So who are these guys anyway?
Edward Underhill and Matt Bukaty met in New York City while both were graduate students in the NYU Film Scoring program. Despite the fact that they both turned out to be fairly cool people, they were pretty unaware of each other until they discovered they each had more than a passing interest in The Hunger Games. Since then, they have become quite good friends and have graduated with masters degrees from NYU, now both embarking on careers as professional film composers. You can read about each of them individually below.
Edward Underhill
Photo by Ron Sadoff © 2011.
Edward Underhill's musical career began at the age of five, when he started studying the cello (although, in all likelihood, it actually began long before that, when, as a toddler, he enjoyed dancing around the living room to John Lennon). He picked up piano shortly thereafter, and began improvising right away. His first "compositions" were pop songs. He wrote a short musical at the age of 12 which was performed with a group of his friends, and recorded an album of pop songs in his early teens. In high school, he moved into more serious classical composition. His first symphony, inspired by The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien, was premiered by the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra when he was fifteen and later played by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He went on to receive a number of commissions while still in high school, including from the Milwaukee Youth Symphony's ongoing John Downey Creation Project and the St. Roberts' Children's Choir.
He graduated with a B. Mus. in Composition from the Oberlin Conservatory in 2009, where he studied with Lewis Nielson and Amelia Kaplan. While at Oberlin, he also studied baroque and modern cello with Catharina Meints, and served as musical director and composer for OCircus!, Oberlin College's cirque performance troupe. He went on to the film scoring program at NYU, where he studied with film composer Ira Newborn (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Naked Gun). While at NYU, he received the Alan Menken Scholar Award, the recipient of which is chosen by Mr. Menken.
Edward has scored a number of films, including the recent documentary about China's coal-mining industry, To The Light (Yuanchen Liu, 2011), winner of the Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award, and Sin Dolor (dir. by Joe Greco), winner of the Future Filmmaker Award and Best Editing at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood, the Best Score Award at the First Run Film Festival, and the Clive Davis Award for Excellence in Music in Film. His score for the animated short Sucker (Bethany Heimbigner, 2010) won the Skirball Film Scoring Competition and was performed and recorded by the NYU Symphony Orchestra. He has written music for a number of other projects as well, including a documentary about Egypt that aired on PBS Television in 2009, and Off Broadway productions of Hamlet and The Winter's Tale (dir. by Steve M. Boyle). In addition to composition, he also has training in conducting, and has conducted a number of live ensembles in concert, as well as recording sessions with ensembles ranging from nine players to full orchestra. He continues to play cello (and recently, even accordion), and has performed on a number of his own scores, bringing with him his background in improvisation and influences that range from Irish folk to traditional Chinese music. Visit him online at: www.edwardunderhillmusic.com
He graduated with a B. Mus. in Composition from the Oberlin Conservatory in 2009, where he studied with Lewis Nielson and Amelia Kaplan. While at Oberlin, he also studied baroque and modern cello with Catharina Meints, and served as musical director and composer for OCircus!, Oberlin College's cirque performance troupe. He went on to the film scoring program at NYU, where he studied with film composer Ira Newborn (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Naked Gun). While at NYU, he received the Alan Menken Scholar Award, the recipient of which is chosen by Mr. Menken.
Edward has scored a number of films, including the recent documentary about China's coal-mining industry, To The Light (Yuanchen Liu, 2011), winner of the Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award, and Sin Dolor (dir. by Joe Greco), winner of the Future Filmmaker Award and Best Editing at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood, the Best Score Award at the First Run Film Festival, and the Clive Davis Award for Excellence in Music in Film. His score for the animated short Sucker (Bethany Heimbigner, 2010) won the Skirball Film Scoring Competition and was performed and recorded by the NYU Symphony Orchestra. He has written music for a number of other projects as well, including a documentary about Egypt that aired on PBS Television in 2009, and Off Broadway productions of Hamlet and The Winter's Tale (dir. by Steve M. Boyle). In addition to composition, he also has training in conducting, and has conducted a number of live ensembles in concert, as well as recording sessions with ensembles ranging from nine players to full orchestra. He continues to play cello (and recently, even accordion), and has performed on a number of his own scores, bringing with him his background in improvisation and influences that range from Irish folk to traditional Chinese music. Visit him online at: www.edwardunderhillmusic.com
Matt Bukaty
Photo by Sarah Thomas © 2011.
Matt Bukaty is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of music for film and the concert hall. His music has accompanied a number of narrative and documentary films, including the award-winning documentary Crazy Diamond (dir. Hanny Lee, 2010). He recently finished work on the film No Direction (dir. Melissa Finell, 2011) which will be receiving its world premiere in San Francisco at the Frameline Film Festival on June 24. In addition to his film and concert works, Matt is currently working with Chicago-based playwright and music educator, Susan L. Haugland, on a new musical, “Simon Says!”, which focuses on women’s rights and societal expectation in the 1970s, told through the whimsy of commercial jingles with an ironic twist on a popular childhood game.
Born in Lancaster, California and raised in Texas, Matt began his musical studies at the age of eleven where he played the trombone. He began composing at age thirteen and by the time he reached high school, had a number of chamber and orchestral works written. Before graduating, Matt composed a score for his high school's production of The Hobbit, confirming his interest and dream of becoming a film composer.
He received his Bachelor’s degree in music composition from the University of North Texas in 2009, studying under composers David Bithell and Cindy McTee. Matt recently finished work on his Master’s degree in film music composition at New York University, where he studied with film composer Mark Suozzo and renowned orchestrator Sonny Kompanek. Matt will soon relocate to Los Angeles to continue his film music pursuits. Visit him online at: www.mattbukaty.com
Born in Lancaster, California and raised in Texas, Matt began his musical studies at the age of eleven where he played the trombone. He began composing at age thirteen and by the time he reached high school, had a number of chamber and orchestral works written. Before graduating, Matt composed a score for his high school's production of The Hobbit, confirming his interest and dream of becoming a film composer.
He received his Bachelor’s degree in music composition from the University of North Texas in 2009, studying under composers David Bithell and Cindy McTee. Matt recently finished work on his Master’s degree in film music composition at New York University, where he studied with film composer Mark Suozzo and renowned orchestrator Sonny Kompanek. Matt will soon relocate to Los Angeles to continue his film music pursuits. Visit him online at: www.mattbukaty.com
