JUSTIN HURWITZ

Composer Justin Hurwitz became best known for his work with college friend and film director Damien Chazelle, most notably for the La La Land score. Raised in California, Hurwitz came from an artistic family -- his sister played the violin and both his parents worked in the arts, his mother was a ballerina and his father a writer. He began playing the piano at the age of six. By the time he was ten, he was composing his own music. In the eighth grade, he and his family moved to Fox Point, Wisconsin where he attended Nicolet High School. While there, the budding composer also studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee with pianist Stefanie Jacob. After graduating in 2003, he continued his education at Harvard University. While his early years were primarily spent studying classical music -- he had an appreciation for John Williams' scores -- read more...