Laura Karpman facts for kids

Laura Anne Karpman (born March 1, 1959) is an American composer. She creates music for many different things. This includes films, television shows, video games, and even music for concert halls. Laura Karpman has won five Emmy Awards for her work. She studied music at the Juilliard School, a very famous music school.

Early life and education

Laura Karpman was born in Los Angeles, California. She grew up loving music, especially opera and jazz. Her mother was a painter and sculptor. She hoped Laura would become a composer. Laura started writing her own music when she was just 7 years old.

She studied with famous musicians like John Harbison. She also attended other music schools like Aspen Music School. Laura earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan. She then received her Master's and Doctorate degrees in Music Composition from the Juilliard School. There, she learned from Milton Babbitt.

Career

Laura Karpman has written music for many important groups and events. These include the Los Angeles Opera and the Czech Philharmonic. Her music has been played all over the world.

Music for TV and Movies

Laura has composed music for many TV shows and films. She worked on Steven Spielberg's TV miniseries Taken. She also scored the PBS series The Living Edens. For these, she received many Emmy nominations.

She has also written music for video games. This includes music for Halo 3 and the award-winning score for EverQuest II. In 2014, Laura helped start the Alliance for Women Film Composers. This group helps women composers get more recognition. In 2016, she became the first woman elected to a special board for film music. This board is part of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

More recently, Laura Karpman composed music for several Marvel Studios projects. These include the animated series What If...? (2021) and the streaming series Ms. Marvel (2022). She also scored the superhero film The Marvels (2023). In 2023, she composed the music for the film American Fiction. For this movie, she received her first nomination for an Academy Award.

Other Notable Works

Laura Karpman's Grammy-winning work, Ask Your Mama, was first performed in 2009. It featured famous artists like Jessye Norman and The Roots. This piece used a poem by Langston Hughes as its story. It also included parts from other famous artists.

Later, Karpman created "The 110 Project." This was an opera for the L.A. Opera. It was a tribute to Los Angeles's first freeway, the I-110. The opera told stories of four characters living near the freeway from 1940 to 2010.

Personal life

Laura Karpman is married to Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum. Nora is also a composer. They have one son. They live in Playa del Rey, California. Their home has a studio and a view of the ocean. Laura says she has always loved drama. This includes soap operas, classical operas, and plays.

Filmography

Films

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

Laura Karpman has received many awards and nominations for her music.

• Academy Awards
  • 2024 nomination: "Best Original Score" for American Fiction

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • 2015: Became a member

• American Academy of Arts and Letters
  • 1984 win: "Charles Ives Award"

• Annie Awards
  • 2007 nomination: "Best Music in an Animated Feature Production" for A Monkey's Tale

• BMI Film & TV Awards
  • 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
  • 2023 nomination: "Best Original Score in a Feature Film" for American Fiction
  • 2023 win: "Best Original Score in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film" for The Marvels

• 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 ("Big Sur: California's Wild Coast")
  • 2001 nomination: "Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft – Music" for The Living Edens ("Kamchatka: Siberia's Forbidden Wilderness")
  • 2000 nominations: "Outstanding Achievement in a Craft in News and Documentary Programming – Music" for The Living Edens episodes "Costa Rica: Land of Pure Life" and "Palau: Paradise of the Pacific"
  • 1999 win: "Outstanding Achievement in a Craft in News and Documentary Programming – Music" for The Living Edens ("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
  • 2024 nomination: "Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special" for Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
  • 2023 nomination: "Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special" 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" for Lovecraft Country: Rewind 1921
  • 2020 win: "Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special" 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" for Masters of Science Fiction: Jerry Was a Man
  • 2003 nomination: "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series" for Odyssey 5: Pilot

• Satellite Awards
  • 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