Studio Soundtracks takes listeners behind the scenes of how music is crafted for film and television by hearing directly from composers, songwriters and music professionals in the Entertainment Industry. Listen to inspiring conversations about composition and hear works from Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar-winning film scores on the show.

On this month’s episode, Chandler is joined by guests Raashi Kulkari and Mark Orton.

RAASHI KULKARNI

Raashi Kulkarni is a composer and classical pianist based in Los Angeles. Her latest scoring work can be heard in the Netflix and Imagine Entertainment feature, Wedding Season, directed by Tom Dey, the award-winning documentary, Barefoot Empress, written and directed by Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna, the Disney+ film, World’s Best, from director Roshan Sethi and producers Thomas Kail and Utkarsh Ambudkar, and the feature film, A Nice Indian Boy, from director Roshan Sethi, starring Jonathan Groff and Karan Soni. Kulkarni is the 2023 recipient of The ASCAP Foundation David Rose Award and a 2024 ASCAP Composers’ Choice Award Nominee for Film Score of the Year (World’s Best). She recently scored a project for DreamWorks Animation, set to release in 2025.

Raashi, with Emmy winner Blake Neely, contributed additional music for over 150 episodes on series such as the CW’s Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. ForDC’s Legends of Tomorrow, she composed and orchestrated the DC Universe’s first Bollywood-inspired musical.

In addition to her creative pursuits, Raashi is dedicated to championing her peers. As a current Board Member and former Executive Director of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, she advocates for the inclusion and visibility of women composers. Raashi also serves as an Advisor for the Recording Academy’s LA Chapter Board and as a GRAMMY U Mentor.

MARK ORTON

Mark Orton, founding member of the genre-bending acoustic chamber ensemble Tin Hat, has written original scores and contributed music to numerous dramatic and documentary films including Nebraska, My Old Lady, Sweet Land, Everything Is Illuminated, Buck, From the Ashes, The Good Girl, The Box Trolls, People-Places-Things, 12 Mighty Orphans, Fernando Meirelles’ 360, Ken Burns’ The Roosevelts series, and Pixar’s Loop. Recent projects include the films Leave No Trace and Somewhere in Queens, two series from Netflix – Obama’s Working: What We Do All Day, and Muscles & Mayhem, along with the upcoming Alexander Panynefeature The Holdovers.

An alumnus of the Peabody Conservatory and the Hartt School of Music, and the recipient of a Sundance Institute Composer Fellowship, he was nominated Best New Composer by the International Film Music Critics. He is a multi-instrumentalist and collector of antique and unusual musical instruments, which he often employs in his scores.

Mark is a frequent contributor to both radio and podcast programming including This American Life, All Things Considered, the Headlong series, and the award-winning podcast Wind of Change. As an arranger, Mark has worked with artists including Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, Mike Patton, and Madeline Peyroux. In addition, he continues to compose music for modern dance, radio drama, the circus and the concert hall.

He lives in The Great Pacific Northwest with his wife and son.