Composer Joseph Trapanese creates dynamic scores that blend modern electronics with organic instrumentation in cinematic settings. He has crafted uniquely hybrid and inventive scores for Tron: Legacy with Daft Punk (Grammy nomination, 2011), Oblivion with M83, and The Raid with Mike Shinoda. His solo soundtracks include No One Will Save You, Arctic, Straight Outta Compton (Black Reel Award, 2015), and two installments of the Divergent series (World Soundtrack Award nomination, 2015).

Trapanese’s work spans across franchises such as The Witcher and Shadow and Bone, as well as interactive projects for Disney Animation, EA, Lucasfilm, and Ubisoft. Recent commissions include original music for NASA and orchestral arrangements for the Super Bowl National Anthem. His choral work New Collective Consciousness, addressing climate change, opened Björk’s 2022 West Coast tour, performed by the LA-based ensemble Tonality.

As a producer and arranger, Trapanese contributed to several hit songs from the multi-platinum The Greatest Showman soundtrack (Grammy Award, 2018), and has collaborated with artists across genres, including Dr. Dre, Aloe Blacc, Haim, Janelle Monáe, Kelly Clarkson, and M83 (Grammy nomination, 2013). As a conductor, he has led the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony, and AUKSO Poland.

Trapanese is also committed to education and mentorship, frequently leading masterclasses and lectures at institutions such as UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, USC Thornton, the Manhattan School of Music, and international music festivals. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Manhattan School of Music and an M.A. in Music for Visual Media from UCLA, where he studied under Giampaolo Bracali, Bruce Broughton, and Paul Chihara. He is a co-founder of The Echo Society, a collective dedicated to presenting immersive, site-specific audiovisual performances in Los Angeles.