Nathan Barr
Encyclopedia
Nathan Barr is a film and television composer
known for playing the majority of the instruments heard in his compositions.
, Japan
at the age of 4. His interest in music and collecting rare and unusual instruments lead him to travel all over the world. He has said he owns a trumpet made out of a human femur and a set of bagpipes out of a pig's belly. Barr studied at Skidmore College
, and in 1993, tour Italy and Switzerland with the Juilliard Cello Ensemble.
In 1996, Barr moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in composing film and television scores. One of his first jobs was working under the tutelage of world-renowned composer, Hans Zimmer
, on films such as As Good as It Gets
and The Prince of Egypt
. Shortly thereafter, he branched out on his own and landed his first solo-venture on the Lionsgate comedy Too Smooth. Since then, Barr has scored a large array of feature films and TV series, most notably scoring all episodes of HBO's hit series True Blood
.
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
known for playing the majority of the instruments heard in his compositions.
Biography
Nathan Barr started studying music in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
at the age of 4. His interest in music and collecting rare and unusual instruments lead him to travel all over the world. He has said he owns a trumpet made out of a human femur and a set of bagpipes out of a pig's belly. Barr studied at Skidmore College
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
, and in 1993, tour Italy and Switzerland with the Juilliard Cello Ensemble.
In 1996, Barr moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in composing film and television scores. One of his first jobs was working under the tutelage of world-renowned composer, Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
, on films such as As Good as It Gets
As Good as It Gets
As Good as It Gets is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks and produced by Laura Ziskin. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, obsessive-compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with an asthmatic son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist. The screenplay was...
and The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated musical drama film and the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks Animation. The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the...
. Shortly thereafter, he branched out on his own and landed his first solo-venture on the Lionsgate comedy Too Smooth. Since then, Barr has scored a large array of feature films and TV series, most notably scoring all episodes of HBO's hit series True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
.
Personal life
In 2010, Barr came out as bisexual in OUT Magazine's OUT 100, which names the hundred most influential LGBT individuals of the year.Discography
1997- As Good as It GetsAs Good as It GetsAs Good as It Gets is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks and produced by Laura Ziskin. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, obsessive-compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with an asthmatic son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist. The screenplay was...
(assistant to Hans Zimmer)
1998
- The Prince of EgyptThe Prince of EgyptThe Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated musical drama film and the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks Animation. The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the...
(assistant to Hans Zimmer) - HairshirtHairshirt (film)Hairshirt is a 1998 romantic comedy film starring Dean Paras, Neve Campbell, Katie Wright, Rebecca Gayheart and Stefan Brogren.-Plot:...
- Traveling Companion
1999
- Crazy Connected Thing
- Beyond the MatBeyond the MatBeyond the Mat is a 1999 documentary directed by Barry W. Blaustein. The movie focuses on the lives of professional wrestlers outside of the ring, primarily Mick Foley, Terry Funk, and Jake Roberts, as well as some aspiring wrestlers...
- Protect-O-Man
2000
- FearMTV's FearMTV's Fear is an American paranormal reality television series that originally aired from 2000 to 2002 on MTV. The program follows a group of 5 or more contestants being left at an allegedly haunted location and led them on a series of dares over two nights to explore and confirm whether or not the...
(TV) - The Virginian (TV)
- From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's DaughterFrom Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's DaughterFrom Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter is a 2000 American horror film, a prequel to the 1996 film From Dusk till Dawn. It was released straight to video and nominated for the Best Home Video Release Saturn Award.-Plot:...
- Red Dirt
- Double Down
2001
- Going GreekGoing GreekGoing Greek is a 2001 American comedy film written and directed by Justin Zackham.-Plot:Set in any-college U.S.A., centering on Jake, an embittered ex-high school American football star who is coerced into pledging the "coolest" fraternity on campus. Jake does so in order to protect Gil, his...
- Big Time
- Kate BrasherKate BrasherKate Brasher is an American dramatic television series that was broadcast by CBS. It premiered at 9:00pm ET/PT on Saturday, February 24, 2001 and was cancelled after six episodes.The title character was the single mother of teenaged sons Daniel and Elvis...
- Venus and Mars
2002
- Cabin Fever
2003
- Open Water (composer: additional music)
- Briar Patch
2004
- Club DreadClub DreadClub Dread is a 2004 comedy horror film written by the comedy group Broken Lizard, who also created Super Troopers...
- Mojave
2005
- 2001 Maniacs2001 Maniacs2001 Maniacs is a 2005 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Sullivan, starring Robert Englund, Jay Gillespie, Dylan Edrington, and Matthew Carey. It is a remake of the 1964 film Two Thousand Maniacs! written and directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. The film is distributed by Lions Gate...
- My Name Is...
- The Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard (film)The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 comedy film based on the American television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and released on August 5, 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures...
- Hostel
2006
- BeerfestBeerfestBeerfest is a 2006 beer-themed comedy film by the comedy group Broken Lizard. Along with the regular members of Broken Lizard, other actors who appear in the movie include Will Forte, M. C. Gainey, Cloris Leachman, Kendra C...
2007
- Grindhouse (segment "Thanksgiving")
- Rise: Blood Hunter
- Watching the Detectives
- Hostel: Part II
2008
- ShutterShutter (2008 film)Shutter is a 2008 American remake of the 2004 Thai horror film of the same name. The remake was directed by Masayuki Ochiai, and was released on March 21, 2008.-Plot:...
- Lost Boys: The TribeLost Boys: The TribeLost Boys: The Tribe is a 2008 sequel to the successful 1987 vampire horror film, The Lost Boys; directed by P. J. Pesce. It stars Autumn Reeser, Tad Hilgenbrink, Angus Sutherland and Corey Feldman...
- TorturedTortured (film)Tortured is a 2008 crime thriller film written and directed by Nolan Lebovitz and starring Cole Hauser, Laurence Fishburne, and James Cromwell. It was released direct-to-DVD in the U.S. on September 16, 2008. The movie was filmed in Canada, in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Plot:FBI agent Kevin Cole...
- True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
2009
- True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
- The Slammin' Salmon
- Peep World
- The Last ExorcismThe Last ExorcismThe Last Exorcism is a 2010 American found footage horror film directed and edited by Daniel Stamm. It stars Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, and Louis Herthum....
2010
- True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
- Hood to Coast
- Open House
2011
- The LedgeThe Ledge (film)The Ledge is a 2011 thriller film written and directed by Matthew Chapman, starring Charlie Hunnam, Terrence Howard, Liv Tyler and Patrick Wilson. The film premiered in the U.S...
Awards
- 2010 BMI AwardBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
for Original Score for True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
Season 2 (HBO)
- 2009 Hollywood Media in Music Award for Best Score for True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
(HBO)
- 2009 BMI AwardBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
for Original Score for True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
(HBO)
- 2006 BMI AwardBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
for Music for Film: The Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...