Christopher Young

Composer Christopher Young has signed with Different Direction Management for representation.

One of the foremost talents in film music today, Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated and 6x B.M.I. winning composer Christopher Young has scored an impressive number of features in virtually every genre, all with strikingly original music. He has also received The 2019 Fimucité Antón García Abril Award, The 2008 Richard Kirk Award for outstanding career achievement, A Saturn Award and, Several BMI Film & TV Awards. Most recently he scored Netflix’s GUILLERMO DEL TORO PRESENT’S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES and AppleTV+’s dramatic series ECHO 3 from Academy Award winner Mark Boal (THE HURT LOCKER, ZERO DARK THIRTY). Paramount Pictures had a big hit with PET SEMATARY for which Christopher scored. In 2020, another hit was added to his filmography, the crime/thriller THE EMPTY MAN for 20thCentury Studios/Disney, which allowed Young to experiment with different musical colors to create a gritty musical landscape. Later this year Christopher will have two projects released THE OFFERING & THE PIPER. Young was asked to re-score the classic silent movie Nosferatu for its 100th anniversary in 2022. The score will be released in 2024 by Warner Classics. Many are calling it his greatest achievement and it’s already won numerous awards as well as his score from The Piper. Christopher reteamed with legendary director Sam Raimi on his 50 STATES OF FRIGHT series on the brand new streaming service, Quibi. These scores are among the nearly 190+ film & TV project’s that embody the work of this prolific composer. In Chris’s 35+ year career he’s had the distinct honor of collaborating with remarkable directors like; Sam Raimi, Curtis Hanson, Lasse Hallstrom, Clive Barker, Jon Amiel, Kevin Kölsch, Jon Amiel, Dennis Widmyer, Dwight H. Little, Tyler Perry, George A. Romero, Barry Levison and many more.

Young graduated from Massachusetts’s Hampshire College with a BA in music, and did post-graduate work at North Texas State University before moving to Los Angeles in 1980. When he was a teenager, Young was a jazz drummer, a precursor to some of the edgier scores he would later complete. Soon, an introduction to esteemed composer Bernard Herrmann’s movie scores opened up a new world for Young, who was unfamiliar with film scoring. “Here was someone doing everything I wanted to do. I fell in love with the music before I realized that it was written for movies”, said Young.

When Academy Award winning director Norman Jewison hired Young to score Universal Pictures; THE HURRICANE, Young officially entered the pantheon of A-list composers. His composition was widely praised, impressing the legendary director, who exclaimed, “I love it…he captures the power and strength of what was happening onscreen”. Later Jewison would personally recommend Young to Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson for the MGM release, BANDITS. Other notable credit include the techno sound of SWORDFISH which displays his versatility and his ability to incorporate elements of DJ Paul Oakenfold’s hypnotic trance into Young’s orchestral score; the resonant, genuine Celtic sounds of THE SHIPPING NEWS display his attention to detail; to the heart-pounding rhythms of SPIDER-MAN 3 are all evidence of his willingness to experiment; the spine-tingling HELLRAISER showcases the composer’s seminal upbringing in horror.

Chris kept his momentum going, scoring UNTRACEABLE starring Diane Lane. Young delved into the dramatic with SLEEPWALKING starring Charlize Theron. Young worked closely with Theron who was also a co-producer on the film. He then scored the action packed Vampire thriller PRIEST. Young also worked on BLACK TULIP and the Hunter S. Thompson drama, THE RUM DIARY starring Johnny Depp.

Christopher Young says he has been blessed with his career so he gives back to the film music community. He has taught a film scoring class at USC for over ten years, a two-term past president of The Film Music Society, and the president of the Madrid Film Music Festival in Spain.

He has also mentored many starting composers, and is often the first stop when they arrive in L.A.  For several years Young offered the Tilden House residency program to qualifying aspiring film composers and musicians to help establish them in Hollywood.  The goal of the program was to provide not for profit housing & assistance to those who might not otherwise be able to start or continue their careers.