Composer Howard Shore celebrates his 68th birthday. Photo credit: howardshore.com
Award-winning composer Howard Shore is celebrating a birthday! He was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on October 18, 1946, making him 68 years old today.
Although Howard is known primarily for his film score work, he has done other things in his career. Howard was a member of the jazz fusion band Lighthouse from 1969 to 1972. Working with his old summer camp friend Lorne Michaels, Howard was one of the original creative team of Saturday Night Live, serving as the show’s music director from 1975 to 1980. In 2008, his opera The Fly premièred in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet and also played at the Los Angeles Opera. The piano concerto Ruin and Memory was performed by pianist Lang Lang and the China Philharmonic Orchestra in 2010, and cellist Sophie Shao premièred the cello concerto Mythic Gardens in 2012, with the American Symphony Orchestra.
Howard Shore has composed the scores for over 80 films. His best-known work is the scores for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, but he has created many other notable film scores as well. He has collaborated many times with director David Cronenberg, scoring all but one of Cronenberg’s films. Howard’s credits include an impressive list of blockbusters and critically acclaimed films, such as Big (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), and Hugo (2011).
Howard Shore (center), Fran Walsh (left), and Annie Lennox (right) with their Academy Awards for music from ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ in 2004. Photo via ascap.com.
Howard’s scores for The Lord of the Rings garnered him a number of awards. He won three Academy Awards in 2004, Best Original Score for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. He also shared the Oscar for Best Original Song with Annie Lennox and Fran Walsh for “Into the West” from ROTK. He won Golden Globes the same year for Best Original Score for ROTK and Best Original Song for “Into the West” (with Fran Walsh and Annie Lennox). The scores for the three Lord of the Rings films won three consecutive Grammy Awards (2003-2005) for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, adding the Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media in 2005 for “Into the West.” To date, Howard has received 75 career award nominations, winning 71 times.
‘The Lord of the Rings Symphony’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings – Live to Projection’ concerts have been performed by many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras. Photo via kulton.hu.
Since 2003, Howard has been bringing the experience of live performance of The Lord of the Rings music to audiences around the world. He conducted the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings Symphony in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2003. Since then, the world’s most prestigious orchestras have performed the Symphony and The Lord of the Rings – Live to Projection concerts well over 275 times.
Thank you, Howard Shore, for creating the music of Middle-earth! The Middle-earth News staff wishes you the happiest of birthdays!
