French composer Laurent Eyquem has beat the odds, overcoming a series of major tragedies - including a near fatal accident that almost cost him his right arm - to become one of the most talked-about talents to arrive on the film music composing scene in recent years.Winner of the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) Breakthrough Composer of the Year award, Eyquem's 2013 scores for Copperhead (Varèse Sarabande) and Winnie Mandela (Sony-RCA) garnered multiple nominations from around the world, including three nods from the IFMCA (Breakthrough Composer of the Year; Best Original Score for a Drama Film; Composer of the Year), and the much coveted Discovery of the Year nomination from the World Soundtrack Academy.Just five short years after his critically acclaimed, award nominated film-scoring debut for Lea Pool's Mommy's at the Hairdresser's in 2008, the Bordeaux native has captured the attention and imagination of the international film music community, with his work drawing comparisons between a host of composing greats including George Delerue, Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry and Alexandre Desplat. His 2013 IFMCA nominations placed him alongside film-music legends John Williams and Ennio Morricone.In addition to critical recognition, the score for Winnie Mandela" also marked a film composing first, when the Mandela family granted Eyquem permission to write for and record with the world-renowned Soweto Gospel Choir in Johannesburg, South Africa. Until Winnie, the choir had only performed on end-credit music, making Eyquem the first to include their legendary work in an original score. He was also tapped to arrange, orchestrate and co-produce the end-credit song for the film, written by song-writing legend, Diane Warren and performed by Jennifer Hudson.Laurent's success as a composer has come about in the face of major personal setbacks, including the death of his younger sister and only sibling in the crash of the Air France Concorde, in July 2000. A short time later, his father - a clarinetist with the Bordeaux orchestra, and Eyquem's musical mentor - developed an aggressive form of cancer, succumbing to the disease in 2003. Just months after his father's death, Laurent survived a near-fatal 30-foot fall, suffering major injuries that nearly cost him his right arm. A series of operations in Canada and Europe, 2 years of daily physiotherapy and sheer force of will perfectly restored his ability to compose and conduct, beating the odds and surprising his doctors.Today, Laurent channels his life experience into eloquent and powerful music for film. He has developed a reputation among producers and directors as a versatile, prolific and collaborative composer. He is known for his original, melodic and lyrical style that enhances the emotional weight of the visuals it supports.In 2014, Eyquem is on deck to score Momentum, starring Olga Kurylenko (Oblivion) and helmed by Clint Eastwood protégé Stephen Campanelli, as well as an upcoming film with Oscar-nominee Roland Joffé (The Mission, The Killing Fields).Based in Los Angeles, Laurent is a French citizen who holds EU and Canadian passports. He is lead orchestrator and conductor on all of his projects, and has a top-notch Los Angeles-based team in place to deliver world-class results. Laurent conducts and records his projects with soloists, symphonic orchestras and choirs from around the globe. Show less «