Laurent Eyquem

Canadian citizen, and a native of Bordeaux, France, Laurent Eyquem (pronounced /AAY/-kem) began his classical training as a pianist at 6 years of age at the urging of his father, a musician with the Bordeaux Orchestra. The three decades of study and performance in Europe that followed included many prize-winning concerts and a focus on orchestral composition and symphonic structure. At just 16 years of age, Laurent joined a 14 piece orchestra, performing with musicians many years his senior and honing his skills as a budding composer – gaining knowledge that he would later use in promoting the Baroque Orchestra of Montreal and composing music for film. While music has always been a passion for Laurent, he chose to devote several years of his life to work in the humanitarian field before turning his full attention to composing. With a masters in corporate communications, he served as director of communications for the Canadian Red Cross and taught at the University of Sherbrooke before becoming national director of communications for one of the world’s largest non-profits dedicated to international development. He ultimately rose to the position of international director of strategic communications, working to open new offices in France, Spain and Denmark. In 2000, life struck with a series of major blows. First, Laurent lost his younger sister and only sibling in the crash of the Air France Concorde. In the aftermath of this tragedy, his father developed an aggressive form of cancer and died just a few years later. Shortly after, Laurent survived what should have been a fatal accident. A series of operations in Canada and Europe, 2 years of daily physiotherapy treatments and sheer force of will have perfectly restored his ability to play piano and compose. Today, with these difficult chapters behind him, 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, skilled at delivering original music for film. Laurent continues to compose for both the North American and European markets. He is known for his original style – sometimes described as evoking shades of Georges Delerue and Dario Marianelli– that enhances the emotional weight of the visuals it supports. Rooted in the classical tradition and influenced by his European sensibilities, Laurent’s compositions are powerfully evocative and emotionally charged. With compositions ranging from intimate and spare solo pieces to large orchestral works, Laurent has the versatility to create music across a variety of themes. Laurent records his projects with soloists from the Symphonic Orchestra of Montreal and live orchestras in either Moscow (Mosfilm) or Bulgaria (Bulgarian National Radio’s Studio One, Sofia). Laurent currently divides his time between Los Angeles, Montreal and Paris. There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music. George Eliot (1819-80), [Mary Ann Evans] British writer Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.