Paul Hardesty Cristo is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 composer

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...

 and conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

. His focus is specific to film scoring, but has composed other works as well.

Early life

Paul Cristo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...

. In 1992, Cristo moved to Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

 with his family. He attended Arcadia High School and graduated in 1998. He later attended Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...

 in Boston and in 2001, received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition

Musical composition

Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...

, graduating magna cum laude

Latin honors

Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...

.

After graduation, Cristo moved to Los Angeles to pursue his film scoring career.

Film Scoring

Cristo’s compositions lean mainly toward the large-scale orchestral sound of the late 19th century- notable for counterpoint

Counterpoint

In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...

, texture

Texture (music)

In music, texture is the way the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are combined in a composition , thus determining the overall quality of sound of a piece...

, chromaticism

Chromaticism

Chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. Chromaticism is in contrast or addition to tonality or diatonicism...

, harmonies

Harmony

In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...

 and orchestration

Orchestration

Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...

, employing an elaborate use of leitmotif

Leitmotif

A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...

s. His music reflects an influence from Wagner

Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...

, and the more contemporary John Williams

John Williams

John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...

.

Prior to completing his studies at Berklee, Cristo’s first commercial film composition was for the award-winning horror

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

 art film

Art film

An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...

, Little Erin Merryweather (released in 2003). Cristo conducted a professional orchestra as well as the University Chorale of Boston College

Boston College

Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...

 at one of the cathedrals on the Boston College campus. The use of the Chorale in the style of a Wagnerian-chant, enhanced the dark nature of the film.

Once Cristo arrived in Los Angeles, he worked as an orchestrator

Orchestration

Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...

 as well as providing technical computer support to augment his income. His next score was for the short film, Last Confession (2005).

Cristo’s scoring accomplishments continued with a dramatic western River's End

River's End

River's End is a 2005 American Western-drama film directed by William Katt.-Plot:Filmed on location in Central, South, and West Texas. Corbin plays a fictional Menard County sheriff who uses country savvy and cowboy logic to straighten out his angry teenage grandson, Clay, a high school senior who...

(2007), a mystery thriller The Deep Below

The Deep Below

The Deep Below is a feature film released directly to DVD in March 2007 by Zepper Pictures. Directed by Rod Slane, who also co-written with Ami Neder, the film stars Jason Dohring, Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn. The film was produced by Extended Family Entertainment, an Olahoma-based production...

(2007), and the action drama The Governor (2007).

In 2007, Cristo scored his first major studio release. He co-wrote the score for the 4th installment of MGM’s “Species” franchise, Species - The Awakening with British Rock drummer Kevin Haskins

Kevin Haskins

Kevin Haskins also known as Kevin Michael Dompe is a drummer best known from the British rock group Bauhaus. He was also a member of Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets...

.

In 2008, Cristo wrote the score for the award-winning The Appearance of a Man (2008).

Concert Works

In 2008, Cristo was commissioned to write an original composition for the Tulsa Ballet

Tulsa Ballet

Tulsa Ballet is a professional American Ballet company located in Tulsa, OK. The artistic mission of Tulsa Ballet is "To preserve the tradition of classical ballet, promote the appreciation of contemporary dance, create works of superior and enduring quality, and educate through exemplary...

. Cristo teamed with award-winning resident choreographer Ma Cong, to compose a ballet consisting of six movements, Festa, as part of the ballet program, Mediterranea. The ballet premiered on May 1, 2009.

Notable Compositions

Film Scores:

· Little Erin Merryweather (2003)

· Last Confession (2005)

· River’s End (2007)

· The Deep Below

The Deep Below

The Deep Below is a feature film released directly to DVD in March 2007 by Zepper Pictures. Directed by Rod Slane, who also co-written with Ami Neder, the film stars Jason Dohring, Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn. The film was produced by Extended Family Entertainment, an Olahoma-based production...

(2007)

· The Governor (2007)

· Species - The Awakening (2007)

· The Appearance of a Man (2008)

· Singularity (2010)

Concert Works:

· Festa (2009)

External links