Christopher Young

An American composer for film and television, Christopher Young has built his career largely around horror and thriller scores. Born in Red Bank, New Jersey, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in music from Hampshire College and continued his studies at the University of North Texas. He moved to Los Angeles in 1980, starting as a jazz drummer before the music of Bernard Herrmann led him to pursue film scoring; he later studied under David Raksin at the UCLA Film School. Young's credits include genre films such as Hellraiser and Drag Me to Hell (2009). His score for The Shipping News brought a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. At the 2008 BMI Film and TV Awards he received an award for significant contributions to film and television music. He is on the faculty of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music.