About this Artist
Composer Conrad Pope is one of the most respected and trusted musicians working in today’s Hollywood. Composers such as John Williams, Alexandre Desplat, and Hans Zimmer have all called upon his expertise as a one of the industry’s top orchestrators as well as his abilities as a conductor and score producer, making him one of the most “in demand” scoring professionals.
Conrad has contributed to the scores of more than a hundred films. The iconic films on which he has worked are too numerous to list. They range from the Star Wars “prequel films” to Memoirs of a Geisha, the Harry Potter series to Moonrise Kingdom, Jurassic Park to Seabiscuit, Pirates of the Caribbean to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Conrad recently orchestrated and conducted Alexandre Desplat’s score to Wes Anderson’s ISLE OF DOGS.
Over his career, Pope has worked with many of Hollywood's finest directors, including Peter Jackson, Mark Romanek, Walter Murch, Scott Hicks, Gary Ross, Joe Johnston and Wes Anderson. His ability to work effectively with filmmakers and effectively translating their vision into music has made him a valued collaborator.
As such, he has scored numerous independent films. His original score to Penn &Teller’s TIM’S VERMEER garnered attention and praise from directors and critics alike. Awarded the 2014 International Film Critics Award for Best Score to a Documentary, the score has won fans in the worlds of art, art music, and filmmakers. The soundtrack available on iTunes from Milan Records.
The music Pope composed to Simon Curtis’ film “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN”, starring Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne, blended many genres and styles of music to evoke not only the heady glamour of the era but also the unique, poignant tragedy of Marilyn’s life and doomed stardom. The soundtrack, featuring the acclaimed pianist Lang Lang, is available on Sony Classics.
For United Airlines, Pope reconceived Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” as a purely orchestral piece, orchestrating the piano part for the orchestra, recasting the piece as a tour de force for orchestra. Conrad re-orchestrated and recorded it with the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road. His arrangement can be heard, currently, in commercials and on countless United flights.
Pope attended Munich’s Hochschule für Musik and holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and Princeton University.
In 2015, the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers recognized Conrad’s career as composer, orchestrator and conductor with their prestigious GOLDEN SCORE AWARD. Among the other awards his work has received are the Leonard Bernstein Fellowship and Fulbright Fellowship, as well as grants from the New York State Arts Council, the MacDowell Foundation, the Alice Ditson Foundation, the Massachusetts Artists Foundation, the Whiting Foundation and Meet the Composer.
He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has served on the Music Branch Executive Committee. Conrad also serves on the Presidential Board of Advisors of the New England Conservatory.
Conrad Pope resides in Los Angeles with his wife composer and arranger Nan Schwartz, multiple Grammy and Emmy nominee and Grammy winner for her work with Natalie Cole, and their four children.