tell us a little bit about the Becky Buller concert arrangement?

BI: Sadly it hasn’t been performed yet, but last year the Mankato Area Youth Symphony Orchestra contacted me to arrange a few of Becky’s bluegrass tunes that she and MAYSO could perform together.

We finished four songs, but sadly COVID happened so the concert is indefinitely postponed. Becky was so kind and fun to work with, and it was a whole different way of thinking for me.

I was/am incredibly honored to be a part of it and appreciated the challenge. Here’s hoping the concert can safely happen soon! BI: John Williams, J.S. Bach, Lauryn Hill, Anthony Bourdain. It would be an amazing and awkward lunch.

MM: What is something that people might not know about you? BI: I love to travel! Alaska is the only U.S. state I haven’t visited yet and have a life goal to make it to all the continents except Antarctica. I’m not a big fan of the cold, and Minnesota is bad enough.

MM: Is there anything else you’d like to add? BI: Just to wish everyone a safe and happy 2021. Here’s hoping it’s a great antidote to 2020.