Laura Anne Karpman (born March 1, 1959) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, whose work has included music for

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

, and the

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

. She has won five

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for her work. Karpman was trained at

the Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

, where she played

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

by day and honed her skills scatting in bars at night.

Early life and education

Karpman was born in Los Angeles and grew up singing opera and jazz. Her mother, a painter and sculptor, wanted her to grow up to be a composer and surrounded Karpman with music even before she was born. Karpman began her first compositions at the age of 7. She worked with John Harbison at the

Tanglewood Music Center The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops. The center operates as a part of the Tanglew ...

, and attended Aspen Music School and the Ecole des Arts Americaines. At the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, she graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

with a Bachelor of Music degree studying with

William Bolcom William Elden Bolcom (born May 26, 1938) is an American composer and pianist. He has received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Arts, a Grammy Award, the Detroit Music Award and was named 2007 Composer of the Year by Musical America. He ...

and Leslie Bassett. She received both her Doctorate and Master's Degree in Music Composition at

, where her principal teacher was

Milton Babbitt Milton Byron Babbitt (May 10, 1916 – January 29, 2011) was an American composer, music theorist, mathematician, and teacher. He was a Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship recipient, recognized for his serial and electronic music. Biography ...

. At Juilliard, Karpman also received mentorship from

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...

Career

Compositions by Karpman have been commissioned by

Tonya Pinkins Tonya Pinkins is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film ''Red Pill'' was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Feature at The Mykonos ...

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera, originally called the Los Angeles Music Center 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 P ...

American Composers Orchestra The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is an American orchestra administratively based in New York City, specialising in contemporary American music. The ACO gives concerts at various concert venues in New York City, including: * Zankel Hall at ...

, Czech Philharmonic, the Juilliard Choral Union, Pacific Serenades, and percussionist Evelyn Glennie. They have been performed internationally. Karpman's theater catalog includes three musicals for Los Angeles's "A Noise Within" theater company, as well as underscores for dozens of classic plays. Among her media music credits are

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

's Emmy-winning, 20-hour TV miniseries, '' Taken''; and

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

's series '' The Living Edens'' (for which she received nine

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

nominations). She has scored numerous films, television programs and video games (including music for supplemental ''

Halo 3 ''Halo 3'' is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the ''Halo'' franchise following '' Halo: Combat Evolved'' (2001) and ''Halo 2'' (2004), the game's story centers on th ...

'' materials and her award-winning score for ''

EverQuest II ''EverQuest II'' is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) originally developed and published by Sony Online Entertainment for Microsoft Windows PCs and released in November 2004. It is the sequel to the original ...

''). She has held a residency at Sony Online Entertainment. Karpman received an

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...

nomination for ''

A Monkey's Tale ''A Monkey's Tale'' (; literally "The Castle of Monkeys") is a feature-length animated film directed by Jean-François Laguionie. It was released in 1999, and won the Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the fifth Kecskemét Animation Film Fest ...

'', a short film commissioned by the Chinese government, which later premiered in the US and was performed by the

Detroit Symphony The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music ...

. Karpman's Grammy-winning ''Ask Your Mama'' premiered at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

on March 16, 2009, with performances by

Jessye Norman Jessye Mae Norman (September 15, 1945 – September 30, 2019) was an American opera singer and recitalist. She was able to perform dramatic soprano roles, but did not limit herself to that voice type. A commanding presence on operatic, concert ...

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wit ...

The Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's conducted by

George Manahan George Manahan (born 1952, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) is an American conductor. Biography Manahan's parents were church musicians. In high school, he was a drum major in his high school marching band, and also conducted this band. Another of his earl ...

. With

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

's epic poem for a libretto, Karpman also took passages from

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Big Maybelle Mabel Louise Smith (May 1, 1924 – January 23, 1972), known professionally as Big Maybelle, was an American R&B singer. Her 1956 hit single "Candy" received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. Childhood and musical background Born in J ...

, Pigmeat Markham and

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid black entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20 ...

, integrated with projected images by Rico Gatson and additional archival video, as well as Hughes's own poetry. ''Ask Your Mama'' was released by Avie Records in July 2016. Later, Karpman created "The 110 Project", an opera work commissioned by the L.A. Opera as a homage to the city's first freeway, I-110, as seen through four characters from 1940-2010, the lifespan of the freeway. In 2014, Karpman co-founded the Alliance for Women Film Composers with

Lolita Ritmanis Lolita Ritmanis (born November 1, 1962) is a Latvian-American composer, known for her film and television scores, including her work on the animated series '' Batman Beyond''. Early life Born on November 1, 1962, in Portland, Oregon, Ritmanis ...

and Miriam Cutler. The organization provides visibility and advocacy for women composers. In 2016, Karpman became the first woman elected to the music branch of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors. Karpman composed the score for the

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...

animated anthology series '' What If...?'' in 2021'','' the streaming series '' Ms. Marvel'' in 2022 and the score for the superhero film ''

The Marvels ''The Marvels'' is a 2023 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to the film '' Captain Marvel'' (2019), a continuation of the telev ...

'' in 2023''.'' She composed the score for the 2023 film '' American Fiction'', for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score.

Personal life

Karpman is married to composer Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum, a fellow Milton Babbitt student. They have one son and live in Playa del Rey, California, in a duplex with an ocean view and a built-in studio. She has a self-described lifelong obsession for drama, including soap opera, classical operas, and plays.

Filmography

Films

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

* 2024 nomination, " Best Original Score" for '' American Fiction''

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

* 2015 Membership Induction

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

* 1984 win, " Charles Ives Award"

Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origi ...

* 2007 nomination, "Best Music in an Animated Feature Production" for ''A Monkey's Tale''

BMI Film & TV Awards The BMI Film & TV Awards are accolades presented annually by Broadcast Music, Inc., honoring songwriters, composers, and music publishers in various genres. Based in the United States, the main pop music award was founded in 1952. The awards incl ...

* 2003 win, "BMI Cable Mini-Series Award" for ''Taken'' Game Audio Network Guild Awards * 2004 win, "Best Arrangement of a Non-Original Score" for ''Everquest II'' * 2004 nomination, "Best Music of the Year" for ''Everquest II''

Hollywood Music in Media Awards The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) is an award organization honoring original music (Song and Score) in all forms visual media including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, music videos and special p ...

* 2023 nomination, " Best Original Score in a Feature Film" for '' American Fiction'' * 2023 win, " Best Original Score in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film" for ''

'' News & Documentary Emmy Awards * 2008 nomination, "Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Music and Sound" for '' Craft in America'' * 2003 nomination, "Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Music and Sound" for ''The Living Edens'' for "Big Sur: California's Wild Coast". Nomination shared with Nancy Severinsen, Clifford Hoelscher, Mark Linden, and Tara Paul. * 2001 nomination, "Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft – Music" for ''The Living Edens'' episode "Kamchatka: Siberia's Forbidden Wilderness" * 2000 nominations, "Outstanding Achievement in a Craft in News and Documentary Programming – Music" ** for ''The Living Edens'' episode "Costa Rica: Land of Pure Life" ** for ''The Living Edens'' episode "Palau: Paradise of the Pacific" * 1999 win, "Outstanding Achievement in a Craft in News and Documentary Programming – Music" for ''The Living Edens'' episode "Madagascar: A World Apart" * 1998 win, "Outstanding Achievement in a Craft in News and Documentary Programming – Music" for ''The Living Edens'' episodes "Denali: Alaska's Great Wilderness", "Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest", "Patagonia: Life at the End of the Earth"

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

* 2024 nomination, " Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)" for '' Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed'' * 2023 nomination, " Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)" for '' Ms. Marvel'': Time and Again * 2023 nomination, " Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music" for '' Ms. Marvel'' * 2021 nomination, " Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)" for '' Lovecraft Country'': Rewind 1921 * 2020 win, " Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)" for '' Why We Hate'': Tools & Tactics * 2020 nomination, " Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music" for '' Why We Hate'' * 2008 nomination, " Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score)" for '' Masters of Science Fiction'': Jerry Was a Man * 2003 nomination, " Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)" for ''

Odyssey 5 ''Odyssey 5'' is a Canadian science fiction television series, which was shown in 2002 on Space in Canada and on Showtime in the United States. The premise involves five space travelers who witness the destruction of the Earth; they are given ...

'': Pilot

Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

* 2024 win, Best Original Score, for '' American Fiction'' Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards * 2023 nomination, "Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film" for '' American Fiction''

References

External links

* *
Ask Your Mama

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television: Laura Karpman

Articles and interviews

"Ode to Joystick"

"Viewpoint"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karpman, Laura 1959 births 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American women composers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century American women composers American classical composers American film score composers American LGBTQ composers American women classical composers American women film score composers American women in electronic music Juilliard School alumni LGBTQ classical composers LGBTQ film score composers LGBTQ Jews Living people University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni American video game composers