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 beloved 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. Also in 2018, he was mentioned in Billboard as being the possible heir apparent to John Williams.[2] Haab is also known for his work on Microsoft's Halo Wars 2, for which he was nominated for a 2017 HMMA award.[3] 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.[4] Gordy has also been nominated for a BAFTA Games Awards for his work on 'Star Wars: Battlefront.'[5]

Gordy Haab
Born (1976-03-10) 10 March 1976
Richmond, Virginia, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
Websitehttp://www.gordyhaab.com/

Haab's music has received much praise over the course of his career. His work and talent has been covered by numerous industry publications and many leading media outlets, including the HuffPost, which said, “Star Wars Battlefront is sounding better and better everyday...this new Star Wars music will light your saber.”[6] 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.”[7] The Los Angeles Times has also recognized Haabs's work, praising his composition style as, “the B-side to John Williams’ score,”[8] and Billboard quoted Steve Schnur, the president of music for EA, as saying, "Gordy is one of the few composers in the world on [Star Wars creator George] Lucas’ short list."[2]

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.[2][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.[2][9]

Career

Among numerous other projects, Haab scored Activision/AMC's The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, based on the #1 hit 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]

Haab is known for his unsurpassed understanding of the orchestra as well as his unique ability to blend contemporary and traditional sounds into one – often conceiving and creating brand new musical instruments to feature in his scores. 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; LucasArts' Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, and many others.[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

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 [5]
Game Audio Network Guild Awards Best Interactive Score Won [4]
Music of the Year Won [4]
2017 Halo Wars 2 Music in Visual Media Awards Original Score - Video Game Nominated [3]
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]

References
  1. "2018 ASCAP Screen Music Awards". ASCAP. Retrieved Jun 2, 2018.
  2. 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.
  3. "HMMA 2017 Awards". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  4. "2016 Award winners". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  5. "Games in 2016 - Awards". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  6. Beres, Damon (Nov 10, 2015). "This New 'Star Wars' Music Will Light Your Saber For 'Battlefront'". HuffPost. AOL. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  7. Steighner, Mark (Nov 22, 2015). "Star Wars Battlefront Features the Best Game Score John Williams Never Wrote". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  8. 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.
  9. Djordjevic, Zdravko (Dec 20, 2017). "The Stellar Music of Battlefront II". The Audio Spotlight. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  10. "Music Alumnus Gordy Haab on Composing Music for Star Wars". Virginia Commonwealth University. Jan 11, 2018. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  11. Hughes, Sam (Jun 2, 2018). "Interview with Star Wars Battlefront I and II Composer, Gordy Haab". The Sound Architect. Retrieved Jun 2, 2018.
  12. Gordy Haab. "AMC's The Walking Dead Survival Instinct". SoundCloud. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  13. Valle, Raul (May 4, 2012). "Interview with Kinect Star Wars Composers, Gordy Haab and Kyle Newmaster". Pixelated Geek. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  14. "2012 Award winners". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  15. "Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra - Filmography". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  16. Kyle Newmaster. "Kinect Star Wars Soundtrack". SoundCloud. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  17. "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music. Glen Echo Entertainment. Mar 16, 2007. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
  18. 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.
  19. "2018 Award winners". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved Oct 8, 2019.
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