David Hirschfelder
Encyclopedia
David Hirschfelder is an Australian film score
composer
and performer
.
Hirschfelder was born and raised in Ballarat, Victoria.
He has worked and performed with the jazz fusion band Pyramid, Little River Band
and John Farnham
, and had composed scores for films including Strictly Ballroom
(1992), Shine
(1996), Sliding Doors
(1998), Elizabeth
(1998), Hanging Up
(2000), Peaches
(2004), Australia
(2008), and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010).
He has worked numerous times with directors Ian Gilmour, Craig Monahan, Ann Turner, Roger Spottiswoode
and Baz Luhrmann
.
In 1999 the score for Elizabeth (composed for a 90-piece orchestra and a 40-piece choir) was nominated for an Oscar, and was honoured with a BAFTA
award and an APRA
award for Best Original Score.
He composed for the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney.
Annual awards presented by Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC).
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and performer
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
.
Hirschfelder was born and raised in Ballarat, Victoria.
He has worked and performed with the jazz fusion band Pyramid, Little River Band
Little River Band
Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only...
and John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
, and had composed scores for films including Strictly Ballroom
Strictly Ballroom
Strictly Ballroom is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann and produced by M&A Productions. The film is the first installment in The Red Curtain Trilogy, Luhrmann's trilogy of theatre-motif-related films; the follow-ups were Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
(1992), Shine
Shine (film)
Shine is a 1996 Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Nicholas Bell, Chris...
(1996), Sliding Doors
Sliding Doors
Sliding Doors is a 1998 British-American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Howitt and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah, and featured John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Virginia McKenna. The music was composed by David Hirschfelder...
(1998), Elizabeth
Elizabeth (film)
Elizabeth is a 1998 biographical film written by Michael Hirst, directed by Shekhar Kapur, and starring Cate Blanchett in the title role of Queen Elizabeth I of England, alongside Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Sir John Gielgud, Fanny Ardant and Richard Attenborough...
(1998), Hanging Up
Hanging Up
Hanging Up is a 2000 American comedy-drama film about a trio of sisters who bond over their ambivalence toward the approaching death of their curmudgeonly father, to whom none of them were particularly close...
(2000), Peaches
Peaches (film)
Peaches is a 2004 Australian film, written by Sue Smith and directed by Craig Monahan. The music was by David Hirschfelder, cinematography by Ernie Clark A.C.S., editing by Suresh Ayyar and art direction by Paula Smith.-Plot:...
(2004), Australia
Australia (2008 film)
Australia is a 2008 epic historical romance film directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It is the second-highest grossing Australian film of all time, behind Crocodile Dundee. The screenplay was written by Luhrmann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie, with Ronald Harwood...
(2008), and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010).
He has worked numerous times with directors Ian Gilmour, Craig Monahan, Ann Turner, Roger Spottiswoode
Roger Spottiswoode
Roger Spottiswoode is a Canadian-born film director and writer, who began his career as an editor in the 1970s. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario. He has directed a number of notable films and television productions, including Under Fire and the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies starring...
and Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
.
In 1999 the score for Elizabeth (composed for a 90-piece orchestra and a 40-piece choir) was nominated for an Oscar, and was honoured with a BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
award and an APRA
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
award for Best Original Score.
He composed for the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney.
Selective filmography
| Year | Film | Directed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Skirts Skirts (TV series) Skirts was an Australian television police drama broadcast on the Seven Network in 1990. Skirts was produced by Roger Le Mesurier and Roger Simpson. It was directed by Brendan Maher, Richard Sarell and Ian Gilmour.... |
Brendan Maher, Richard Sarell & Ian Gilmour | TV series |
| 1992 | Strictly Ballroom Strictly Ballroom Strictly Ballroom is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann and produced by M&A Productions. The film is the first installment in The Red Curtain Trilogy, Luhrmann's trilogy of theatre-motif-related films; the follow-ups were Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!... |
Baz Luhrmann Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!... |
|
| 1994 | Dallas Doll Dallas Doll Dallas Doll is an Australian film starring Sandra Bernhardt, David Ngoombujarra, Roy Billing, Victoria Longley, Frank Gallacher, Jake Blundell, Rose Byrne and written and directed by Ann Turner.-Plot:... |
Ann Turner | |
| 1996 | Shine Shine (film) Shine is a 1996 Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Nicholas Bell, Chris... |
Scott Hicks Scott Hicks Robert Scott Hicks is a film director from Australia. He is best known as the screenwriter and director of Shine, the Oscar-winning biopic of pianist David Helfgott. Hicks's work has been nominated for an Academy Award as well as winning an Emmy Award.-Personal life:Hicks was born in Uganda, the... |
|
| Dating the Enemy Dating the Enemy Dating The Enemy is an Australian comedy about a boyfriend and girlfriend who swap bodies and have to live as each other.-Plot:One Valentine's evening a group of single, dateless friends get together to play Trivial Pursuit. Brett , a friend of the host from Melbourne, has just landed a job as... |
Megan Simpson Huberman | ||
| 1998 | Sliding Doors Sliding Doors Sliding Doors is a 1998 British-American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Howitt and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah, and featured John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Virginia McKenna. The music was composed by David Hirschfelder... |
Peter Howitt Peter Howitt Peter Howitt is an English actor and film director. He grew up in Eltham, London and Bromley, Kent, Peter used to be a part of the Priory Players in the Priory behind Christ Church, Eltham. He studied at the Drama Studio London. He has two children, Luke and Amy... |
also orchestrator |
| The Interview The Interview The Interview is a 1998 Australian thriller film from writer-director Craig Monahan, and is the first of two films directed by Monahan. Almost the entire film takes place in a police interrogation room, with some short flashback sequences, and the cast consists primarily of three key actors—Hugo... |
Craig Monahan | ||
| Elizabeth Elizabeth (film) Elizabeth is a 1998 biographical film written by Michael Hirst, directed by Shekhar Kapur, and starring Cate Blanchett in the title role of Queen Elizabeth I of England, alongside Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Sir John Gielgud, Fanny Ardant and Richard Attenborough... |
Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kapur is an Indian film director and producer. A critically acclaimed director, he rose to popularity with the movie Bandit Queen... |
also conductor and orchestrator | |
| 1999 | What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? is a 1999 film, based on Alan Duff's 1996 novel. The film was directed by Ian Mune, and starred Temuera Morrison as abusive Māori husband Jake "the Muss" Heke. The novel is the sequel to Duff's 1990 novel Once Were Warriors, which was made into a 1994 film... |
Ian Mune Ian Mune Ian Barry Mune, OBE is a New Zealand character actor and director. He co-wrote and starred in Roger Donaldson's first film, Sleeping Dogs. He also directed Came a Hot Friday, which featured comedian Billy T. James as the Tainui Kid, and What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, the sequel to Once Were... |
|
| 2000 | Hanging Up Hanging Up Hanging Up is a 2000 American comedy-drama film about a trio of sisters who bond over their ambivalence toward the approaching death of their curmudgeonly father, to whom none of them were particularly close... |
Diane Keaton Diane Keaton Diane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970... |
|
| Better Than Sex | Jonathan Teplitzky | ||
| The Weight of Water The Weight of Water (film) The Weight of Water is a 2000 film based on the novel of the same name by Anita Shreve. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film stars Sean Penn, Elizabeth Hurley, Sarah Polley, Josh Lucas and Catherine McCormack... |
Kathryn Bigelow Kathryn Bigelow Kathryn Ann Bigelow is an American film director. Her best-known films are the cult horror film Near Dark , the surfer/bank robbery action picture Point Break , the science fiction/film noir Strange Days , the historical/mystery film The Weight of Water and the war drama The Hurt Locker... |
also conductor | |
| 2002 | Bootleg | Ian Gilmour | TV mini-series |
| 2003 | The Wannabes The Wannabes The Wannabes is a 2003 Australian comedy film starring Nick Giannopoulos, Russell Dykstra, Isla Fisher, Ryan Johnson, Michael Carman, Lena Cruz, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Costas Kilias, Chantal Contouri and Felix Williamson... |
Nick Giannopoulos Nick Giannopoulos Nick Giannopoulos is a Australian stand-up comedian, film and TV actor. He is best known for his comedy stage show Wogs Out of Work alongside George Kapiniaris and the television sitcom Acropolis Now and is an exponent of wog comedy.-Early life:Nick is an actor/writer/producer/director... |
|
| 2004 | Standing Room Only Standing Room Only (2004 film) Standing Room Only is a 2004 film directed by Deborra-Lee Furness and starring Hugh Jackman, Michael Gambon and Joanna Lumley.The film starts off with Larry, Michael Gambon character, walking up to a theatre door on an empty wet side street in what appears to be the West End... |
Deborra-Lee Furness Deborra-Lee Furness -Biography:Furness attended Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne where she graduated in 1973. She subsequently graduated at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in 1981.... |
Short film |
| Peaches Peaches (film) Peaches is a 2004 Australian film, written by Sue Smith and directed by Craig Monahan. The music was by David Hirschfelder, cinematography by Ernie Clark A.C.S., editing by Suresh Ayyar and art direction by Paula Smith.-Plot:... |
Craig Monahan | ||
| BlackJack BlackJack (telemovie) BlackJack is a series of Australian television movies created by Shaun Micallef and Gary McCaffrie, and starring Colin Friels. The movies began airing on Network Ten in 2003 and concluded in 2007. They were shown in the United Kingdom on the BBC and UKTV Drama.After blowing the whistle on his... |
Peter Andrikidis Peter Andrikidis Peter Andrikidis is an Australian television director and producer.Peter Andrikidis graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Film Direction in 1981 and was immediately recruited to Crawford Productions where he worked on The Flying Doctors.He moved to the ABC, where he... , Ian Watson & Kate Woods Kate Woods Kate Woods is an Australian film and television director.She has worked on the series G.P., Phoenix, Police Rescue, Changi, Escape from Jupiter Heartland to the American series Crossing Jordan, Without a Trace, Bones, NCIS: Los Angeles, Private Practice and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.Woods... |
TV series, all episodes except pilot | |
| The Five People You Meet In Heaven | Lloyd Kramer | TV film ; also conductor | |
| 2006 | Aquamarine Aquamarine (film) Aquamarine is a 2006 Australian-American teen fantasy comedy film starring Sara Paxton, Emma Roberts, and Joanna "JoJo" Levesque . The film, which was made in both the United States and Australia, was released in North America on March 3, 2006... |
Elizabeth Allen Elizabeth Allen (director) Elizabeth Allen is an American director. Allen made her feature film directorial debut with Aquamarine, Fox 2000’s 2006 mermaid movie starring Sara Paxton and Emma Roberts... |
also conductor |
| Irresistible Irresistible (film) Irresistible is a 2006 film directed by Ann Turner. It stars Susan Sarandon, Sam Neill and Emily Blunt.- Plot :The film begins with Sophie, a popular illustrator for books, running home because she left the iron on. When she arrives home, she finds that someone had already switched it off... |
Ann Turner | ||
| 2007 | Shake Hands with the Devil | Roger Spottiswoode Roger Spottiswoode Roger Spottiswoode is a Canadian-born film director and writer, who began his career as an editor in the 1970s. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario. He has directed a number of notable films and television productions, including Under Fire and the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies starring... |
|
| 2008 | The Children of Huang Shi The Children of Huang Shi The Children of Huang Shi is a Chinese 2008 film... |
Roger Spottiswoode Roger Spottiswoode Roger Spottiswoode is a Canadian-born film director and writer, who began his career as an editor in the 1970s. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario. He has directed a number of notable films and television productions, including Under Fire and the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies starring... |
|
| Salute Salute (2008 film) Salute is a 2008 Australian documentary film written, directed and produced by Matt Norman. It is about Norman's uncle, Australian track athlete Peter Norman, specifically the actions he took at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.-Summary:... |
Matt Norman Matt Norman Matthew Travis "Matt" Norman is an actor turned filmmaker, best known for his acting work on Australian TV Shows Blue Heelers, Neighbours and Stingers, U.S telemovies Moby-Dick, Silver Strand and Ghost Rider.... |
documentary | |
| Australia Australia (2008 film) Australia is a 2008 epic historical romance film directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It is the second-highest grossing Australian film of all time, behind Crocodile Dundee. The screenplay was written by Luhrmann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie, with Ronald Harwood... |
Baz Luhrmann Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!... |
also harmonica musician | |
| 2009 | The Blue Mansion The Blue Mansion The Blue Mansion is the second film from director Glen Goei. The film had its world premiere at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival and was released in Singapore on 22 October 2009.-Plot:... |
Glen Goei Glen Goei Glen Goei is one of Singapore's leading film and theatre directors. His broad ranging body of work embraces the full gamut of performing and visual arts from film, theatre, musicals, large scale shows, World Expos, dance, music to architectural design.Glen Goei was the Artistic Director of Mu-Lan... |
|
| 2010 | I Love You Too I Love You Too (2010 film) I Love You Too is a 2010 Australian romantic comedy film, and the directorial film debut of Daina Reid. The screenplay was written by first-time writer Peter Helliar. It stars Brendan Cowell, Peter Dinklage, Yvonne Strahovski, Peter Helliar and Megan Gale, and was produced by Princess Pictures on a... |
Daina Reid | |
| Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Zack Snyder Zack Snyder Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. After making his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead, he gained wide recognition with the 2007 box office hit 300, adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics... |
Animated film | |
| 2011 | Sanctum Sanctum (film) Sanctum is a 2011 Australian 3D adventure drama film directed by Alister Grierson from a screenplay by John Garvin and Andrew Wight, and story by Wight... |
Alister Grierson Alister Grierson Alister Grierson is an Australian film director and scriptwriter. Born in Canberra in 1969, he completed his secondary schooling at Canberra Grammar, graduated in Economics and Arts from the Australian National University and studied Japanese in Tokyo... |
Awards and nominations
APRA-AGSC AwardsAnnual awards presented by Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC).
- 2008APRA Awards of 2008The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2008 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards ceremony occurred on 16 June at the Sydney Hilton, they were presented by APRA and the Australasian...
Best Feature Film Score Screen Music AwardAPRA AwardsThe APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
win for Children of the Silk RoadThe Children of Huang ShiThe Children of Huang Shi is a Chinese 2008 film...
.