Precision and flexibility are the two mantras of Louise Tremblay and James Gelfand, two very prolific creators who’ve composed the music for more than 60 films and 200 series episodes throughout their career; they’ll receive the Screen Composer of the Year Award at the 30th Montréal SOCAN Awards Gala on Sept. 22, 2019, at La Tohu. Their open-mindedness, talent, and rapid turnaround time have built their stellar reputation in the screen music industry. For a decade, the duo (and couple) have scored an average of six feature films or documentaries per year, making sure that they deliver lucid, straightforward works for the commissions with which they’re tasked. Among their most recent and memorable tour de force creations for Canadian productions are Girls’ Night Out, Final Destiny and Darwin. We met at their home in Montréal’s West End – which is, in large part, a composing and recording studio – to learn more about how they started collaborating, and their four-handed creative process.
Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard