Christopher D. Cook
| Christopher Cook | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Christopher David Cook |
| Born |
18 November 1988 Greenwich, London, England |
| Genres | Film score, Orchestral |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, conductor |
| Instruments | Piano, Synthesizer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Christopher David Cook (born 18 November 1988) is a British composer and conductor, who works mainly in film and television. He is known for creating the original music used in the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as composing music for movie trailers such as Lincoln, and War Horse.
Early life and education
Christopher Cook was born in Greenwich, London. His musical talent was apparent at a young age. He learned to play piano by ear at 6 years old. He developed as a musician without formal training by listening to television adverts and film scores for the next 6 years.
Christopher was raised in Charlton, London and was educated at Thorntree Primary School, till his family moved up to Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in 1998. He studied for a short time at North County Primary School, where his musical interests were further encouraged, before entering secondary education at The Castle Hills Community Arts College where he excelled in Music, Drama and the Arts. Upon leaving school, he went on to study popular music at Lincoln College for a further two years.
Career
Christopher started his film/television composing career in 2006 at age 18, composing scores for low-budget independent films, TV adverts, and radio jingles whilst studying at college. He also at this time started to master the art of composing, arranging and orchestrating for small, and large orchestras, without any academic aid.
From 2007 to 2009, Cook had written several classical scores for piano and small orchestra, as well as submitting works to several online music libraries. In 2010, Cook submitted works for the upcoming London 2012 Olympic games, but was only intended for advertisement purposes only. However, when "LOCOG" the event organizers eventually heard the symphonic pieces written, the decision was made to use them in the actual opening event, rather than just for promotional use.
On 27 July 2012, The London Olympic Games commenced, with the soundtrack being released the day after, selling over 10,000 copies within the first 24 hours of it going on sale.[1][2] Along with the success of the Olympics, Christopher has also composed scores for major film trailers. These include "Angels & Demons (film)", "War Horse (film)", and "Lincoln (2012 film)". He has also written music for several small theatre plays and conducted several musicals, including "Wicked (musical)" on London's West End. [3] He also provided orchestration and conducting services to "Titanic Live", a concert at The Royal Albert Hall in which the late "James Horner" made one of his last public appearances. Horner was killed when his single-engine Tucano aircraft crashed in the "Los Padres National Forest" on June 22nd 2015.
Influences
Cook is heavily inspired by the great film composers of the 20th Century, such as the late James Horner, Danny Elfman, Jerry Goldsmith, and his biggest influence, John Williams. His composing technique, such as the big symphonic sound, sweeping melodies and intricate orchestration, often emulates the orchestral style of Williams and his contemporaries.
Personal life
Christopher currently composes, whilst teaching at The Gainsborough Academy, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.
Awards
- Jury Prize (2011) for "The Man Who Fell Out Of Bed"[4]
- NME - Greatest Music Moment of the Year (2013)[5]
Discography
- "Isles of Wonder" - The Music For The Opening Ceremony London 2012 Olympic Games (2012)
References
- ↑ Cass Jones. "London 2012 opening ceremony compilation album tops iTunes chart". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ↑
- ↑ Paul Sellar. "Man Who Fell out of Bed". Oberonbooks.com. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ↑ "Lincoln drama students impress Hollywood judges to scoop international award". Lincoln.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ↑ "Olympics Opening Ceremony beats Bowie to be NME Music Moment of The Year". Telegraph.co.uk. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2014.