Peter Allen is a Canadian composer, organist, and keyboard player. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers, his compositions encompass a broad repertoire from film scores and commercial jingles to sacred music and avant-garde electroacoustic music. He has composed numerous works for CBC Radio and CBC Television.
Education and career
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Allen was a pupil of Boyd McDonald and Robert Turner at the University of Manitoba where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1975. Between 1976 and 1977 he pursued graduate studies at McGill University where his teachers included Bengt Hambraeus, Alcides Lanza, and Bruce Mather. During the 1970s he was a founding member of the contemporary concert series IZ Music, along with three other Manitoba composers; Bruce Carlson, William Pura and James Hiscott. Their concerts were regularly recorded by the CBC and broadcast on Two New Hours, CBC Radio Toronto. Allen also worked as a pianist with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and was active as a keyboardist with a number of local club and rock bands. In 1980 he became organist at St. Mary's Cathedral, Winnipeg and in 1984 was appointed music director for Pope John Paul II's papal mass outdoors at Bird's Hill Park in Winnipeg, for which he was also commissioned to compose a new mass setting. From 1985 to 1986 he worked for Century 21 Studios as their in-house composer and music producer.
Allen moved to Los Angeles, California in 1986 to pursue studies in film scoring at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. In 1988 he moved to Vancouver British Columbia to open his own recording and sound production studio, Peter Allen Associates Inc.Peter Allen in Reel West Magazine 2013 (pages 12 & 13) He has composed music for more than 100 films for American, Canadian and British film companies, including Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, Disney, Universal Pictures, CineTel Films, The National Film Board of Canada, the CBC, LifeTime, Hallmark as well as numerous independent film producers, and has written music for various television shows and series, including a theme song for the Winnipeg Jets in 1979, the broadcast theme for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Montreal Expos, the Winning Spirit theme for the Vancouver Canucks,IMDB Bio and also the international broadcast theme for the 1994 Commonwealth Games. In October 2012, "Tear The Curtain", directed by Kim Collier, played on the Canadian Stage, the largest theatre stage in Canada. "Tear The Curtain" is a simultaneous mix of live theatre and film, and features a score by Peter Allen, both in the film segments and the live segments of the production. Peter worked with Kim Collier again in 2019 to create the score for "The Full Light of Day", which played at the Luminato Festival in Toronto in 2019. In 2003 he won a Leo Award for his score for the film Flower & Garnet and in 2019 for his score for the film Truly Madly Sweetly.
Filmography
Films YearTitleNotes1993 Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow1994 Crackerjack1995Heaven's TearsDangerous PreyFor a Few Lousy Dollars1997Crackerjack 2Sleeping Dogs1998Hell MountainDark ConfessionsSparky Versus RoccoShort FilmAct of War1999A Twist of FaithEscape VelocityThe SilencerLethal Target2000Bear with MeFatal ConflictCrackerjack 3The OperativeLast Stand2001Ripper2002Flower & GarnetStarfire MutinyDirect-to-videoThe Barber2003Casanova at FiftyShort Film200411:11Ripper 2: Letter from Within 2005Sara Under SiegeShort FilmThrallsThe Score2006Shock to the System 2007A Dennis the Menace ChristmasDirect-to-videoBlonde and BlonderTit for TatShort Film 2008ScourgeIncident at a Truckstop Diner Short Film On the Other Hand, DeathThe Art of War II: BetrayalDirect-to-videoIce BluesChristmas TownDirect-to-video 2009The CycleAttention, the Doors Are ClosingShort FilmDriven to KillDirect-to-videoDamage 2010Dancing NinjaThe StrangerDirect-to-videoThe Diner SuitShort Film2011PressedSkewJesus ChristShort FilmRise of the DamnedDead SimpleShort FilmLizShort Film 2012American MaryNow and ForeverShort Film (music written and performed) 2013Out of BusinessShort filmCup Runneth OverShort film 2014The Clockwork GirlFeature AnimationToxin2015A Perfect Wedding2016Mostly Ghostly 3: One Night in Doom HouseDirect-to-video2017Bigger Fatter LiarDirect-to-videoSelfie From HellFeature Film2018The Big Top FuryShort Film2023If You're Reading This Documentary
Television YearTitleNotes1991Tales from the Crypt1 episode 1994Metro Cafe1996DowndraftTelevision film1997Kleo the Misfit Unicorn26 episodesDead FireTelevision film1998The Other Side of the PictureDocumentary1999Escape from MarsTelevision filmSlightly Bent TVSasquatch Odyssey: The Hunt for BigfootDocumentary2002atHome2004On CourseDeep EvilTelevision filmHappylandTelevision filmEve's ChristmasTelevision filmA Very Cool ChristmasTelevision film2005StekloMini-series (3 episodes)Home for the HolidaysTelevision filmHis and Her ChristmasTelevision film2006Lesser EvilTelevision filmThe ObsessionTelevision filmFamily in HidingTelevision filmDeadly SkiesTelevision filmBreaking RanksDocumentaryFour Extraordinary WomenTelevision film21st Annual Gemini AwardsTelevision specialAll She Wants for ChristmasTelevision film2007A Valentine CarolTelevision filmWitness to MurderTelevision filmDestination: InfestationTelevision film2008The Afterlife with Suzane NorthropDocumentary (10 episodes)Let's Talk Sex10 episodesMaking Mr. RightTelevision filmLove Sick: Secrets of a Sex Addict]Television film (international version)Mixed Nutz2009Storm SeekersTelevision filmBlack RainTelevision filmEncounter with DangerTelevision filmVancouver VagabondDocumentary Health NutzTelevision filmSomething Evil ComesTelevision film 2010A Family ThanksgivingTelevision filmTwo Men in a Boat: Chasing SpringDocumentary 2011The Adventures of Artie the Ant12 episodesPast ObsessionsTelevision film2012What's Up Warthogs!19 episodesBroken TrustTelevision filmLove at the Thanksgiving Day ParadeTelevision film2013Health Nutz7 episodesThe TrainerTelevision filmProfile for MurderTelevision filmForever 16Television film2014Irreplaceable DocumentaryMy Mother's Future HusbandTelevision filmThe Color of RainTelevision filmRecipe for LoveTelevision filmWedding Planner MysteryTelevision film2015I Do, I Do, I DoTelevision filmThe Wrong GirlTelevision filmTies That Bind9 episodesAngels in the SnowTelevision filmDebbie Macomber's Dashing Through the SnowTelevision film2016Stop the WeddingTelevision filmChesapeake Shores1 episodeTerres d'ExplorationTelevision mini-series documentary 2017Nations at WarDocumentaryThe Christmas TrainTelevision film2018Truly Madly SweetlyTelevision film2020Charlie's Christmas WishTelevision film
Video games YearTitleNotes2004Spongebob Squarepants: A Day in the Life of a Sponge
Theatre YearTitleNotes2008Titus AndronicusBard On The Beach2010Tear The CurtainArts Club Theatre2013You Are Very StarElectric Company Theatre2019The Full Light Of DayElectric Company Theatre
Awards
YearProjectCategoryResult2000A Twist of FaithBest Musical Score in a Motion Picture (Leo Award)Nominated2002The BarberFeature Length Drama: Best Musical Score (Leo Award)Nominated2003Casanova at FiftyShort Drama: Best Musical Score (Leo Award)NominatedFlower & GarnetFeature Length Drama: Best Musical Score (Leo Award)Won200511:11Feature Length Drama: Best Musical Score (Leo Award)Nominated2006The ScoreBest Music Score in a Feature Length Drama (Leo Award)NominatedThe ScoreBest Original Music Score for a Program or Mini-Series (Gemini Award)Nominated2008A Dennis the Menace ChristmasBest Musical Score in a Feature Length Drama (Leo Award)NominatedScourgeBest Music Score in a Feature Length Drama (Leo Award)Nominated2009The Art of War II: Betrayal Best Musical Score in a Feature Length Drama (Leo Award)Nominated2014Destination: InfestationDomestic Feature Film Award (SOCAN Award)Won2019Truly, Madly, SweetlyBest Musical Score in a Television Movie (Leo Award)Won2023If You're Reading ThisBest Musical Score in a Feature Length Documentary (Leo Award)Nominated
References
External links
Peter Allen Associates Inc. Online Peter Allen clips on TV Guide