Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer and conductor noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's bo ...

'' and '' The Hobbit'' film trilogies. He won three

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for his work on ''The Lord of the Rings'', with one being for the song " Into the West", an award he shared with Eurythmics lead vocalist Annie Lennox and writer/producer Fran Walsh, who wrote the lyrics. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg, having scored all but one of his films since 1979. Shore has also composed a few concert works including one

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

, '' The Fly'', based on the plot of Cronenberg's 1986 film, which premiered at the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

in Paris on July 2, 2008; a short piece named ''Fanfare for the Wanamaker Organ and the Philadelphia Orchestra''; and a short overture for the Swiss 21st Century Symphony Orchestra. Shore has also composed for television, including serving as the original musical director for the American sketch comedy show ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' from 1975 to 1980. In addition to his three

, Shore has also won three

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

s and four

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

Early life and career

Howard Shore was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, the son of Bernice (née Ash) and Mac Shore. Shore is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. He started studying music at the age of 8 or 9. He learned a multitude of instruments and began playing in bands at the ages of 13 and 14. When Shore was 13, he met and became good friends with a young Lorne Michaels in summer camp, and this friendship would later be influential in his career. By 17, he decided he wanted to pursue music in his adult life too. He studied music at Berklee College of Music in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

after graduating from Forest Hill Collegiate Institute. From 1969 to 1972, Shore was a member of the

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and ke ...

band

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

. In 1970, he became the music director for Lorne Michaels and Hart Pomerantz's short-lived TV program '' The Hart & Lorne Terrific Hour''. Shore wrote the music for Canadian magician Doug Henning's magic musical ''Spellbound'' in 1974 and, from 1975 to 1980, he was the musical director for Lorne Michaels' influential late-night NBC comedy show ''

'', appearing in many musical sketches, including Howard Shore and His All-Nurse Band, and dressed as a beekeeper for a John Belushi/

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...

performance of the Slim Harpo classic " I'm a King Bee". Shore also suggested the name for

The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...

and John Belushi.

Film scoring

1978–2000

Shore's first film score was to the low budget thriller ''

I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses ''I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses'' (also known as ''Drop Dead, Dearest'' and ''Left for Dead'') is a 1978 Canadian drama mystery film based on the Peter Demeter murder case. The film is one of the infamous " Video Nasties", and is the first film sco ...

'' (1978), followed by David Cronenberg's first major film, ''

The Brood ''The Brood'' is a 1979 Canadian psychological body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, and Art Hindle. Its plot follows a man and his mentally ill ex-wife, who has been sequestered by ...

'' (1979). He would go on to score all of Cronenberg's subsequent films, with the exception of '' The Dead Zone'' (1983), which was scored by

Michael Kamen Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician. Biography Early life Michael Arnold Kamen was bor ...

. The first film he scored that was not directed by Cronenberg was

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

's '' After Hours'' (1985). Following that, he scored '' The Fly'' (1986), again directed by Cronenberg. Two years later, he composed the score to '' Big'' (1988), directed by

Penny Marshall Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She is known for her role as ...

and starring

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

. He then scored two more of David Cronenberg's films: '' Dead Ringers'' (1988) and '' Naked Lunch'' (1991). During 1991, Shore composed the score for the highly acclaimed film '' The Silence of the Lambs'', starring Jodie Foster and

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

, and directed by

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film '' Caged Heat'', befo ...

. He received his first BAFTA nomination for the score. The film became the third (and most recent) to win the five major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress). Shore is the only living composer to have scored a "Top Five" Oscar-winning film. During 1993, he composed the scores for ''

M. Butterfly ''M. Butterfly'' is a play by David Henry Hwang. The story, while entwined with that of the opera ''Madama Butterfly'', is based most directly on the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a Peking opera singer. ...

'' (another collaboration with Cronenberg), ''

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

'' (his second collaboration with Jonathan Demme), and '' Mrs. Doubtfire'', directed by

Chris Columbus Christopher Columbus was an explorer born in Genoa, Italy. Christopher Columbus or Chris Columbus may also refer to: People * Chris Columbus (musician) (1902–2002), American jazz drummer * Chris Columbus (filmmaker) (born 1958), American direc ...

. The latter two films were highly successful, ''Philadelphia'' winning

his first Oscar. Shore scored another three films in 1994: '' The Client'', ''

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

'', and '' Nobody's Fool''. ''Ed Wood'' is notable for being one of the three films directed by Tim Burton that did not feature a score by

Danny Elfman Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered internation ...

. Shore continued to score numerous films from 1995 to 2001, including two David Fincher films, '' Seven'' (1995) and '' The Game'' (1997), and ''

The Truth About Cats and Dogs ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1996), directed by Michael Lehmann; he also collaborated on two films with Cronenberg, along with Tom Hanks' directorial debut, ''

That Thing You Do! ''That Thing You Do!'' is a 1996 American comedy film co-starring, written, and directed by Tom Hanks, in his feature writing and directorial debut. It tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional 1960s one-hit wonder pop band, and st ...

''. He scored Kevin Smith’s ''

Dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...

'' (1999). Shore also composed the score of the 2000 film ''

The Cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

''.

2001–2006

Major success came in 2001 with his score to '' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'', the first film in the highly acclaimed '' The Lord of the Rings trilogy''. The news that Shore would score the trilogy surprised some, since he was primarily associated with dark, ominous films and had never scored an epic of this scale. However, the score was hugely successful and won Shore his first Oscar, as well as a Grammy Award, and garnered Shore nominations for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. The music editor on the trilogy was Suzana Peric. An excerpt from ''The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm'' was used in a teaser for 2013's

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

film, '' Man of Steel''. The following year, Shore composed the scores to ''

Panic Room ''Panic Room'' is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher. The film stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded by burglars, played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoaka ...

'', '' Gangs of New York'' (replacing

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...

), and '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'', the second film in the trilogy. (The latter two films were both nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...

.) Initially, Shore's score for ''The Two Towers'' was going to be deemed ineligible for submission to the Academy, due to a new rule that disallowed the submission of scores which contained themes from previous work. However, the implementation of this rule change was subsequently postponed, meaning the score remained eligible. Ultimately, ''The Two Towers'' score did not receive an Academy Award nomination; Shore did, however, receive a BAFTA nomination for ''Gangs of New York''. In 2003, he composed the score for the final film in ''The Lord of the Rings trilogy'', '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''. The film was the most successful film in the trilogy and the most successful of the year. Shore won his second Oscar for Best Original Score, as well as a third for Best Original Song for " Into the West", which he shared with Fran Walsh and Annie Lennox. Shore also won his first Golden Globe, his third and fourth Grammy (the fourth for Best Song), and was nominated for a third BAFTA. The scores of ''The Lord of the Rings'', performed primarily by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, became one of the most successful film scores ever written and the biggest success in Shore's career. The score has been repeatedly voted to be the best film score, and the review site Filmtracks named Shore's score "arguably the most respected and impressive trilogy of music of all time: Howard Shore's massive work for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings." In 2004, Shore again collaborated with Martin Scorsese, scoring his epic film '' The Aviator'', this time with the

Brussels Philharmonic The Brussels Philharmonic is a Belgian radio orchestra located in Brussels. Formerly known as the Groot Symfonie-Orkest, BRT Philharmonic Orchestra, and later as the Flemish Radio Orchestra, the orchestra has been linked to the Flemish public ...

. He won a second Golden Globe for the score, becoming the third composer to have won consecutive Golden Globes in the Original Score category. He also received his sixth Grammy nomination, and his fifth BAFTA nomination. He collaborated again with David Cronenberg in 2005 to score '' A History of Violence'', starring

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argenti ...

. The film was a success and received two Oscar nominations. In 2006, he collaborated for the fourth time with Martin Scorsese, this time to score ''

The Departed ''The Departed'' is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film '' Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Win ...

''. The film was highly successful and won four Oscars, including a long-awaited win for Scorsese, and Best Picture. Although Shore was originally commissioned to compose the soundtrack for '' King Kong'', he was later replaced by

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores ...

due to "differing creative aspirations for the score" on his and the filmmakers' parts. This was a mutual agreement between himself and Peter Jackson. Despite this, Shore has a cameo near the end of the film as the conductor of the

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

in the theater, performing portions of Max Steiner's score to the original 1933 version of the film.

2007–present

In 2007, Shore composed the music for '' Soul of the Ultimate Nation'', an online multiplayer video game. The soundtrack is notable for being the first video game soundtrack to feature Lydia Kavina on the theremin. During 2007 he also composed the scores for ''

The Last Mimzy {{Infobox film , name = The Last Mimzy , image = The Last Mimzy.jpg , caption = US Promotional poster , director = Robert Shaye , producer = Michael Phillips , based_on = {{Based on, "Mimsy Were the ...

'' and '' Eastern Promises'', the latter of which includes a section that has been performed in concert as Shore's ''Concertino for violin solo and chamber orchestra''. ''Eastern Promises'' was another collaboration with David Cronenberg and earned Shore his fourth Golden Globe nomination. In 2008, he scored '' Doubt'', starring Meryl Streep and directed by John Patrick Shanley. The film was a success, earning five Oscar nominations. In 2010, Shore composed the score to ''

Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three c ...

'', the third installment in the ''Twilight'' film series, following

Carter Burwell Carter Benedict Burwell (born November 18, 1954) is an American film composer. He has consistently collaborated with the Coen brothers, having scored most of their films. Burwell has also scored three of Todd Haynes's films, three of Spike Jon ...

and Alexandre Desplat, who scored the first and second films, respectively. He also replaced

John Corigliano John Paul Corigliano Jr. (born February 16, 1938) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. His scores, now numbering over one hundred, have won him the Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, an ...

to score '' Edge of Darkness'', starring

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

. Shore's 2011 projects were ''

A Dangerous Method ''A Dangerous Method'' is a 2011 historical drama film directed by David Cronenberg. The film stars Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Gadon, and Vincent Cassel. Its screenplay was adapted by writer Christopher Hampton f ...

'', continuing his long-term collaboration with director David Cronenberg. He also composed the score to

's '' Hugo'', his fifth collaboration with the director, which earned him a sixth Golden Globe nomination and fourth Oscar nomination. He also composed the score to Peter Jackson's '' The Hobbit'' film series. In addition, Shore composed the opening theme for the Rings of Power show run by Amazon.

Conducting and performing

Since 2004, he has toured the world

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary dutie ...

local

s in the performance of his new symphonic arrangement of his highly acclaimed '' Lord of the Rings'' scores. The new work is entitled ''The Lord of the Rings: Symphony in Six Movements''. There are two movements for each of the movies, and an intermission between the second and third (or first and second film titles) movements. The concert presentation of the symphony also includes projected still images of sketches by John Howe and Alan Lee relating the music being performed to scenes from the films. Recently, however, Shore has been busy with other projects, leaving other conductors including Markus Huber, Ludwig Wicki, Alexander Mickelthwaite, and John Mauceri to lead the orchestras. April 24, 2008 marked the North American Live to Projection debut of ''Fellowship of the Ring'', with the score performed live by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ludwig Wicki. Wicki also conducted the Filene Center Orchestra at the Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna, Virginia on May 21 and 22, 2008 in the U.S. premiere of the ''Fellowship of the Ring'' Live to Projection. September 16, 2010 Shore conducted the RSO Vienna (Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra) which performed "In Dreams from The Fellowship of the Ring" at

Hollywood in Vienna Hollywood in Vienna is an annual film music gala hosted in the Vienna Concert Hall where the ''Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award'' is presented. Overview "Hollywood in Vienna" is a red carpet film music gala-concert in the Vienna Conce ...

in Vienna, Austria. Shore was commissioned by Macy's to write a Fanfare for the Store's 150th anniversary featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Wanamaker Organ, the world's largest playing pipe organ. The work was debuted in the Grand Court of Macy's Philadelphia Store on September 27, 2008 in a concert that drew reviews from most of the major East Coast newspapers. Shore's opera ''The Fly'' had its world premiere performance at the

in Paris on July 2, 2008 and its United States premiere at

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center. Leader ...

on September 7, 2008. The production was directed by David Cronenberg and conducted by

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

. ''The Fly'' had a new production mounted by Theatre Trier in Germany in 2014 staged by Sebastian Welker and conducted by Joongbae Jee. Shore was commissioned by the Beijing Music Festival to write '' Ruin and Memory'', a piano concerto, for the pianist

Lang Lang Lang Lang (; born 14 June 1982) is a Chinese pianist who has performed with leading orchestras in China, North America, Europe, and elsewhere. Active since the 1990s, he was the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, ...

. The world premiere was on October 11, 2010 performed by Lang Lang, The China Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by

Long Yu Yu Long (; pinyin: Yú Lóng; born July 1, 1964) is a Chinese conductor. He is currently artistic director and chief conductor of the China Philharmonic and of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchest ...

. His second concerto, '' Mythic Gardens'', premiered April 27, 2012 with Sophie Shao on cello solo, The

American Symphony Orchestra The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York-based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski whose mission is to demystify orchestral music and make it accessible and affordable for all audiences. Leon Botstein is the orchestra's m ...

and conducted by Leon Botstein. Shore's song cycle ''A Palace Upon the Ruins'' premiered in 2014 at the

Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival (BCMF) in Bridgehampton, New York, was founded in 1984 by New Zealand-born flutist Marya Martin and her husband, Manhattan businessman Kenneth Davidson. The festival presents 13 concerts of chamber music fr ...

and at the La Jolla SummerFest featuring mezzo-soprano

Jennifer Johnson Cano Jennifer Johnson Cano is an American operatic mezzo-soprano. Before her college education, she attended St. Pius X High School (Festus, Missouri), graduating in the Class of 2002. While in high school, she was a member of the choir, singing at Ma ...

. ''A Palace Upon the Ruins'' is a song cycle of six songs with words by Elizabeth Cotnoir. ''Sea to Sea'' was commissioned by New Brunswick Youth Orchestra in celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary of confederation and premiered on July 2, 2017 in Moncton, New Brunswick with soloist Measha Brueggergosman and Antonio Delgado conducting. ''Sea to Sea'' has lyrics by Elizabeth Cotnoir. The song cycle ''L'Aube'' premiered October 19 & 20, 2017 in Toronto at

Roy Thompson Hall Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located downtown in the city's entertainment district, it is home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Toronto Defiant. Opened in 1982, its circu ...

conducted by Peter Oundjian and performed by soloist Susan Platts and commissioning orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. ''L'Aube'' consists of five songs with text by Elizabeth Cotnoir. ''The Forest'' a guitar concerto composed for

Miloš Karadaglić Miloš Karadaglić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Карадаглић, born 23 April 1983), sometimes known just by his mononym Miloš, is a classical guitarist and Deutsche Grammophon/ Mercury Classics recording artist from Montenegro. Biograph ...

will premiere in Ottawa on May 1 & 2, 2019 with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Alexander Shelley conducting.

Television

In addition to writing the original theme song for ''Saturday Night Live'', as well as the closing theme, Shore also co-wrote the theme song for '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' with John Lurie. The theme was carried over to '' The Tonight Show'' when O'Brien succeeded Jay Leno as host. In September 2021, it was reported that Shore was in talk to compose the music for the upcoming ''

'' TV series on Amazon Prime Video, returning from the ''Lord of the Rings'' and ''Hobbit'' films.

Radio

Shore narrated a one-hour

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined belo ...

documentary/soundscape on music in thriller/suspense film genres also including references to radio dramas and other media. The episode was called "Unsettling Scores" and premiered on the program called

Inside the Music ''Inside the Music'' is a Canadian radio program, which began airing on CBC Radio One and CBC Radio 2 in 2007. Hosted by Patti Schmidt, the program airs documentaries about musicians, frequently but not exclusively Canadians. It covers the inspi ...

Personal life

Shore is married to Elizabeth Cotnoir, a writer, producer and documentary filmmaker. He has a daughter, Mae. He is the uncle of film composer

Ryan Shore Ryan Shore (born 29 December 1974) is a Canadian composer, songwriter, conductor, music producer, and music director for film, television, virtual reality, records, games, concerts, and theater. He is often known from his scores for '' Star War ...

. As of 2004, Shore lives in

Tuxedo Park, New York Tuxedo Park is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 623 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area as well as the larger New York metropolitan area. Its name ...

Filmography

Film

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Television films and series

* '' The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour'' (1970, musical director) * ''

'' (1975–86, musical director) * ''Steve Martin's Best Show Ever'' (1981) * ''

The New Show ''The New Show'' is an NBC sketch comedy show produced by Lorne Michaels that ran for one season from January 6 to March 23, 1984. Apart from being 60 minutes in length and entirely pre-recorded, the show is similar in format to Michaels' own ''S ...

'' (1984) * ''Big Shots in America'' (1985) * ''Scales of Justice'' (1990–91) * '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (1993–2009, theme music) * ''Nova'' (1997) * ''POV'' (2009) * ''

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, as part of NBC's ''Tonight Show'' franchise. O'Brien had previously hosted NBC's ''Late Ni ...

'' (2009–10, theme music) * '' The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'' (2022, theme music)

Video games

* '' Soul of the Ultimate Nation'' (2007) * '' Honor of Kings'' (2015)

Selected concert music works

* ''Fanfare'', organ (2008) * '' The Fly'', opera (2008) * '' Ruin and Memory'', piano concerto (2010) * '' Mythic Gardens'', cello concerto (2012) *''A Palace Upon the Ruins'', song cycle (2014) *''L'Aube (The Dawn)'', song cycle (2017)

Accolades

Shore has received four Academy Award nominations, winning three, two for Best Original Score, for '' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), and '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (2003). He also won the Oscar for Best Original Song for " Into the West" from ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''. He received his fourth nomination for his work on '' Hugo''. Shore has also received six Golden Globe nominations, winning three consecutive awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song - "Into the West" for '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (2003) and '' The Aviator'' (2004), making him the second composer (after Alan Menken) to have received consecutive Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Score. He also won three consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Score for each of the Lord of the Rings films, and received a second award in 2003 for the song "Into the West" from "Return of the King" in the category of Best Song. He has also received five BAFTA nominations, but has not won. On June 11, 2007, Shore was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and sta ...

for "his sweeping artistic vision". Shore has also been honored with awards from The National Board of Review, Recording Academy Honors, The Broadcast Film Critics, Chicago Film Critics, Genie Award,

World Soundtrack Award The World Soundtrack Awards, launched in 2001 by the Film Fest Gent, is aimed at organizing and overseeing the educational, cultural and professional aspects of the art of film music, including the preservation of the history of the soundtrack and ...

, New York's Gotham Award, and The

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...

for Science Fiction. Shore is the first recipient of the Film & TV Music Award for Best Score for a Science Fiction Feature Film for ''

''. In May 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music during Berklee's commencement ceremony at the Agganis Arena. On September 16, 2010 he was awarded the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award by the City of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

at the yearly film music gala concert

. In 2012, he received Canada's Governor General's Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. In 2016, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada for his work towards the film and music industry.

References

External links

* *
Howard Shore Interview at Tracksounds
*
''A Composer's Dream''
a short film tribute to Shore on his Governor General's Performing Arts Award,

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary fi ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Shore, Howard 1946 births 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century Canadian male musicians 20th-century classical composers 21st-century Canadian composers 21st-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century classical composers Berklee College of Music alumni Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Best Original Score Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters Best Original Song Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian classical composers Canadian contemporary classical composers Canadian film score composers Canadian male classical composers Canadian opera composers Georges Delerue Award winners Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners Golden Globe Award-winning musicians Grammy Award winners Jewish Canadian musicians Jewish classical composers Jewish opera composers Lighthouse (band) members Living people Male film score composers Male opera composers Musicians from Toronto Officers of the Order of Canada Saturday Night Live Band members Varèse Sarabande Records artists