You were the recipient of the Society of Composers & Lyricists’ David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent. I still remember how excited everyone in the room was when your name was announced. Congratulations again! You received the award for Home Is a Hotel. Looking back, what do you think made that score stand out? Was there anything unique about your creative approach or your collaboration on that project?

That score will always be special to me. First of all, I was asked to do exactly what I LOVE to do: create a score that is orchestral and heavily influenced by the classic Hollywood sound AND (my personal favorite) jazz harmony. The other interesting thing was that while this was a documentary, the bulk of what they wanted was musical interludes through the doc – music-forward moments without much dialogue. Moments of reflection for the audience as we moved through the story. There was only really one true underscore moment. The rest of the score was for music-forward moments. I also composed an orchestral arrangement for a very raw and heartbreaking song whose live performance was filmed on the streets of San Francisco. The song was composed by Ester who was one of the subjects in the doc and who died as a result of Covid during the filming of Home is A Hotel. This project wasn’t particularly innovative, it was just about writing great music, my favorite kind of music, and supporting true incredible stories in a music-forward way.

I know your roots in music were actually as a jazz vocalist. Can you tell us about that journey and how it eventually led you to film composing?

I discovered jazz at the end of high school. Before that, my music life was very classical forward. Jazz changed everything for me. Long story short, I ended up at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle to study jazz vocals. But almost immediately I wanted to write new jazz songs instead of doing interpretations of the classic standards. I also became fascinated with jazz composition and theory in general. Once I started composing, I truly fell in love. For a very long time I had a contentious relationship with performance, both as a violinist and a singer (classical and jazz). My mum, who was my #1 mentor, LOVED to perform. And I knew my relationship with performance was very different from hers. When I discovered composing, I knew I could leave performance behind permanently because composing fulfilled me in a way that playing and performing had never done. It was my place in the world of music. It still took me a little bit longer to figure out where I wanted to focus my composing energies. Once I found a career in media scoring, everything fell into place.

Collaboration is such an essential part of being a film composer. What is a filmmaker–composer partnership from your career that was especially meaningful or creatively fulfilling? What made that collaboration so special?

Collaboration is the key reason I became involved in film scoring. I love being part of a team. I love how music serves picture. I enjoy concert scoring and composing my own music, but collaboration is really where things come to life for me.

I’ve had the privilege of some long-term collaborations. One is with Wes Hurley. First, I scored his wild queer-drag-surrealist web series Capitol Hill, then I scored his autobiographical feature, which premiered at SXSW. And most recently I scored his short doc Shelly’s Leg about Seattle’s first gay bar & disco (funded by Shelly, who had her leg blown off in a Seattle Bastille parade, and used the financial reparations from the City of Seattle to fund the bar!). Having long-term collaborations with innovative filmmakers like Hurley is such an incredible gift. Working with him has helped me develop my musical voice. I have written some of my favorite tracks for his work.

One thing I really admire is that, despite such a busy career, you continue to make time for deeply personal music. I especially love the project you’ve created in honor of your mom. Could you tell us about those pieces, what inspired them, and what creating them has meant to you?

Music is, for me, the best way to process… well… anything, really. But especially grief. And, of course, love. My mum, Roslyn Joy Langlois, is a huge part of my musical life even now that she’s left us, and I have definitely composed a fair amount of music as I’ve processed my grief and love for her. I wrote a piece of music in the months leading up to her death that expressed what it was like to be racing time to spend those precious last moments with someone you love. And when she died, I wrote a couple of pieces around that grief, and also arranged a piece of hers that I found sitting on the piano when I got back to the house: Joy Inexpressible. I think I will write for her and about her for the rest of my life.

As Past President of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, you helped guide the organization through an important chapter. Looking back, what are you most proud of accomplishing, and in what ways do you think the Alliance evolved the most during your leadership?

Being president of the AWFC was a culmination of a longer chapter as a member of the leadership since the organization formalized. I started out as executive director under Laura Karpman and Lolita Ritmanis, then was the co-vice president with Sharon Farber when Starr Parodi was president, and finally, president myself. The thing I am most proud of is hearing from members throughout that time that I really made them feel welcome, like they were meant to be there. People of all stages in their careers felt truly part of the AWFC. Creating community – creating a home for people, a place they feel they truly belong – is so important to me. I think professional organizations can sometimes feel intimidating, cold, uptight or ineffective. I really wanted to create a space where members felt at home, empowered, supported and celebrated. I believe I did that. I still try to do that in every space I walk into. Creating true community – generous, safe and empathetic spaces – is the only way we are going to survive the dark times we are walking through.

Beyond composing and advocacy, you’re also the Founder and CEO of Joy Music House, where you’ve built an incredible community by supporting accomplished composers through recording sessions, and up-and-coming ones through educational workshops, networking opportunities, and mentorship. For members who may not be familiar with Joy Music House, could you tell us how it all began and share a little about the work you do today?

Joy Music House (JMH) basically began when I moved to LA, but formally came into focus as a company late in 2018. When we launched, our core purpose was Composers Supporting Composers. As you said, our main purpose was to collaborate with other composers to produce their scores – orchestrate, engrave, and work the recording session with them. And then we created the Score Production Workshop where we teach working composers all aspects of producing their own score. But now our purpose statement has broadened to Composers Supporting Creatives. We still love supporting our fellow composers, but we are also scoring projects ourselves and in addition to that, we are evangelizing the importance of live scores, scoring budges, and scoring sessions to the filmmaking community.

“Studio days are the best days” has become one of your signature Catherine Joy quotes – and I absolutely love it. What is it about being in the studio that brings you the most joy? And what, in your opinion, makes for a truly great studio day?

I love studio days so much. I remember very early on, when I was in Seattle I saw a Barbie movie come to life with a full orchestra in Studio X (RIP, I loved that studio). I loved everything about that session. And that was when I decided I would do everything I could to be in the studio as much as humanly possible. That’s why I love working with other composers. It means I get to be in the studio for their projects as well as my own! It’s not enough for me just to write music, I want to hear it recorded, with my favorite musicians, in a phenomenal studio. I am OK with hemorrhaging money out of my own bank account to get into a studio and record my music. Some people like spending money on vacations, a big house, or going to Disneyland (looking at you Esin) but for me, a recording studio with my team and brilliant musicians is the happiest place on earth.

Interview by Esin Aydingoz

Check out Catherine’s directory page here!