Composer Magazine Podcast

Ahead of the 76th Emmys Awards, we talk with the composer of Ripley, the latest masterful adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley and a Netflix thriller that pulled 13 nominations for a limited series. It should have been 14 with Jeff Russo's score. One of the steadiest working composers in the game gets into the period influences of his music for Ripley and shares what it means to be the new standard bearer for some of the longest standing IP in Film & Television.

Leo Ross’s occupation as a composer has certainly been gaining steam. After an early music career of playing in and writing music for his bands, Ross transitioned into scoring under the wing of his older brother Atticus, merging the ethos of band culture into his new field while collaborating with Atticus and others on all of his projects. Now Leo Ross’s immersion into the scoring life is full fledged. His collaborative score for Shōgun was the belle of this TV season, and his solo score for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has given him room to explore his individual style. Before all of this, Leo sat down with Charles at a hotel in Los Angeles. Here is their conversation.

A lot of what has transpired in Ryan Lott’s life as a musician has been unexpected, mainly in as much as his unfearing forays into the potentiality of his medium has expanded his zone of interest, and that of his band Son Lux. The gumption of Son Lux has landed them in some unusual places, not least of which was at the helm of scoring one of the most unusual films ever made – Everything Everywhere All at Once. Listen along as Lott gets open about being a part of the first ever Oscar nominated band for best score, and the choices he made to get there, and beyond.

Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen spent the better part of the last two decades captivating the indie rock world as members of Grizzly Bear. They re-emerged this past year to score the Oscar-nominated Past Lives , a film that has captivated its entire audience.

In this run-up to the 96th Academy Awards, we are delighted to share this conversation with nominee for best original score, Laura Karpman. Karpman's score for American Fiction, which has five nominations, gently twirls in and out of what is quietly one of the best films of 2023. It showcases a different side of Karpman than the grand-scale Marvel projects for which she's known.

For the third episode of the Composer Magazine Podcast this season, we‘re joined by one of the most distinct, unusual and immediately recognisable contemporary composers: Cristobal Tapia de Veer, the wild creator of the music for The White Lotus and Smile.

Este & Amanda had a lot to share, and Charles & Natalie were very curious. So, here is Part 2 of their long conversation.

An unexpected harmony took shape when Este Haim and Amanda Yamate found each other. Now the composing tandem have a bond that transcends their art form. In this episode, they talk about their special relationship in scoring and in life.

Part 2 of our talk with the honorable Carter Burwell. Class resumes session.

We're starting off Season 2 with the bar set high! The great composer Natalie Holt joins Charles as co-host for this next round of talks with some of the most talented composers in the world, and our first guest is none other than Carter Buwell. Get ready to get schooled!

Incoming just before the series finale of Barry! Here is part 2 of our 2 part conversation with series composer, David Wingo. Charles caught up with David midway through this fourth and final season, just as he had put the finishing polish on this season's music.

Incoming just before the series finale of Barry! Here is part 1 of our 2 part conversation with series composer, David Wingo. This chat took place just as season 3 had ended, when Charles visited David in LA.

Natalie Holt is Composer Magazine's Composer of the Year! One marvels at Holt's recent body of work, highlighted by her scores for Marvel's Loki and Star Wars chapter Obi-Wan Kenobi, not to mention a theme that became instantly iconic in Loki's TVA. Charles caught up with Natalie for some much deserved basking in the glow of her glorious year and some holiday cheer.

Two seasons in, the HBO/BBC series Industry has become one the sharpest, most riveting productions on television. The key to its success is how it invites the audience into the elite domain of London finance from the perspective of aspirational newcomers to the trade, looking to get ahead at all costs. Nathan Micay is a relative newcomer himself – to scoring – and his slick, intricate synth-based score is clearly the guide through it all, mirroring the aspiration and tension that permeates character and scene. Micay is the very welcome guest on this episode of the Composer Podcast!

The timing couldn’t have been better. Just as Dave Porter was winding down from his career-defining charge to compose all of the music for Breaking Bad, and its subsequent prequel Better Call Saul, we caught up with him to get his perspectives on being the musical anchor for one of the great stories told on television. Whether or not you are a Breaking Bad heavy, listen in and get to know one of our major contemporary composers. It's the stuff of legends.

For our very first episode of the Composer Magazine Podcast, we spoke to the composer behind Us and Get Out on reuniting with Oscar-winning director Jordan Peele and figuring out the sound for their new pop nightmare, Nope. Chatting to our host Charles Steinberg at his LA-based studio, Michael shares his perspective the indisputable horror of rabbits, the surprise that often comes when watching the finished film, as well as chairing the Composers Diversity Collective.