Peter Calandra

Peter Calandra
Background information
Born	Brooklyn, New York
Origin	Northport, New York
Occupation(s)	Composer, Musician, Conductor
Instruments	Piano, Guitar
Associated acts	The BlanX
Website	www.petecalandramusic.com

Peter Calandra is a New York City based composer and pianist. He is most well known for his work composing music for film and television as well as conducting and playing piano in Broadway and Off Broadway productions. He holds a Master's Degree in Music Composition from Queens College, City University of New York.^[1]

Career

Theatre

Calandra has played keyboard as part of a pit orchestra for a variety of musicals. Some of the Broadway musicals he is known for include Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, and the Phantom of the Opera. He not only performed in but also served as conductor and musical director for the original New York City production of Little Shop of Horrors.^[1]

Films

Calandra has scored over 40 films.^[2] For film scores and compositions, Calandra uses a variety of instrumentation and styles. He has stated that most of the film music he writes "has a combination of orchestral, choral, piano, ethnic and electronic elements..." but he often alters his approach for certain films. As an example, for his score for Pat XO, an ESPN documentary on college basketball coach Pat Summitt, Calandra's score is based on acoustic guitars and live percussion. Calandra stated that for this score, he creating a "roots oriented," "small ensemble" sound to match the down-to-earth qualities of the film.^[3]

One of Calandra's most well-known works his is score for the 2004 film Unknown Soldier by director Ferenc Tóth. For this score, which primarily features instrumental jazz, Calandra performed with saxophonist Dale Kleps, trumpeter Bud Burridge, bassist Kermit Driscoll, and drummer Howard Joines.^[4] Dr. Ana Isabel Ordonez of jazzReview praised the recording, stating that "Unknown Soldier's jazz score highlights bravery and the human social fracture in our society."^[5]

In 2011, Calandra composed music for the film Rise. Commissioned by U.S. Figure Skating, the film commemorates the U.S. figure skating team who were killed in the 1961 crash of Sabena Flight 548. Calandra composed an orchestral score as well as an original song which plays during the opening title sequence of the film.^[6]

Television

Calandra's television composition credits include projects for the National Geographic Society, Sesame Workshop, ABC-Touchstone, NBC, Fox Sports, A&E, and Discovery Communications. He also written a large amount of themes for television broadcast, including theme packages for ESPN, Bravo, Comcast SportsNet, MSG, SportsNet New York, and the Big Ten Network.^[1]

Other

In his career as a pianist, Calandra has performed with musical artists and orchestras including The New York Pops, jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, trumpeter Don Cherry, soul singer Aretha Franklin, poet Allen Ginsberg, and actress/singer Annie Golden. He also spent many years as a keyboard player in New York City based artist Larry Rivers' "Climax Band."^[1]

Selected Discography

Selected Filmography

Awards^[1]

• 2016 New York Festivals: "Finalist Award Winner, Best Music/Lyrics" for "ESPN Special Olympics World Games Theme"
• 2016 One World Music: "Best Piano With Instrumentation" for "First Light"
• 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival, for Jellysmoke
• 2004 Los Angeles Film Festival, for Unknown Soldier
• 2004 Philadelphia Film Festival, for Unknown Soldier

References

External links

• Official website
• IMDb page