Composer Angelo Badalamenti is highly regarded for his award winning scoring work in film and television. Best known for his many collaborations with director David Lynch, he is also a popular and respected recording artist, having worked with the likes of David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Pet Shop Boys, Anthrax, Michael Jackson, Julie Cruise, Marianne Faithfull and Dolores O’Riordan, to name a few.
Born in Brooklyn to parents of Italian descent, Badalamenti studied at the famous Eastman School of Music in Rochester and at Manhattan School of Music, where he received Masters degrees in composition, French horn and piano. Following his classical training, he worked for five years as a music teacher at the Dyker Heights Junior High School in Brooklyn, while spending summers as a Borscht Belt pianist, and as an arranger-songwriter for many popular performers including Shirley Bassey, Nancy Wilson, Roberta Flack and Nina Simone.
Badalamenti began his work in film music in 1973, with his score for Gordon’s War. But his big break came in 1986 when he was hired by David Lynch as Isabella Rossellini’s vocal coach for Blue Velvet. He ended up scoring the film. His close working relationship with Lynch served as a springboard for his career, and he has worked on numerous films and television series in addition to scoring all of Lynch’s film and television work since.
He won the BPI’s Best Album Award and a Grammy for his score to Lynch’s groundbreaking TV series “Twin Peaks.” He was also nominated for three Emmy’s. His soundtrack for “Twin Peaks” has achieved gold status in 15 countries.
He is also the recipient of an Independent Sprit Award and a Saturn Award for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and a BAFTA for his score for The Comfort of Strangers.
He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his scores of Mulholland Drive and The Straight Story received BAFTA and AFI nominations for Mulholland Drive and Cesar Nominations for A Very Long Engagement and The City of Lost Children.
Badalamenti was chosen to represent America as the composer and conductor of The Flaming Arrow, the “torch theme” for the opening ceremony of the Olympics held in Barcelona.
