Miriam Cutler is an American composer best known for her documentary film work.
Miriam Cutler | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Genres | Film score |
| Occupation(s) | Composer |
Life and career
Cutler is a Los Angeles-based film composer, scoring and performing music for over 20 years. She began her musical career as songwriter and clarinet player with The New Miss Alice Stone Ladies Society Orchestra; she then joined the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo as a clarinetist, and later founded the group Swingstreet. Due to her love of jazz, she has co-produced albums by the likes of Joe Williams, Nina Simone, Marlena Shaw, and Shirley Horn.[1] Cutler has served on a number of film festival juries including the first-ever World Cinema Documentary category at Sundance, The Film Independent Spirit Awards, The International Documentary Association Awards, and the AFI Film Festival Awards. She is a long-term board member of the Society of Composers & Lyricists and has served as an advisor in the Sundance Institute's Composers Lab since 2003.[2] She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Motion Picture Academy Documentary Branch and the Executive Committee of the TV Academy Music Branch.[3]
Cutler has also been the long-time composer for Circus Flora, based in St. Louis, MO.[4]
On June 26, 2013, Cutler was voted into the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[5]
In 2014, Cutler co-founded the Alliance for Women Film Composers with Lolita Ritmanis and Laura Karpman.[6] The organization provides visibility and advocacy for women composers.[7]
In 2017, Cutler was inducted into the John Muir High School (Pasadena, CA) distinguished alumni Hall of Fame.[8]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Nominated | Prime Time Emmy Award | Original Score – Documentary[9] | Love, Gilda |
| 2019 | Nominated | Prime Time Emmy Award | Original Score – Documentary[9] | RBG |
| 2018 | Nominated | HMMA | Original Score – Documentary[10] | |
| 2015 | Won | HMMA | Original Score – Documentary[11] | The Hunting Ground |
| 2012 | Nominated | News & Documentary Emmy Award | Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Music and Sound[12] | The Desert of Forbidden Art |