The Foreward Score.
Christopher O’Riley
Emmy Award Winning Christopher O’Riley composed and performed the theme for the Foreward podcast.
Growing up near Chicago, Christopher O'Riley discovered a love for classical music early on. Simultaneously, he explored a love of rock and fusion, even forming his own band in high school. When Christopher’s family moved to Pittsburgh, he began experimenting with jazz. He attended the New England Conservatory in Boston. His first releases included solo performances of works by composers like Schumann, Beethoven, Ravel, Busoni, and Stravinsky. Christopher hosted a radio program highlighted upcoming young classical musicians called From the Top for two decades, which was distributed by NPR. When he branched away from performing strictly classical music, he began to gain a wider, mainstream audience. After hearing Radiohead's 1997 album, OK Computer, O'Riley became obsessed with the band and its sound and set about transcribing pieces for solo piano. Christopher’s album, True Love Waits, came out in 2003, followed by Hold Me to This, another Radiohead tribute, in 2005.
ARTIST STATEMENT: “I am in perpetual awe at the power of music as a force for epiphany in our lives; I relish & acknowledge each serendipitous yet inevitably life-changing moment in which we listen, perform, study, talk about, collaborate, teach, discover perpetually in music. These epiphanies come into my life from in many different genres of music, too. I’ve quite a life.”
You can view Chris’s website here.
David Bashford
David Bashford composed and performed the score for the Foreward podcast. David created dozens of original pieces for Foreward, including an important, reoccurring “sound-alike” song called “Don’t Give Up Hope,” inspired by a 2006 John Mayer song.
David is a multi-faceted composer and songwriter, often specializing in replicating a by-gone musical era or style. He has collaborated with celebrated recording artists (Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Jon Cozart, Kyle Donovan) and has produced dozens of studio quality songs and compositions. In addition to his work as a musician, he is an award winning filmmaker who has worked under the tutelage of notable film and TV figures such as Alex Cox (Repo Man), John Badham (Saturday Night Fever), and Anne Beatts (Saturday Night Live). Bashford has long been drawn to music in film, and this has informed his work while completing his MFA in Film Directing from Dodge College of Film & Media Arts at Chapman University. He is ecstatic to combine his film and music passions whenever he can.
David also served as Foreward’s Music Director, working in collaboration with our editors, to choose additional music to compliment the original score.
You can view David’s portfolio here.
Additional Music
Duce Williams - A multi-talented Singer-Songwriter and composer from Miami, Florida, with an international background and forward-minded creativity. Having roots in the Bahamas, growing up in Miami, and studying in Sydney, Australia, Duce Williams combines the vibes, experience and flavor of living around the world.
SPEARFISHER - SPEARFISHER is the Electronic music alias of highly sought after composer and classically trained pianist Peter John. From forward-thinking Pop melodies to Synth-heavy Cinematic drops, his music breathes life into film with its organic textures and musical sensibilities. Working in close collaboration with Pop singers, rappers and internationally acclaimed cellist Cicely Parnas, SPEARFISHER creates the sound of the future using instruments from the past. While his music has been performed in venues such as The Kennedy Center, Merkin Hall in NYC to concert halls in Osaka, it feels at home in the clubs of Berlin and Detroit as well.
Tristan Barton - Tristan Barton is an Australian based composer with a focused interest in creating music for visual media. His work in stage/theater productions, commercial advertising and film showcase his heartfelt, thought-provoking, and sometimes hauntingly beautiful style. Over the years, Tristan's work has been used by countless major international brands and his unbounded energy and prolific creativity continue to produce some of the best music available.
Ian Post - Ian Post has established himself as a highly sought-after composer in video and film scoring. An alumnus of the Berklee College of Music, his professional career has taken him throughout the world to collaborate with artists on an extensive range of projects. He recently left his London-based studio in order to partner with Artlist with a focus on film soundtracks and exclusive production projects.
Ethan Dufault - Singer-Songwriter and producer Ethan Dufault's Vocal melodies are filled with character and smooth vibes, and his production infuses elements of Pop, Electronic, and Hip Hop. Ethan uses a mixture of Acoustic and synthetic production elements to evoke a range of feels with his music. Thought-provoking, heart-breaking, and feel-good are part of this Seattle native's emotional repertoire.
Kyle Preston - Inspired by minimalism, Electronic and Classical-light music, Kyle Preston's work reaches destinations of intense clarity in musical experimentation. With a background in Astronomy and Astrophysics, his work is grounded in a scientific realism and the result is an innovative blend of sound that has been featured in a broadening list of feature films. Critically acclaimed and described as 'otherworldly' by the Los Angeles Times, Kyle's work is a sonic journey. His work has been awarded the Apple iPad Award and is part of TIME Magazine's Game of the Year Prune.
Michael Vignola - New York City native Michael Vignola is a multi-award winning musician, producer, and composer known for his multi-faceted range and attention to detail, originally a pianist, Vignola's compositions often evoke a visceral and emotional feeling, weaving in and out of a storyline to give films musical consciousness.
Max H. - Award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Max H.'s work can be found everywhere from major Hollywood films to American TV series to documentaries worldwide. Starting as an assistant to Oscar-winning composer Mychael Danna in Los Angeles, he has gone on to establish himself as a creative and versatile talent in his own right.
Adi Levi - From his roots in a tiny village in Israel's agricultural heartland, Adi has gone on to perform and develop his own unique sound. Blending styles of laid-back Classic Rock and Indie Blues, he infuses his music with a captivating energy and power. He has become a seasoned and well-known performer collaborating with a number of touring bands and recently released his first full-length album. Adi is an up-and-coming artist with raw passion and pure style.
Charlie Ryan - A film editor with a background as a Rock and Folk composer and performer, Charlie Ryan gives his soundtracks a personal edge with his own defined storytelling style. His album Hiemal is titled after one of his own short film productions, giving him the opportunity to score the project, which ultimately launched a creative career in music composition and production.
Yehezkel Raz - Yehezkel Raz is a composer, pianist and sound artist. He began his musical education at the age of 4, playing the violin, Guitar and then the Piano, eventually graduating with honors from the Israeli Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, where he discovered his passion for Electronic music. Yehezkel won the Academie musicale de Villecroze (France) award for composers in 2005 and 2006, and he is one of the most accomplished educators in Israel today. Yehezkel's works include music for film, theater and dance, and he enjoys performing live with Electronics and synthesizers.
Michael FK - Michael FK is an Ambient/Chill and experimental sound designer, producer and arranger from the Republic of Moldova. He specializes in composing for film and multimedia. Since his introduction to music at the age of 16, he has grown to define his own sound and style.
David Benedict - After graduating with a Mandolin music performance degree and spending a 3-year stint in Nashville touring and recording with acclaimed bass player Missy Raines, David moved to Boston to join the bluegrass band Mile Twelve. In 2017, the band received the IBMA Band Momentum Award, while David himself claimed the 2018 IBMA Momentum Award for Instrumentalist of the Year. These opportunities have contributed to the development of David's own artistic voice as an instrumentalist and composer. He continues to perform full-time with Mile Twelve and is the creator and curator of the popular weekly video series Mandolin Mondays hosted by the Mandolin Cafe.
Lane King - Washington native Lane King specializes in Cinematic composition, crafting genre defying music with Piano, Keys, Percussion, Strings and finger-style Acoustic Guitar. Whatever project he's working on, his main focus is always making music that tells a story.
Joel Ansett - Joel Ansett combines Folk and RnB to move beyond the limits of each genre. Thanks to his growing fanbase, Joel has crowdfunded the creation of his second album, which blends sonic experimentation with strong songwriting that places grief and hope side by side.
Theatre of Delays - After gaining popularity for remixing some of the biggest names in Rock and Electronic music, Theatre of Delays expanded his musical palette towards Ambient and experimental music. The power of T.O.D. lies in the mixture of Electronic and Acoustic sounds, creating contrasts between the cerebral and the emotional.
The Lighthearts - Combining Pop-Folk fanfare with toe-tapping melodies, soaring harmonies and happy high hopes, Brisbane folk collective The Lighthearts set stages and ears ablaze with their radiant sonic stylings. Since taking out the Westfield Sound Search competition in 2015, The Lighthearts have since illuminated stages far and wide, appearing alongside Aussie music royalty while also gracing festival stages at Caloundra Music Festival, Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, Brisbane’s iconic Caxton Street Festival and beyond. Starting 2019 with TV appearances, radio interviews and the release of a brand new single ‘Love Is Here To Stay’, things are certainly looking bright for this Brissie six-piece.
Jameson Nathan Jones - Jameson Nathan Jones is a modern Classical/Ambient composer from the U.S. writing music that combines Classical instrumentation with Electronic elements. Having Developed a music style that is both melancholic and Cinematic, Jones has collaborated with some of today's leading film scorers.
Aleksey Chistilin - Born in Russia, Aleksey Chistilin has over 10 years of experience in composition and music arrangement. Inspired by notable Cinematic composers, his music has been used in multimedia exhibitions and award-winning arthouse films.
Maya Isac - Maya Isac initially made a considerable name for herself performing throughout Israel. Her debut Israeli Gold album "Safe & Sound", released in 2011, received high rotation on Israeli radio and peaked there on the charts, while her sophomore 2015 LP "All of The Miles" garnered substantial acclaim from critics and music connoisseurs alike. Maya is now based in New York City and recently toured throughout the United States, including performances at the Mountain Jam and SXSW festivals.
Hans Johnson - Hans Johnson grew up making music. With two musical parents, he started out singing into a tape recorder in a small town in Minnesota and started writing and recording multi-track music by middle school. After high school, he set out to record the little-documented songs of East Africa’s Maasai tribe. He eventually moved into professional videography and continued writing the music for his own films. These combined talents and understanding of the movement of music and film gives Hans' music an imminently relevant sound.
Alon Peretz - Alon Peretz is a multi-instrumentalist composer and producer with a Masters degree in interdisciplinary music composition from the Jerusalem Academy Of Music. Alon has gained considerable experience in composition for film, combining studio production technique with a unique artistic approach, lending depth to characters and sonic landscapes.
Thomas Geelens - Thomas Geelens feels passionate about playing guitar and singing Pop music. He wants to portray life through his lyrics and music in a truthful way with a sense of hope. From the multicultural town of Maastrich, Netherlands, Thomas has always been involved in music and the performing arts, but a 10-day visit to New York inspired him to write and perform his own music. Thomas is drawn to strong male vocals and soulful lyrics, inspired by American Singer-Songwriters and Rock singers.
Doug Kaufman - With a signature blend of contemporary textures and timeless composition, Doug Kaufman brings stories to life. Weaving evocative melodies with complex sound design concepts, his work has become a favorite in the worlds of film, television, radio and games. He works out of Black Sparrow Studios, nestled high in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.
Roman P - Experienced composer and producer Roman P creates epic Cinematic pieces perfect for grand themes and Powerful moments on film.
D Fine Us - Tomer Katz, aka D Fine US, is a Producer, guitarist and harmonica player whose unique signature sound results from blending old traditional Blues and Soul with fresh cutting edge beats and futuristic textures. Mixing raw field recordings with polished studio work, the music of D Fine US draws lines and connects the dots between different musical worlds.
Ben Winwood - Ben Winwood of North Wales is inspired by the natural beauty of his home near the mountains of Snowdonia National Park, UK. Raw, precise, earthy sounds created by the many hours devoted to sculpting and carving space and emotional detail into his music. He endeavors to score only with Acoustic instruments, hardware synthesis, and solo/ensemble players in his final works.
Alon Ohana - Alon Ohana is an Israeli musician, producer, composer, arranger, programmer and mixer whose work spans decades in the audio and film industry. Today he focuses on building new and fresh concepts for film scores and commercial projects.