“His music is really magical…by turns subtle and sublime.” “..a brilliant composer…a fantastic score.”
Steve Bramson is the Emmy™award-winning composer of hundreds of primetime television episodes and numerous feature films. He scored ten consecutive seasons of CBS Television Network’s long-running series, JAG, and worked with George Lucas on one of the final episodes of his popular series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Bramson has also composed the music to many highly acclaimed independent feature films starring actors such as Samantha Morton, Elizabeth Shue, Helen Hunt, Rhys Ifans, Thomas Hayden Church, William Macy and John Malkovich. Known for his versatility and craftsmanship, Bramson was chosen to score the popular amusement ride, From the Earth to the Moon, written for the Disneyland Paris theme park. Bramson’s music has been called “imaginative and terrifically inventive” and of his score to Don McKay, one reviewer says “Steve Bramson works masterfully…, (his score is ) a virtual primer on the power of musical restraint...”
Originally from New York, Bramson was born into a family of musicians. Following undergraduate studies in economics, Bramson returned to music, earning a Masters degree from the prestigious conservatory, the Eastman School of Music.
While at Eastman, Bramson was noticed by distinguished film composer Laurence Rosenthal (The Miracle Worker, A Raisin in the Sun, Requiem For A Heavyweight). Upon graduation, Rosenthal invited Bramson to join him in Los Angeles to work as his orchestrator. Bramson went on to orchestrate many of the composer’s Emmy™ - winning scores and worked with him on some of the world’s most renowned recording stages in Hollywood and around the world. Bramson has also contributed his talents as orchestrator to scores for now classic movies such as Apollo 13 with James Horner, James and the Giant Peach with Randy Newman and Starship Troopers with Basil Poledouris.
During this time, Bramson was named one of the first Composer-Fellows in the newly formed Sundance Institute’s Composers Lab and began to forge his own reputation as a composer. One of his first commissions was to score the groundbreaking attraction at Disney’s Paris theme park, From the Earth to the Moon. The ride was the first to use an original orchestral score synchronized with the passenger’s journey. Though the ride has since been redesigned and rescored, his music continues to be a favorite among fans. From the Earth to the Moon was selected to open the popular Hollywood In Vienna concert in October, 2013.
In 1995, on the recommendation of theme composer Bruce Broughton, Bramson was brought on as composer for the hit TV series JAG. At the time, it was one of only a few series that utilized a large live orchestra for each of its weekly scores. Bramson received two Emmy™ award nominations for his work. Other television projects include music for The Nine and Journeyman.
In recent years, Bramson has turned his attention to scoring films, including In Enemy Hands featuring William Macy, Don McKay with actors Thomas Hayden Church and Elizabeth Shue, Decoding Annie Parker starring Helen Hunt and Samantha Morton and most recently, Dominion, based on the life of poet Dylan Thomas featuring Rhys Ifans and John Malkovich.
Bramson is also the composer of the musical Shimmy with lyricist Pamela Oland and choreographer Donald McKayle and numerous concert works. Of the live performance of his work Dream Rushes, Fanfare magazine says “…a haunting, atmospheric setting...” The New York Times added “…of particular interest. Imaginative and lushly scored.”