The English composer and viola player, Jocelyn Pook (1960 – ) has made her name in the entertainment industry. After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music in 1983, Pook primarily composed music for dances, including DV8 Physical Theatre, O Vertigo Danse, and the Phoenix Dance Company. However, it was Stanley Kubrick who really helped Pook advance in the film industry, through inviting her to compose for the film Eyes Wide Shut (1999), for which she was awarded a Chicago Film Award and a Golden Globe Nomination.
Similarly, Pook composed music for other famous films and TV series including Michael Radford’s The Merchant of Venice (2004), and Channel 4’s The Government Inspector. Likewise, Pook has composed music for operatic and theatrical works, for instance she scored the music to the National Theatre’s St Joan (2008), and her first opera, Ingerland (2010), was performed at the Royal Opera House. As a result of her “highly original” music, Pook has won a broad range of awards. These include multiple BAFTAs, Olivier Awards, Classic Brit Awards, and a Golden Globe Nominee Award (2000), as previously mentioned.
Outside of her composing career, Pook also engages in politics. She supported the 2019 Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, by signing a letter along with other influential figures in the field of music, such as Roger Waters and Kate Tempest. Here’s an example of Pook’s film music, an extract from the movie Gangs of New York:
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