Sebastian Bongiovi ’25 has always been surrounded by music. He fell in love with the trumpet in second grade, and grew up with several accomplished musicians in his family, including his father, Joseph Bongiovi, who is the longstanding band director at PHS, and his mother, who is a vocalist. His passion for music and it’s presence in his family’s story has played an outsized role in Bongiovi’s life, such as his decision to follow in the footsteps of his father and sister to apply to the Berklee College of Music where he hopes to study composition. Now a senior at PHS and about to embark on his next musical adventure, Sebastian plays trumpet for the highly selective Studio Band, sings for PHS Choir, and is a vocalist in the a cappella group Around 8. He acts in numerous school plays and composes music for video games and web series. Most recently, he composed a song called “Be Sorry” for Studio Band’s Abbey Road Studios album “Run It Twice.”

What made you choose the trumpet?

That’s actually a funny story. In second grade, I had to choose an instrument, and I had my heart set on trombone, but I was a really tiny kid, and my dad was aware of that, so he told me to take trumpet and change from there, and I just never [ended up changing] to trombone.

When did you start acting and what do you love most about it?

The first time I started legitimately acting was in fifth grade. The thing I love most about it is being able to portray different personalities that I wouldn’t really act like in real life. Unlike other aspects of art that I do, I don’t really take it as seriously, which is better for me, because it makes it more lighthearted and fun.

How does acting, singing, and playing an instrument all connect for you artistically?

I feel much more attuned to playing than anything else, but I need to give credit where credit is due. Singing is like the bridge between acting and playing for me. It’s the only medium where you use both.

Can you talk about the experience of recording at Abbey Road Studios and what that meant to you?

It was absolutely ludicrous in the moment, and it still is now. The overall experience was extremely validating. Being able to play in that room was a very grueling process, like when you’re physically there and you’re working, it’s a lot more stressful than you realize. We had to record ten hours straight for three days. Specifically recording my song, in the heat of the moment it was absolutely insane, especially with Randy Brecker, who was the guest artist we had there. He is someone whose music I’ve been listening to for a very long time, so having an artist who is a part of your daily life being in front of you and then also playing your music that you wrote and asking you questions about your song was baffling a bit. It was an amazing experience.

What is your process when composing music?

For me, usually what happens is I’ll be messing around with the piano, and I’ll come up with a random chord progression, and it’ll be a lot of me experimenting. Going into my room, being like, “Okay, let’s make something out of this,” and spending however many hours just fiddling.

Are you planning on pursuing a career in music, and if you are, what type?

Definitely. My goal is to apply to three to four different schools for some form of either composition or a contemporary writing and production major, the latter of which is offered at Berklee College of Music, which is my top college of choice and the only college I’ve applied early admission to.

What advice would you give to new musicians or artists?

Give yourself time. More often than not, I’ll be working on a song and I get stuck and have no idea where to go, so I just go to bed, and then I wake up the next morning and I have an idea. Being able to give yourself space and time is invaluable to creating music.