Ep 159-Laura Karpman on Being an Artist First

Sep 14, 2017

Four-time Emmy winning composer and composer of the Grammy-winning album Ask Your Mama, Laura Karpman maintains a vibrant career in film, television, video-game and concert music. Her most recent credits include the series Underground, in collaboration with Raphael Saadiq and John Legend, Step, a Sundance 2017 favorite, Eleanor Coppola's Paris Can Wait starring Diane Lane and Alec Baldwin.

Laura has received two GANG awards and an additional nomination for her videogame music which has been performed by orchestras internationally, as well as an Annie Feature nomination. She serves as an advisor for the Sundance Film Scoring Labs and is on the faculty of the USC Film Scoring Program. Laura is the founding President of the Alliance for Women Film Composers and is proud to serve as a governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

She has graduate degrees from Juilliard where she studied with Milton Babbitt, where she spent her time in NYC composing and studying the complexities of concert music by day, while playing jazz and scat singing in Manhattan clubs by night.

Laura loves to teach and does so whenever she can. She currently serves on the faculty of the USC Film Scoring Program & the New Media and Music Technology Program at San Francisco Conservatory.

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Composer and founder of The Alliance for Women Film Composers Laura Karpman discusses making artist the first priority and why you need to get your name on all the lists.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• New music vs jazz
• Milton Babbitt's "Who Cares If You Listen"
• Caring about every note you write
• Sundance Labs
• Moving from NYC to LA
• Learning to be super simple
• Learning by failure
• No wasted cues—everything finds its home
• Alliance for Women Film Composers
• Be an artist first
• Get on the lists

Website:

• laurakarpman.com

Recommended Listening:

• Igor Stravinsky, The Firebird
• John Coltrane, My Favorite Things
• Jason Moran, 13th

Recommended Reading:

• Octavia Butler, Kindred

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