Today we’d like to introduce you to Joss Saltzman.
Hi Joss, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Looking back, it seems that pursuing a career in writing music for film and television is a path that was inevitable for me. Since I can remember, I’ve dramatized life through music, whether inspired by favorite books, family trips, or friends’ engrossing tales. I was fortunate to have piano lessons from a young age, enabling me to codify these musical narrations on paper. I also developed my singing ability, leading me to join the (Grammy-winning) National Children’s Chorus, where not only my vocal skills but also my potential as a young composer was fostered and encouraged – not least through several premieres of my works (including at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica and in locations as far-flung as Italy and China). As a member of the choir, I was also contracted to record vocals on major motion pictures, including Despicable Me 2 and X-Men: First Class; being a part of these incredible scores instilled in me a desire to create my own. It was through the NCC that I was introduced to Dr. Ian Krouse, Professor of Music Composition at UCLA, who prepared me for formal education in composition. I was also fortunate to be a part of the LA Philharmonic Associate Composers’ Program, where I received invaluable insight and performance workshops from Philharmonic musicians and instructors. Around the same time, I scored my first short film, “Forest King,” which was featured in the LA Film Fest. I went on to study music composition at Stanford University, where I composed for several student films and earned the Golden Medal for Excellence in The Humanities and Creative Arts for my senior project, a score for the documentary Overcome. I’m currently finishing a master’s program in screen scoring at New York University and adding to a growing number of film and television scores that have been featured in festivals and diverse broadcasts from Chinese national television to the 2022 Sports Emmy Awards.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course, challenges and setbacks have shaped my journey and even informed my music in important ways, but it’s my nature to keep the details of those experiences personal and let them speak more broadly through my work.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a composer for film, television, and other media, I strive to support and enhance visual storytelling through my music, inviting catharsis and connection. I work in a variety of genres, encompassing thematic orchestral scores, gritty electronic soundscapes incorporating sampled audio, and pop/musical theatre songs. Being a nearly life-long choral singer (while studying in New York, I’ve continued this part of my practice by singing frequently as a pro chorister at St. Patrick’s Cathedral), I particularly love to include voices in my music – whether others’ or my own. Indeed, I created vocal textures representing an “ancestral call” in my score for Homecoming, a documentary about WNBA star Sue Wicks, which was selected as one of the “Religion of Sports Final Four” at the NYU Sports Film Festival and is screening at the upcoming edition of the Fusion Film Festival. I especially enjoyed working with the director of the film, Amy Rong Yuan, to create and refine our vision for the score; collaborating closely with filmmakers and storytellers to manifest the sonic identity of a project is truly the most invigorating and motivating part of my work. To that end, I endeavor to create scores that not only evoke an impactful emotional response, but also truly immerse audiences in the world of the story.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
First and foremost, I have to credit my mom, who has always been my greatest supporter (and almost as often, greatest critic) – and my sister, who is not only my lifelong best friend, but also a multi-talented collaborator: I had the pleasure of scoring her award-winning short film “Running The Show,” an interview with Nkechi Okoro Carroll, showrunner of the hit series All American (among others). I also have a long list of musical mentors to whom I bear endless gratitude for inspiring and guiding me: my piano teacher, Margy Horowitz (who teaches/performs/music directs across the LA area!); the directors of the National Children’s Chorus, Luke McEndarfer and Dr. Pamela Blackstone; Dr. Ian Krouse of UCLA; Dr. Stephen Sano, Dr. Mark Applebaum, and Dr. François Rose of Stanford University; and Dr. Ron Sadoff, Irwin Fisch, Mark Suozzo, Dr. John Kaefer, Jamie Lawrence, and Eric Hachikian at NYU.
Contact Info:
- Website: joss-music.com
- Instagram: @joss.paxton
