Mychael Danna is an Oscar and and Emmy Award-winning film composer recognized for
his evocative blending of non-western traditions with orchestral and
electronic music. His highly awarded works include the Oscar-winning
score for Ang Lee's
Life of Pi: Schiffbruch mit Tiger (2012), and his many Genie
Award-winning scores for director and longtime collaborator,
Atom Egoyan.
His passion for presenting complex ideas in a musically accessible way
began as Danna learned his craft at the University of Toronto. There,
he was exposed to early- and world-music that later influenced his
style. Danna earned the school's inaugural "Glenn Gould Composition
Award" in 1985 and also began scoring for student theatre groups, as he
launched his artistic partnership with Egoyan. Danna has scored all of
Egoyan's films since 1987's
Familienbilder (1987).
Danna's work on Egoyan's films,
Ararat (2002),
Felicia, mein Engel (1999),
Das süße Jenseits (1997)
and Exotica (1994), secured him Genie
awards from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television; as did his
score for Deepa Mehta's Oscar-winning film,
Water (2005).
Danna earned the 2013 Golden Globe and 2013 Oscar for scoring
Ang Lee's
Life of Pi: Schiffbruch mit Tiger (2012), following his
collaborations with Lee on
Der Eissturm (1997) and
Wer mit dem Teufel reitet (1999).
Life of Pi: Schiffbruch mit Tiger (2012)'s rich soundscape
reflects a deeply transnational story with inventive cross-cultural
arrangements: Indian sitars play French melodies, European play South
Asian motifs, a church choir sings in Sanskrit, and a variety of other
musical combinations soar alongside a full studio orchestra.
The highly awarded work embodies Danna's approach to
composition-creating rich soundscapes to be appreciated by a wide
audience.
Other celebrated collaborations include those with
Bennett Miller on his multiple
Oscar-nominee Die Kunst zu gewinnen - Moneyball (2011) and his
Oscar-winning drama, Capote (2005); with
Terry Gilliam on his Oscar-nominated
Das Kabinett des Doktor Parnassus (2009)
and Tideland (2005); with
Mira Nair on
Vanity Fair - Jahrmarkt der Eitelkeit (2004),
Monsoon Wedding (2001) and
Kama Sutra - Die Kunst der Liebe (1996);
and with Billy Ray on
Enttarnt - Verrat auf höchster Ebene (2007) and
Shattered Glass (2003).
Danna's credits also include the Oscar-winning
Little Miss Sunshine (2006),
for which he shared a Grammy Award nomination for Best Compilation
Soundtrack Album; Marc Webb's
acclaimed romantic comedy,
(500) Days of Summer (2009);
and James Mangold's Oscar-winning film,
Durchgeknallt (1999).
