Composer Conversations With David Coscina - Episode 1: Christopher Willis

Welcome to the premiere episode of COMPOSER CONVERSATIONS WITH DAVID COSCINA on CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO. —- Note from David Coscina: The idea of this show was born out of discussions with Erik Woods and some film composer friends of mine revolving around the concept of shop talk between musicians. I’ve re-visited Facebook messages and emails I’ve traded with these amazingly talented folks and enjoyed the level of candidness that sometimes eludes them in formal press interviews. There is often a lot more that goes into the craft of writing and producing music for media than many are aware of. I’ve always wanted to hear more about the process these successful composers apply on a daily basis to provide the exhilarating, dynamic, moving music they come up with. Hopefully, this show will explore these kinds of avenues and more. Thanks for tuning in and enjoy! —— On the premiere episode of COMPOSER CONVERSATIONS, David chatted with IFMCA Award-winning composer, Christopher Willis (Veep, Mickey Mouse, The Death of Stalin) whose critically acclaimed score to THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD was released back in January of 2020.  The film made its rounds at film festivals in 2019, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of 2019. The film received its theatrical release in the UK in January and will be making its way to North America in May. Enjoy the show! And when you are done leave David comment below to let his know how much you enjoyed the show. —— ABOUT DAVID COSCINA: David grew up with music in his home and was exposed at an early age to a broad spectrum of music genres but it was orchestral music, specifically soundtracks, that resonated most with him. At 10 years of age, David began playing the piano and composing. In high school, he played in several concert bands and jazz orchestras that led him to pursue music at York University in the late ‘80s where he studied under David Mott for jazz theory and James Tenney for composition. While at York. David scored several student films and became more focussed on music for film. Upon graduating, David provided more music for friends’ films and was one of two composers considered for scoring Paris, France (1992). The decade also saw the composer provide orchestral arrangements for rock/pop songs. In 1998, David scored 3 short films for Toronto independent filmmaker David Sutherland including “My Father’s Hands” which met with great critical reception. The composer’s score was also nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award later that year. David also scored Marilyn Grey’s “Vicious Cycles” later that year. In 2004 David was a finalist in the Yamaha Music Production Contest in the Film Scoring category judged by Matrix composer Don Davis. In 2008 David was awarded Finalist in the Notion Realize Music challenge in the Professional Composer category with his “Musashi Suite for Orchestra”. The panel of judges included the renowned concert composer John Corigliano and film composer Carter Burwell. Of late, the composer has been concentrating on concert pieces and providing music for Cinematic Sound Radio and has enjoyed the diversity it has afforded him stylistically. David’s style, while admittedly eclectic, leans towards early to mid-20th-century orchestral music with a touch of jazz harmonies. The composer has been actively involved in electronic music since 1985 when he purchased his first synthesizer. David’s film music influences are John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, Lalo Schifrin, John Barry and Elliot Goldenthal. His orchestral influences are Mahler, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel and minimalist composer John Adams. Hear some of David's music during this episode http://www.cinematicsound.net/in-the-spotlight-five-awesome-composers-who-need-to-be-scoring-hollywood-films/.  You can also read about David created the CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO themes by going to http://www.cinematicsound.net/composer-david-coscina-talks-about-creating-cinematic-sound-radios-themes/. And you can hear more of his music by going to https://soundcloud.com/user-970634922 —— Cinematic Sound Radio Web: http://www.cinematicsound.net Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cinsoundradio Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cinematicsound Cinematic Sound Radio Fanfare and Theme by David Coscina https://soundcloud.com/user-970634922 Bumper voice artist: Tim Burden http://www.timburden.com