School of Visual, Performing and Design Arts

Blake Vehrs

By Quinn Keller, CLA Student Writer - September 25, 2024

Blake Vehrs first started at Chemeketa Community College in computer science before transferring to Portland State University for marketing, then Clackamas Community College for biology, before finally settling at OSU.

“I went through multiple schools and different majors,” said Vehrs, an undergraduate student in the music technology and production program. ”The whole time that I was going to school and trying to find my niche, I was also producing music. Then it occurred to me that this is what I should be doing.”

During that time, Vehrs focused on electronic music and hip hop, but has since broadened his area of expertise, because of the College of Liberal Arts’ music technology and production program. Vehrs explained that his previous schools often had music composition and performance programs, but not a music-tech program, which interested him the most.

“When studying music, you’ve got to understand music itself and learn music theory,” said Vehrs. “It's very formalized, and most of the people at the college level have been doing it since they were kids, so it's kind of unapproachable. That’s what is different about OSU’s music-tech program. It's nice to be able to make your own music, even if you're not classically trained.”

Vehrs was never trained in a musical instrument, but was always interested in writing music, even as a kid and with his brother. “When I got to be 19, I learned how to use Ableton Live [digital audio software]. I got really into it and started making beats. It's been seven years since then and I’ve never stopped.” Vehrs explained that Ableton Live and similar music softwares are what he knows best. He releases music on soundcloud.com under his full name, Blake Vehrs.

Every term except summer, the music-tech program hosts a concert titled, “Diffusions,” which features student made music. In winter term, Vehrs performed live with his MIDI keyboard, triggering samples with the drum pad and playing an improvised sequence on the keys simultaneously. Collaborating with his peers in the music-tech program is something Vehrs enjoys most. He met his current partner and friends in class, and together they created a band named Blasfemmey. They compose music together in their free time and plan to perform live in the near future.

Vehrs also has an interest in composing music for video games and recently created background music for an open world video game concept. A peer, Sheniya Patston, approached Vehrs to help compose music to accompany a virtual world they are creating for a class.

“For their final project, they have to make a fleshed out world with a whole backstory,” said Vehrs. “My friend made three different places within this one world, a bay region, forest region, and mountain region. I composed unique music for all of them, and made it so that it would loop so you wouldn't get exhausted from listening to it over and over again.” These compositions required Vehrs to record natural sounds like grass and ocean waves, and can be found on his soundcloud.

Expected to graduate next year, Vehrs is ready for anything. “If I can be impractical for a second,” he said. “I just want to make art. That's what I really want to do. When I hear a piece that's better than something I would usually make, it just pushes me even more to want to make something great.”