Disney For Scores
In For Scores, host Jon Burlingame takes listeners on a magical journey into the world of film and television composers, revealing never-before-heard special moments behind many of today's most beloved scores. This season, you'll hear personal stories from the composers of Marvel Studios Avengers and Pixar's Toy Story films, Captain Marvel, Coco, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and so much more!
Wed, October 11, 2023
John Williams
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 most recognized film scores of all time— with no signs of slowing down after nearly seven decades in the studio.
Wed, July 19, 2023
Thomas Newman
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.
S3 E8 · Wed, June 14, 2023
Rob Marshall, Alan Menken
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.
Wed, May 17, 2023
John Murphy
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.
S3 E6 · Fri, April 21, 2023
THE BIG SCORE: Simon Franglen on 20th Century’s ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ [Full Interview]
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 three fingers. A longtime collaborator with director, James Cameron, Simon also reveals in the episode how he came to work with Cameron initially on Titanic, winning a Grammy for “My Heart Will Go On” and which lead to them collaborating again on the original Avatar, alongside James Horner, and Avatar: The Way of Water. Follow The Big Score podcast here: https://www.instagram.com/bigscoreoff... https://www.facebook.com/TheBigScoreO... https://www.tiktok.com/@bigscoreofficial https://twitter.com/thebigscore
Wed, April 19, 2023
Joe Shirley
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.
S3 E5 · Sat, January 14, 2023
Simon Franglen
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.
S3 E4 · Wed, November 30, 2022
Alan Menken: Disenchanted
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.
S3 E3 · Wed, October 19, 2022
Alan Silvestri, Glen Ballard
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.
S3 E2 · Wed, September 07, 2022
Laura Karpman
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.
S3 E1 · Wed, July 27, 2022
Natalie Holt
“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."
Wed, January 19, 2022
Matt Sullivan
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.
Wed, January 19, 2022
David Newman
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.
Wed, December 15, 2021
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Germaine Franco
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.
Wed, November 17, 2021
Ramin Djawadi
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.
S2 E25 · Wed, October 13, 2021
Danny Elfman
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.
S2 E24 · Wed, September 22, 2021
Alan Menken (Part 2)
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 including Disenchanted , and the live action The Little Mermaid.
S2 E23 · Wed, August 25, 2021
Alan Menken (Part 1)
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 Beast , and Aladdin.
S2 E22 · Wed, July 21, 2021
Lorne Balfe
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.
S2 E21 · Wed, June 23, 2021
Nicholas Britell
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.
S2 E19 · Wed, April 21, 2021
Raphaelle Thibaut
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.
S2 E20 · Wed, April 21, 2021
Neil Davidge
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.
S2 E18 · Wed, March 24, 2021
James Newton Howard
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 in his career.
S2 E17 · Wed, February 24, 2021
Ludwig Goransson
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.
S2 E16 · Wed, January 27, 2021
Marcus Miller
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.
S2 E15 · Wed, December 02, 2020
Rachel Portman
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
S2 E14 · Wed, October 28, 2020
Gordy Haab
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.
S2 E13 · Wed, July 29, 2020
Tyler Bates
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.
S2 E12 · Wed, June 24, 2020
Mark Isham and Isabella Summers
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.
S2 E11 · Wed, May 27, 2020
Kris Bowers
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.
S2 E10 · Wed, April 29, 2020
Henry Jackman, Part 2
In this second episode of host Jon Burlingame's two-part interview with Henry Jackman, the composer talks about his work on Captain America: WInter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War and reveals the helpful lesson he learned about film composing from a math course. They also delve into how composing for live action films differs from animated ones, like Big Hero 6.
S2 E9 · Wed, March 25, 2020
Joseph Trapanese
In this episode, Host Jon Burlingame sits down with composer Joseph Trapanese to talk about his work on the live-action Lady and the Tramp, first Disney project Tron Legacy and his collaborations with Daft Punk, Dr. Dre and M83.
S2 E8 · Thu, February 27, 2020
John Powell
Host Jon Burlingame talks about THE CALL OF THE WILD and SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY with Oscar-nominated composer John Powell, who reveals exclusive details about his process and the privilege of working with the legendary John Williams.
S2 E7 · Tue, January 28, 2020
Randy Newman
Composer and songwriter Randy Newman sits down with host Jon Burlingame to talk about Randy's long history with Disney and Pixar films, including his work on all four Toy Story movies, Monsters, Inc. and A Bug's Life. He also reveals why he loves using orchestras in his scoring and how the musical legends in his family influenced his life's work.
S2 E6 · Mon, December 23, 2019
John Debney
In this nostalgic episode of FOR SCORES, Oscar-nominated composer John Debney reveals to host Jon Burlingame how meeting Walt Disney and the Sherman brothers during his childhood influenced his life's work on films including The Princess Diaries and The Jungle Book.
S2 E5 · Wed, December 11, 2019
Christophe Beck
In this episode, Host Jon Burlingame talks with prolific and versatile composer Christophe Beck, whose film scoring can be heard in more than one hundred films including Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Frozen and most recently, Frozen 2. Beck reveals lessons he learned early in his career and his musical strategy for dealing with humorous scenes and characters in films.
S2 E4 · Wed, November 27, 2019
Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez
Oscar-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez sit down with Host Jon Burlingame to talk about their work on Frozen and Frozen 2. They delve into the special moments and personal stories that influenced their songs, as well as reveal their creative process with an exclusive and impromptu singing session live on piano.
S2 E3 · Wed, November 13, 2019
Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders
Composers Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders talk with host Jon Burlingame about their most recent film Ford v Ferrari and their two decade partnership in film and TV scoring. They also reveal to Jon a few funny stories about their early days.
S2 E2 · Wed, October 30, 2019
Geoff Zanelli
Composer Geoff Zanelli talks with host Jon Burlingame about his college internship in Hans Zimmer 's studio and how that jumpstarted his career working on all of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, The Odd Life of Timothy Green and, most recently, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.Geoff also reveals how his father's deafness greatly influenced his appreciation of music.
S2 E1 · Tue, October 15, 2019
Germaine Franco
Host Jon Burlingame talks about Coco with composer Germaine Franco, who co-wrote several of the film's songs, and Tom MacDougall, the Executive Producer of the film's soundtrack. They reveal how they achieved the authentic sonic landscape of Mexico by recording there with local musicians and indigenous instruments, as well as weaving in musical styles like mariachi bands, banda and jarocho.
S1 E4 · Fri, August 23, 2019
Henry Jackman (Part 1)
In this first of two episodes with composer Henry Jackman, he tells host Jon Burlingame how he rebelled against the classical music and choir singing of his childhood in England with drums and pop music. He also reveals how a surprise call from the legendary Hans Zimmer lead to his career in film scoring, as well as the secret homage he made to John Williams' iconic music from Star Wars in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
S1 E3 · Fri, August 23, 2019
Harry Gregson-Williams
Composer Harry Gregson-Williams tells host Jon Burlingame how he helped make penguins seem even more charming and funny in Disneynature's documentary, Penguins. They go on to discuss why Harry actually enjoys the stress of conducting his own scores and how his own children are both his best audience and critics. Harry also gives a sneak peek into the music for the upcoming live-action Mulan film.
S1 E2 · Fri, August 23, 2019
Pinar Toprak
Composer Pinar Toprak speaks with host Jon Burlingame about her amazing journey from studying violin at a conservatory in her homeland of Turkey, to becoming the first woman to score a film in the Marvel cinematic universe. She shares stories about the soundtrack that most influenced her career, her work scoring popular video games and the panic attack that helped her come up with the theme for Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel.
S1 E1 · Fri, August 23, 2019
Alan Silvestri
Composer Alan Silvestri talks with host Jon Burlingame about his work on four Marvel Studios films including Avengers: Endgame. Alan also reveals the emotional process he goes through, how it has shaped his work in the film industry over the decades and how despite the wide range of movies he's worked on -- that it's all still a terrifying mystery to him.
Trailer · Fri, August 16, 2019
For Scores
In For Scores, host Jon Burlingame takes listeners on a magical journey into the world of film and television composers, revealing never-before-heard special moments behind many of today's most beloved scores. This season, you'll hear personal stories from the composers of Marvel Studios Avengers and Pixar's Toy Story films, Captain Marvel, Coco, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and so much more!
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