Music industry professional joins ASU program

Arizona State University's School of Music, Dance and Theatre welcomes international music engineer and producer Jorge Costa Palazuelos as assistant professor of studio engineering and recording in the popular music program.

“We are thrilled to have attracted Jorge Costa, a mixing and recording engineer, producer and educator with more than 20 years of experience in the music industry, to the ASU popular music program,” said Heather Landes, director of the School of Music, Dance and Theatre in ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. “Costa’s experience building curricula, his work with industry professionals across myriad musical genres and his passion for teaching are an excellent complement to our popular music faculty.”

Born in México, raised in Chile and now a U.S. citizen, Costa said he understands that music and collaboration know no boundaries, which has led him to work with artists, composers and creators from the United States, Latin America, Europe and Africa.

“ASU has a strong reputation on innovation along with a deep commitment to diversity, and they are giving us the perfect tools to grow with the new facilities and recording studios,” Costa said. “Music is not isolated but part of society, so I know we'll find ways to collaborate within the entire ASU community. I couldn't think of a better environment to teach music production and sound engineering, and for students to learn.”

​​Costa said he is excited about the endless possibilities at ASU.

“The popular music program at the ASU School of Music, Dance and Theatre is new and full of energy,” Costa said. “I am excited to collaborate with an incredibly talented and prepared group of colleagues and help shape the engineer/producer specialization.”

Costa said after graduating college he always knew he would teach. When he was offered the chance to teach at Rec Música college in México City, Costa said he immediately fell in love with the process and knew there was no looking back. But he also wanted to have enough real-world experience so he would have something valuable to share with his students.

Costa’s career highlights include producing or vocal producing with artists like Carl Verheyen, Engelbert Humperdinck and East of Eli; engineering work with Korn, Melissa Etheridge, Wiz Khalifa and Dr. Dre; mixing albums with the participation of Bill Evans, Jerry Goodman, Stu Ham, Simon Phillips and Greg Bissonette; and recording/mixing scores for composers like Richard Gibbs, Alex Wurman and Vidjay Beerepoot.

“With technology evolving faster and faster, education must follow suit,” Costa said. “Being active in the industry allows me to have my ear to the ground, observe trends and understand the needs of the market. I bring that experience to the classroom so we can guide our students through today's professional world and, more importantly, give them the right tools to become positive leaders in tomorrow's music industry.”