As one of the founders of the AWFC, do you have early memories of the organization starting up?

The early days of the then unnamed organization usually included a meal at one of our homes. Several other successful female composers as well as other industry professionals would be present as well. It was really fun! It felt like we had all been hiding in our own caves for years and now had an outlet to share and connect! Our meetings were lively and at times intense, yet full of promise, hope and boat loads of determination to make a difference not only for the next generation of up and coming female composers, but to brainstorm about ways to amplify and elevate female composers who had been working for years, unable to somehow gain access to even be considered to score top tentpole films, high level TV series, etc.

How has your approach to the industry changed since the organization began?

I will start before the organization began. The 19 year old me was wide-eyed, a bit naive, looking for “what I could get.” I looked outward to how I could become a member of the unofficial club of successful, award winning composers. I do not regret any of twists and turns of my career which have led me to where I am now, however early on, I probably missed several opportunities for advancement by being too caught up in the notion of someone giving me something. When I switched to a “what can I give?” approach, the change brought a lot more joy in my creative endeavors, feeding my soul, and honestly bringing many more accolades, awards, and professional accomplishments along the way. I still very clearly see the gender based inequities in our field, and do not shy away from bringing attention to these issues, doing what I can to change the landscape. I dedicated years to the Alliance, and am thrilled at all we have achieved. As “P2” (president nr. 2 succeeding Laura Karpman) the organization grew at lightning speed. Mentoring and spearheading events that amplified our members came easily to me, something I really leaned into. What was, and continues to be more challenging for all of us is tackling tough and disturbing issues, not only the issue of how to shatter the glass ceiling, or at least create substantial openings in the ceiling, but also addressing sexual harassment. The “Me Too” movement was founded during the time I served as president. I attended many meetings with leaders of other organizations  – Women in Film, Alliance of Women Directors, etc. It was very intense.

I cheer on the AWFC from the sidelines now,  thrilled at the marvelous team who are our champions today. I continue advocating for gender parity and inclusion, making it a point of amplifying my peers,  as well as contributing my voice by serving on the Executive Music Committee of the Motion Picture Academy, serving on the board of the Society of Composers and Lyricists, as well as through my work as a faculty member of USC’s Thornton School of Music Screen Scoring program. I have chosen to proudly share my journey with those who are interested in listening. It is not always the most talented who reach the highest levels of success, but rather those with an unrelenting drive to break down barriers and access work. This of course is true for men as well, but women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups have many more hurdles to jump over. Any time we can crack the door open for someone else, especially someone who has been overlooked, it is our duty to do so.

For those who may not know, who was Shirley Walker and what impact did she have on your career?

Shirley Walker was the first woman to score a major Hollywood studio blockbuster: “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” (in 1992.) She also orchestrated and often conducted for Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, Carter Burwell and others. Shirley hired me in 1990/1991, opening more doors than I can count – orchestrating for her, booth reading, conducting, and early on  – composing.  Shirley was my mentor. She convinced Warner Brothers Animation to hire not only myself, but a healthy list of other composers to score “Batman: The Animated Series”, with Shirley serving as supervising composer.

I thoroughly enjoyed the early years of my career, first working as a proofreader primarily at Warner Brothers, eventually leading to a very robust career as an orchestrator (100 + films/series) for composers including Michael Kamen, Basil Poledouris, Mark Snow, Burt Bacharach, and many others. This was all pre- midi. Everything was done by hand! When Shirley hired me, I gradually phased out the orchestration work and became a full time composer. When working for Shirley I received 100 percent of writer’s share of the cue sheet. Members – please re-read that last sentence!

You are well known in the pop culture community for your work on many Warner Brothers animated projects alongside your scoring partners Kristopher Carter and Michael McCuistion.

I am so grateful for the opportunities we have had, opportunities given to us at first by Shirley, but later, opportunities we fought for, to score these amazing shows! I have the highest respect and admiration for Michael and Kristopher. Throughout the years we have navigated this business while remaining friends. We worked hard, very hard, at getting work, cultivating our connections, demoing, etc, etc. Having a team is common-place now, but 30 years ago team composing was rare. Ghost writing was the norm in situations where one composer was scoring several shows at once, but other composers were carrying a large load of the work. Bringing those composers into the light, and giving proper credit was rare. When we formed our team (Dynamic Music Partners), after Shirley stepped away from series animation to work on features, our goal was to work and remain working, to be transparent about the process, to use our collective energy both in business and creative aspects. No ghost writing in our realm! You compose it – you receive credit, and you are paid, and YOU write the music.  It has and continues to be a great ride.

Do you have a favorite or top 3 of the animated projects you’ve worked on?

Justice League: The Animated Series is definitely up there. I received a solo prime time Emmy nomination for my theme (losing to Thomas Newman’s “Six Feet Under”!) I mean, c’mon….if you have to lose to someone, Thomas Newman sets a very high bar! Superman: The Animated Series – also high up there (I received my first solo Emmy nomination for the episode “Little Girl Lost.”) I am very proud of that score. To regularly score a series with a 35 piece orchestra is pure magic! “Batman Beyond” is probably the show (for me) that has the greatest “coolness” factor. It really withstands the test of time. That also brought us our team Emmy win! The three of us were still working with Shirley on that particular series. I know we are at number four, but I do have to mention “Teen Titans” – only because it gets the largest amount of “You scored my childhood” comments from students! By the way – we also scored Marvel, Sony, Hasbro, Titmouse, and Cartoon Network projects.

In 2022, you won a Grammy for your work on Women Warriors: The Voices of Change.  Tell me about that project and what it means to you.

Conductor, producer – Amy Andersson had been aware of my work from the “Women Who Score” project that the AWFC produced during Laura Karpman’s presidency. Amy and I began talking at a rehearsal she attended. Eventually that initial conversation led to her programming one of my works: “Overture to Light,” at Carnegie Hall with her orchestra “Orchestra Moderne.” The success of that collaboration led to Amy bringing me on at the beginning stages of her dreamchild “Women Warriors: The Voices of Change,”  which premiered at Lincoln center in 2019. Along with composing 15 minutes (3 original chapters) for this live to picture project, I served as a sounding board for Amy. The following year I felt honored to be Amy’s right hand, along with engineer, Mark Mattson in producing the album leading up to, during, and after recording process of this symphonic album. We recorded in Riga.

You have strong ties to Latvia and have a robust career in scoring their films, including BLIZZARD OF SOULS in 2019 which earned you a place on the Oscar short list for Best Original Score.  How is it working in the foreign film market and what is the difference to US based projects?

“Blizzard of Souls” was my dream project, literally. I asked the universe for something like this years prior, and the universe answered my request. I poured my heart and soul into the 70 + minute symphonic / choral score. It was deeply emotional for me to compose the music, but then to receive such high praise from my U.S. colleagues was overwhelming. The Oscar short list, being invited to join the Academy, the SCL, HMMA and other awards were icing on the cake. In addition to films produced in the EU, I have recorded 3 US produced projects in Latvia. The exceptional artistic level that I discovered when recording “Blizzard of Souls,” in Latvia, from the brilliant symphony musicians, to the choirs became the gold standard of sorts! Director Daniel Kreizberg wanted “that sound” for his film: “Tahlequah the Whale: A Dance of Grief,” Amy Andersson wanted that sound for “Women Warriors,” and last year the producers of feature film “The American Miracle” also wanted to record my score in Latvia. Of course the budget one has to work with is also a considering factor, but by no means is it the guiding factor. The level of musicianship is extremely high.

I must state for the record though,  that I adore working with the incredible musicians of Los Angeles. I have been recording locally for most of my career, and always support our professional music community. I have been a member of Local 47 since age 19, and plan on recording in LA whenever possible. We are a global community however, and since I am a dual citizen, I very much like to record both in LA and Europe.

What are you working on nowadays? Anything you can promote?

Daniel Kreizberg has invited me to score his feature film. That film is in pre-production currently. My solo symphonic album will be released by MicRec Records in November. I am very excited about that!  Dzintars Dreibergs (director of “Blizzard of Souls”) has me on board for his 2 next feature films. I scored his film “Escape Net” – released in Europe last year. It should be available to stream in the USA shortly. I am working on the arrangement of a commissioned song for LA’s 2028 Olympics – the theme for the team from Latvia! I am recording the rhythm section in LA, and will travel to Riga to record orchestra, lead vocals, and choir in September.

Interview by Thomas Mikusz

Photo Credit: Armands Bels

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