Alex Wurman
{{short description|American composer (born 1966)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name =
| image = File:Film Composer Alex Wurman in a Recording Studio.jpg
| genre = Film score
| occupation = Composer
| website = {{URL|http://alexwurman.com}}
| alt = Film composer Alex Wurman at a recording studio mixing board
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|10|05|df=y}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| instrument = Piano, keyboard, synthesizer, guitar
| years_active = 1993–present
| caption = Wurman in 2019
}}
Alex Wurman (born October 5, 1966) is an American composer who hails from Chicago. He is best known for his film scores to March of the Penguins, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and the TV series Patriot.
Early life and career
Wurman was born in Chicago, to parents Brenda and Hans Wurman, both musicians. His father was a Jewish arranger and composer who wowed the world of electronic music with one of the first Moog synthesizer recordings ('Moog Strikes Bach,' RCA 1969), and before that he escaped from Austria during the Anschluss period of Nazi rule.{{cite news|author=Kate Linthicum|title=Felix Wurman dies at 51; cellist founded Church of Beethoven performance series|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=2009-12-31|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-me-felix-wurman31-2009dec31,0,911909.story}} His brother was cellist Felix Wurman.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-me-felix-wurman31-2009dec31-story.html|title=Felix Wurman dies at 51; cellist founded Church of Beethoven performance series|last=Linthicum|first=Kate|website=Los Angeles Times|date=31 December 2009 |access-date=2019-05-24}}[http://www.mixonline.com/news/films-tv/composer-alex-wurman/369144 Mix Magazine]{{Cite web |url=http://www.alexwurman.com/biography/ |title=Official Biography |access-date=2015-09-05 |archive-date=2018-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801003904/http://www.alexwurman.com/biography/ |url-status=dead }}
Wurman attended Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois, and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. He went on to study at the University of Miami in Coral Gables and later the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago.
After moving to Los Angeles in his early twenties, Wurman began scoring films for students at the American Film Institute.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0943391/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm|title=Alex Wurman - Biography - IMDB|website=IMDb|access-date=May 23, 2019}}
Wurman has written many film scores, including those for the Oscar-winning documentary March of the Penguins, plus Hollywood Homicide, Criminal, Anchorman, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, What Doesn't Kill You, The Nines, Hero, The Switch, Unfinished Business, Run Fatboy Run, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, the contemporary interpretations of French impressionism in Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, the first season of Newsroom and Temple Grandin, for which he won the 2010 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score).[http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1201896/glee-composers-sean-p-callery-alex-wurman-win-at-creative-arts-emmys Billboard.com Glee, Composers Sean P. Callery, Alex Wurman Win At Creative Arts Emmys'] He was previously nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2008 for Bernard and Doris.
Wurman was also a judge for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp Independent Music Awards - Past Judges] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713024722/http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp |date=July 13, 2011 }}
As of June 2019, his most recent score is the Epix TV series Perpetual Grace, LTD.{{Cite web|url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2019/05/07/alex-wurman-scoring-epixs-perpetual-grace-ltd/|title=Alex Wurman Scoring Epix's 'Perpetual Grace, LTD' {{!}} Film Music Reporter|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-25}}
Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
- 2010: Temple Grandin (Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score))
- 2008: Bernard and Doris (nomination)
BMI Film and TV Awards
- 2007: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (BMI Film Music Award)[https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070516006363/en/BMI-Film-Television-Awards-Salute-Composers-Top BMI Film and TV Awards 2007]
- 2006: March of the Penguins (BMI Film Music Award)[https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000106/2006/1/ BMI Film and TV Awards 2006]
- 2005: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (BMI Film Music Award)[https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/2005_bmi_film_tv_awards BMI Film and TV Awards 2005]
The Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival Awards
- 2011: The Last Lions (Best Music){{Cite web |url=http://www.jhfestival.org/2011-festival.html |title=Jackson Hole Film Festival Awards 2011 |access-date=2015-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910060555/http://www.jhfestival.org/2011-festival.html |archive-date=2015-09-10 |url-status=dead }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.alexwurman.com/ Official website]
- {{imdb name|943391|Alex Wurman}}
- [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Alex+Wurman Alex Wurman] on Discogs
{{EmmyAward MusicCompositionLimitedSeriesMovieSpecial}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wurman, Alex}}
Category:20th-century American composers
Category:20th-century American male musicians
Category:21st-century American composers
Category:21st-century American male musicians
Category:American Conservatory of Music alumni
Category:American film score composers
Category:American television composers
Category:American male film score composers
Category:American male television composers