Legendary composer John Williams talks with host Jon Burlingame about his latest film score for Disney's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The two discuss an amusing story shared by Harrison Ford about the oddest place he ever heard Williams' iconic march, to the particulars of writing music for Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s mysterious character, Helena. Williams also reveals how he has successfully collaborated with some of the foremost filmmakers of the last two centuries to create many of the m...
Oct 11, 2023•35 min
Host Jon Burlingame sits down with Thomas Newman, the iconic composer whose latest work can be heard in Pixar’s new film Elemental. They talk about how Newman went about creating music and introducing vocal elements for the imaginary world of the film, as well as reveal the helpful advice Thomas’ cousin, the legendary Randy Newman, once gave him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 19, 2023•31 min
Host Jon Burlingame sits down to talk about the collaboration between Oscar®-nominated director Rob Marshall and eight-time Academy Award®-winning composer Alan Menken on The Little Mermaid. They reveal exclusive, behind-the-scenes stories about recording with stars, including Halle Bailey, Awkwafina and Melissa McCarthy, as well as the excitement of working alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda to reimagine the original animated version of the film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...
Jun 14, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Host Jon Burlingame sits down with composer John Murphy to talk about his film score for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and collaboration with director James Gunn. They discussed the use of opera, the influence of Renaissance music and the reveal where the best percussion sound came from, as well as the challenge of writing music to the tonal shifts of the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 17, 2023•31 min
In this episode of The Big Score Grammy Award winner and composer, Simon Franglen, takes listeners behind the music of Avatar: The Way of Water, with water being one of the main inspirations for how Simon deftly created an ambient piece of music matching the stunning visuals of the film. But, creating unique water sounds was just one part of the process, tune in to hear how Simon created a new instrument, printed from his sketch on a 3D printer, and perfect for a character 10 feet tall with thre...
Apr 21, 2023•24 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Host Jon Burlingame sits down with composer Joseph Shirley to talk about his work on Season 3 of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, and the overall soundscape of the series, the Star Wars legacy and his longtime collaboration with Ludwig Göransson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 19, 2023•33 min
Host Jon Burlingame sits down with Grammy-winning composer Simon Franglen to discuss his epic score for Avatar: The Way of Water. Simon recalls the singular experience of working with director James Cameron and the tight-knit Avatar family, how sounds of Earth inspired him in the creation of music for another planet, and what the return to Pandora means to him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 14, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Legendary Oscar-winning composer and songwriter Alan Menken joins host Jon Burlingame to discuss his songs for Disney’s Disenchanted, the long-awaited sequel to Enchanted. Alan reflects on his enduring partnership with Disney, how he created the ‘magical’ sound so many associate with animated classics, and why he’s enjoying revisiting and reinventing that magic in this new film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 30, 2022•30 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Host Jon Burlingame sits down with long time musical partners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard to discuss their work on Disney’s new live action Pinocchio. The composers reveal how the new film honors the original while spinning its own magic with additional songs they wrote for new and original characters. They also share stories of their years working closely with director Robert Zemeckis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 19, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Host Jon Burlingame visits the studio of Emmy-winning composer Laura Karpman for a conversation about her latest work for Marvel, including Ms. Marvel, What If…?, and the upcoming film The Marvels. Laura speaks on the importance of representation in music and film, and how she blended Pakistani folk music, traditional super hero sounds, and hip hop to create an authentic score for the MCU’s first South Asian and Muslim super hero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...
Sep 07, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 2
“Award winning composer Natalie Holt joins host Jon Burlingame to describe her process of creating the otherworldly soundscapes of both Loki and Obi-Wan Kenobi. They discuss her unique approach to composing for heritage characters, working with her idol John Williams, and her passion for equity in the film music world." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 27, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Grammy® nominated music producer and supervisor Matt Sullivan sits down with host Jon Burlingame to discuss his role as executive music producer on Steven Spielberg’s newest film, “West Side Story.” Sullivan explains how he worked with legends like John Williams and Stephen Sondheim to coordinate music’s unique role in the rehearsal and filming process, and how he felt seeing his work translated to the screen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 19, 2022•16 min•Ep. 29
Host Jon Burlingame speaks with conductor and Academy Award® nominated film composer David Newman about his role in translating Leonard Bernstein’s original music to Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” Newman explains how the team’s respect for the classical music canon and Broadway traditions led them to preserve as much original score as possible, with changes mostly confined to arrangement and placement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 19, 2022•16 min•Ep. 28
In this special episode, Host Jon Burlingame sits down first with award-winning composer, lyricist and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda to discuss how his large family, The Little Mermaid and Colombian musician Carlos Vives influenced his work on Disney’s latest animated film, Encanto. After Lin reveals the inspirations behind his songs, Jon talks with composer Germaine Franco about how she integrated them into her score, along with the sounds of Colombia and magical realism. Learn more about your ad ch...
Dec 15, 2021•39 min•Ep. 27
Iron Man and Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi joins host Jon Burlingame to talk about his most recent partnership with Marvel Studios on Eternals. Djawadi reveals what it was like to work with Academy Award® winning director Chloe Zhao to create the timeless backdrop for a narrative that spans centuries and cultures. He also explains how a lucky coincidence changed the course of his career when he was offered the opportunity to work under Hans Zimmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...
Nov 17, 2021•32 min•Ep. 26
Host Jon Burlingame sits down with legendary composer Danny Elfman to talk about his scoring of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and his decades-long collaboration with Tim Burton. Danny also reveals to Jon the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of how the music for this cult classic film got made, why Halloween has been a special night for him since childhood and how intertwined he and Jack Skellington truly are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 13, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In the second episode of a two part series, legendary eight-time Oscar-winning composer and songwriter Alan Menken continues his conversation with host Jon Burlingame. Together, they discuss Alan's transition to new writing partners after Howard Ashman’s early death with films like Aladdin and Tangled, Disney’s Broadway takeover, and other favorite projects such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Alan looks back on his impressive Disney legacy and reveals information about upcoming new classics inc...
Sep 22, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 24
In the first episode of a two part series, legendary eight-time Oscar winning composer and songwriter Alan Menken sits down with host Jon Burlingame to discuss his career. Alan takes the audience back to his beginnings as a musician in a family of dentists, his love of Fantasia, and his life-changing writing partnership with Howard Ashman; which would skyrocket them both to Off-Broadway success with Little Shop of Horrors, and eventually to Disney royalty with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the ...
Aug 25, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Host Jon Burlingame talks to Lorne Balfe, composer of the score for Marvel Studios' new film, Black Widow. Lorne reveals how he immersed himself in Russian music and culture in order to create a memorable sound for Natasha Romanoff’s long awaited origin story. He also recounts his own musical origins, including his early beginnings as a composer and his training with Hans Zimmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 21, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Emmy winning composer Nicholas Britell sits down with host Jon Burlingame to discuss his process combining orchestra and classic rock in the score for Disney’s Cruella. Britell talks about his musical history and how his philosophy of constant learning helped him navigate an ambitious project in the midst of the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 23, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Composer Raphaelle Thibaut tells host Jon Burlingame how she used home-recorded music to illustrate the majesty and complex emotional lives of whales in Disney+ and National Geographic’s new four part series, SECRETS OF THE WHALES. Raphaelle also talks about how her unique childhood experiences, such as partial deafness and exposure to French cinema led her back to film composition as an adult. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 21, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Multi-faceted composer, songwriter, and producer Neil Davidge speaks with Host Jon Burlingame about creating five immersive musical atmospheres for Disney+ and National Geographic’s new landscape themed nature series, EARTH MOODS. Neil also recalls his time working with the band Massive Attack and explains how his love of musical variety has augmented his work as a composer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 21, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Host Jon Burlingame sits down with multi-Oscar nominated composer James Newton Howard to talk about his latest film score for Disney+’s animated adventure RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON. James reveals how he created the fantastical sound of the fictional Southeast Asian land where the story is set — using instruments like the “genggong” — similar to a Balinese jaw harp. He also takes Jon back to his early days collaborating with Elton John, who allowed him to do some orchestral arranging very early on...
Mar 24, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Host Jon Burlingame speaks with Oscar, Emmy and Grammy-winning composer Ludwig Goransson about his work on the first two seasons of The Mandalorian. Ludwig reveals how he came up with the Mandalorian’s signature sound — the bass recorder — as well as the challenges he had with the theme for Baby Yoda. Jon and Ludwig also talk about the composer’s travels to Senegal, where he worked with local musicians on the music for Black Panther, and his more recent work on the film Tenet. Learn more about y...
Feb 24, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Host Jon Burlingame talks with Grammy-winning composer Marcus Miller about the score for Disney+’s Safety, which marks his latest collaboration with film director Reginald Hudlin, who convinced Miller to take a break from working alongside jazz great Miles Davis to compose the music for his first film, House Party, back in the late 1980s. Miller also reveals how his years as a session player, writer, producer and bandleader help him as a composer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...
Jan 27, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Host Jon Burlingame it talks with Oscar and Emmy winning composer Rachel Portman about her latest film, Godmothered, and how writing music for comedies can be particularly challenging yet fun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 02, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Composer Gordy Haab joins host Jon Burlingame to reveal how he landed his dream job composing music for the Star Wars video games, including the most recent game Star Wars: Squadrons. They also talk about the surprising place where Gordy got the chance opportunity to meet legendary Star Wars composer John Williams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 28, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Composer Tyler Bates joins host Jon Burlingame and reveals how growing up in a haunted house influenced his musical career. They also discuss the unique approach he took to score the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and why director James Gunn wanted the actors and crew to listen to the score as they filmed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 29, 2020•27 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Composer Mark Isham and musician Isabella Summers talk with host Jon Burlingame about their recent collaboration for Hulu's timely dramatic series, Little Fires Everywhere. They reveal how they created musical identities, like betrayal and invasion of privacy, specific to the fraught mother and daughter relationships central to the story. Jon also speaks with Mark about his work on the Disney+ original film, Togo - and the personal reason he was drawn to the epic tale. Learn more about your ad c...
Jun 24, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 12
In this episode, Host Jon Burlingame talks with Emmy Award-winning composer Kris Bowers about his work on Mrs. America, the FX series exclusively on Hulu. Bowers reveals the creative ways that he and his team finished recording music during the quarantine in Los Angeles, as well as what initially drew him to the project. They also talk about how he often fuses hip hop and orchestral sounds, looking for the similarities between them, to help him creatively. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
May 27, 2020•27 min•Season 2Ep. 11
