Gordy Haab
Gordy Haab (born 1976) is an American film, video game and television composer based in Los Angeles, California. His work has been featured in works associated with franchises including most recently Star Wars Battlefront II, for which he won Video Game Score of the Year[1] from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Haab is also known for his work on Microsoft's Halo Wars 2, for which he was nominated for a 2017 HMMA award.[2] His score for Electronic Arts' Star Wars: Battlefront, won three awards at the 2016 GDC G.A.N.G. Awards: Music of the Year, Best Interactive Score, and Best Instrumental Score.[3] Gordy has also been nominated for a BAFTA Games Awards for his work on 'Star Wars: Battlefront.'[4]
Gordy Haab | |
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Born | Richmond, Virginia, United States | 10 March 1976
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | |
Website | http://www.gordyhaab.com/ |
His work and has been covered by publications, including the HuffPost, which said, "Star Wars Battlefront is sounding better and better everyday...this new Star Wars music will light your saber."[5] In 2015, Hardcore Gamer was among the first to link Haab to his inspiration by saying, "'Star Wars Battlefront' features the best game score John Williams never wrote."[6] The Los Angeles Times has also recognized Haab's work, saying "the B-side to John Williams' score,"[7] and Billboard quoted Steve Schnur, the president of music for EA, as saying, "Gordy is one of the few composers in the world on Lucas’ short list."[8]
Early life
Gordy developed an early interest in music when he was six and was particularly moved by the score of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[8][9] Gordy decided to pursue a career in the industry by attending the Virginia Commonwealth University,[10] where he learned to compose music by hand and it remains his preferred composition method, telling The Sound Architect that, "I say this not to discredit the use of technology, because it also plays a major role in my process. But a piano, a blank page, and a pencil – and no screens glowing in my face – has a way of quieting my soul and allowing me to just, write."[11] Haab received a bachelor's degree in Jazz Music Composition in 1999. He then went on to the University of Southern California, where he received his master's in Scoring for Motion Pictures in 2001.[8][9]
Career
Among other projects, Haab scored Activision/AMC's The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, based on the TV series and Microsoft's Kinect: Star Wars,[12][13] which won Best Music at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards. Haab continues to compose the music for Electrionic Arts and Bioware’s Star Wars: The Old Republic, for which he was awarded Best Original Soundtrack and Best Instrumental Music at the 10th Annual GDC G.A.N.G. Awards.[14] He has recorded and conducted his music with various groups from all around the world, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, London Voices and the Hollywood Studio Orchestra.[15][16]
Haab's other film, television and video game credits include Anchor Bay's ‘Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon;' MTV's The Truth Below; Dave Barry's ‘Guide to Guys;’ Lionsgate's ‘War;’ The Oprah Winfrey Network’s The Judds; Roadside Attractions Shrink; ABC's Greek; VH-1's Scream Queens; and LucasArts' Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.[17]
Discography
Video Games
Year | Title | Studio | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings | LucasArts | |
2011 | Star Wars: The Old Republic | Electronic Arts | Composed with Mark Griskey |
2012 | Kinect Star Wars | LucasArts | Composed with Kyle Newmaster |
2013 | The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct | Activision | |
2015 | Star Wars Battlefront | Electronic Arts | |
2017 | Halo Wars 2 | Microsoft Studios | Composed with Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White |
2018 | Star Wars: Battlefront II | Electronic Arts | |
2019 | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Composed with Stephen Barton | |
2020 | Star Wars: Squadrons | ||
Awards
Year | Work | Organization | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | "Glory, The Galactic Republic" from Star Wars: The Old Republic | Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Original Instrumental Song | Won | [14] |
Star Wars: The Old Republic | Best Original Soundtrack Album | Won | [14] | ||
Kinect: Star Wars | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Original Song-Video Game | Won | [18] | |
2016 | Star Wars: Battlefront | British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) Awards | BAFTA Games Audio Achievement | Nominated | [4] |
Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Interactive Score | Won | [3] | ||
Music of the Year | Won | [3] | |||
2017 | Halo Wars 2 | Music in Visual Media Awards | Original Score - Video Game | Nominated | [2] |
2018 | Star Wars Battlefront II | American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers | Video Game Score of the Year | Won | [1] |
Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Interactive Score | Nominated | [19] | ||
Best Cinematic Cutscene Audio | Nominated | [19] | |||
Music of the Year | Nominated | [19] | |||
Audio of The Year | Nominated | [19] | |||
Crusaders of Light | Best Music in a Casual/Social Game | Nominated | [19] | ||
Halo Wars 2 | Best Interactive Score | Nominated | [19] | ||
Best Cinematic Cutscene Audio | Nominated | [19] |
External links
References
- "2018 ASCAP Screen Music Awards". ASCAP. Retrieved Jun 2, 2018.
- "HMMA 2017 Awards". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- "2016 Award winners". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- "Games in 2016 - Awards". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- Beres, Damon (Nov 10, 2015). "This New 'Star Wars' Music Will Light Your Saber For 'Battlefront'". HuffPost. AOL. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- Steighner, Mark (Nov 22, 2015). "Star Wars Battlefront Features the Best Game Score John Williams Never Wrote". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- Martens, Todd (Nov 17, 2015). "The Player: How 'Star Wars Battlefront' created the B-side to John Williams' score". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- Parisi, Paula (May 31, 2018). "As Composer Gordy Haab Games the 'Star Wars' Universe, Could He Be John Williams' Heir Apparent?". Billboard. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- Djordjevic, Zdravko (Dec 20, 2017). "The Stellar Music of Battlefront II". The Audio Spotlight. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- "Music Alumnus Gordy Haab on Composing Music for Star Wars". Virginia Commonwealth University. Jan 11, 2018. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- Hughes, Sam (Jun 2, 2018). "Interview with Star Wars Battlefront I and II Composer, Gordy Haab". The Sound Architect. Retrieved Jun 2, 2018.
- Gordy Haab. "AMC's The Walking Dead Survival Instinct". SoundCloud. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- Valle, Raul (May 4, 2012). "Interview with Kinect Star Wars Composers, Gordy Haab and Kyle Newmaster". Pixelated Geek. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- "2012 Award winners". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- "Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra - Filmography". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- Kyle Newmaster. "Kinect Star Wars Soundtrack". SoundCloud. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music. Glen Echo Entertainment. Mar 16, 2007. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- Amélie E. Koran; Dan Goldwasser (Nov 19, 2012). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Marco Beltrami Best Score for 'The Sessions'". Soundtrack.Net. Autotelics, LLC. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
- "2018 Award winners". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.