Joe Kraemer (composer)

Kraemer was born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Albany, New York. His father and uncle were both musicians, and Kraemer began taking piano lessons at an early age. In high school he befriended an older boy named Scott Storm, who became a professional filmmaker. Kraemer's first film score was for a Super-8 film written and directed by Storm, called Chiming Hour. Kraemer, who also acted in the film, was 15 at the time.{{cite web |url=http://www.colonnesonore.net/contenuti-speciali/interviste/2418-reaching-back-to-the-classic-film-score-interview-with-joe-kraemer.html |title=Reaching Back to the Classic Film Score: Interview with Joe Kraemer |first=Maurizio |last=Caschetto |work=ColonneSonore |access-date=2 August 2018 |date=4 February 2013}} Storm later introduced Kraemer to filmmakers Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie.

While attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, Kraemer decided he wanted to be a film composer. Through contacts such as Singer and McQuarrie, he was able to obtain work first as a sound (and occasionally music) editor, before eventually crossing over into television and film composing.

Kraemer's first feature film score was the 2000 film The Way of the Gun, a modern-day western written and directed by Oscar-winner Christopher McQuarrie. The film starred Benicio del Toro, Ryan Phillippe, and James Caan. Though the film performed poorly at the box office, it became something of a cult classic, and some industry insiders began to expect great things from Kraemer. {{refn|group=Note|"Kraemer was heralded as one of film music’s ‘next big things’ following his excellent score for the thriller The Way of the Gun in 2000."{{cite web |url=http://moviemusicuk.us/2013/01/15/jack-reacher-joe-kraemer/ |title=Jack Reacher - Joe Kraemer |work=Movie Music UK |date=January 15, 2013 |access-date=3 September 2018 |first=Jonathan |last=Broxton |publisher=WordPress.com}}}}

Over the next few years, Kraemer scored music for the hit TV series Femme Fatales, the docudrama Emerald Cowboy (2003); in 2006 he teamed up with his old classmate Scott Storm for the low-budget crime thriller Ten 'til Noon, which won awards at the film festival level; and in 2008 he scored the direct-to-video thriller Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead, written by J. J. Abrams.

In 2012, Kraemer got his chance, composing the score for the Tom Cruise action thriller Jack Reacher (directed by McQuarrie). His score was nominated in the Best Original Score - Feature Film category at the 2012 Hollywood Music In Media Awards.{{cite news |title=Joe Kraemer scores Jack Reacher |first=Dan |last=Goldwasser |url=http://scoringsessions.com/2013/01/16/joe-kraemer-scores-jack-reacher/ |newspaper=Scoring Sessions |date=16 January 2013 |access-date=25 November 2014 |publisher=Warm Butter Design}} His credits also include the 2014 film Dawn Patrol, starring Scott Eastwood.{{cite web |url=https://jonman492000.wordpress.com/2016/09/29/an-interview-with-composer-joe-kraemer/ |title=AN INTERVIEW WITH COMPOSER JOE KRAEMER. |date=29 September 2016 |publisher=WordPress |access-date=2 August 2018 |author=Jonman492000}}

Kraemer worked with McQuarrie and Cruise again when he scored the fifth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015).{{cite web |url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2014/09/19/joe-kraemer-to-score-mission-impossible-5/ |title=Joe Kraemer to Score 'Mission: Impossible 5 |work=Film Music Reporter |date=19 September 2014 |access-date=3 September 2018 |first=George E. |last=Frog |publisher=eFrog}}{{Cite web |last=Richard • • |first=Kimberly |date=2023-10-07 |title=Dallas Chamber Symphony opens its 2023-2024 season with movie-in-concert of 'Sunrise' |url=https://www.nbcdfw.com/entertainment/the-scene/dallas-chamber-symphony-opens-its-2023-2024-season-with-movie-in-concert-of-sunrise/3354635/ |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth |language=en-US}}

Since 2015, Kraemer has been providing music and sound design to a number of audio plays released by Big Finish Productions. These include spin-offs for Doctor Who characters such as Madam Vastra, Missy and Rose Tyler, starring the original actors.

In 2016, Kraemer was commissioned by the Dallas Chamber Symphony to write new music for F.W. Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.{{cite web |url=https://www.dcsymphony.org/news/sunrise-song-two-humans-new-score-joe-kraemer-premieres-oct-18th/ |title=SUNRISE: A Song of Two Humans with new score by Joe Kraemer, premieres Oct. 18th |work=Dallas Chamber Symphony |date=22 September 2016 |access-date=2 August 2018}} The score premiered on October 18, 2016 at Moody Performance Hall with Richard McKay conducting.{{Cite news |last=Magazine |first=D |date=2016-10-17 |title=What to See at Dallas VideoFest |url=https://www.dmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2016/10/what-to-see-at-dallas-videofest/ |access-date=2024-12-09 |work=D Magazine |language=en-US}} Selections from the score were recorded and released on Caldera Records.{{Cite web |title=FSM Board: Caldera: SUNRISE (Joe Kraemer) |url=https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=130364&forumID=1&archive=0 |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=www.filmscoremonthly.com}}

In 2017, Kraemer composed the score for the teen anthology series Creeped Out on CBBC.

Since 2015, Kraemer has been providing music and sound design to a number of audio plays released by Big Finish Productions.{{Cite web|title=Joe Kraemer - Contributions - Big Finish|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/contributors/v/Joe-Kraemer-10890?sort_ordering=date_asc&search_product_type=audiobook&search_availability=all|access-date=2021-01-20|website=www.bigfinish.com}} At first, these were mainly Doctor Who Monthly Adventures plays, but Kraemer has moved to work mainly on spin-offs from the main range.

{{reflist|group=Note}}

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|0469145}}
• [http://www.scoringsessions.com/news/246/Joe Kraemer scores Jack Reacher]
• [http://www.bmi.com/photos/entry/559244/BMI Composer Joe Kraemer Delivers Classic Score for ‘Jack Reacher’]
• [https://www.bigfinish.com/search_results?sort_ordering=date_desc&search_product_type=audiobook&search_range_id=&search_availability=all&search_term=joe+kraemer Big Finish Productions with Joe Kraemer]

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for Joe Kraemer

|list =

{{International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure Film}}

{{WSA for Discovery of the Year}}

}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraemer, Joe}}

Category:1971 births

Category:American classical composers

Category:American film score composers

Category:Living people

Category:American television composers

Category:20th-century American composers

Category:21st-century American composers

Category:Musicians from Buffalo, New York

Category:Musicians from Albany, New York

Category:Berklee College of Music alumni

Category:American male classical composers

Category:American male film score composers

Category:American male television composers

Category:Classical musicians from New York (state)

Category:20th-century American male musicians

Category:21st-century American male musicians