Mark Korven is a Canadian musician and composer for film and television. He is best known for his work on the sci-fi horror cult film Cube, and most recently his collaboration with director Robert Eggers on the period horror filmsThe Witch and The Lighthouse.
Life and career
During his early life in Winnipeg, Korven performed in many amateur rock bands, mostly playing the guitar in local bars. In 1977, he started taking formal music education at the Grant MacEwan Community College in Edmonton where he studied jazz and orchestration. After graduating, he developed into a singer / songwriter and recorded his first album of left-of-center pop entitled "Passengers". In 1987 he moved to Toronto, where he recorded the album "Ordinary Man" with Duke Street Records, and that same year he had his first chance at composing, with the score for Patricia Rozema's debut feature I've Heard the Mermaids Singing. which went on to win the La Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1992 he released one more album "This Must Be The Place", although by that time his main activity had become composing scores for film and TV works. During his life Korven became specialized in world music, learning to play several exotic instruments, such as the Sarangi, the Nyckelharpa, the Duduk, the Erhu, and the water phone among others. He was also responsible for the creation of "The Apprehension Engine", a custom made musical instrument intended for the creation of unsettling noises to be used on scoring horror films. Its creation was commissioned to guitar manufacturer Tony Duggan-Smith. The instrument has been presented in a number of live presentations and is expected to be made available for purchase in a limited run. Also, a second version of it is in the works.
2008 – Won – Best Original Music Score for a Documentary Program or Series: "A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman"
2008 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Program or Series: The Border For episode "Enemy Contact"
2005 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Documentary Program or Series: "Continuous Journey", award shared with:
Philip Strong, Kiran Ahluwalia, Ben Grossman, Ravi Naimpally
2000 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Program or Mini-Series: "The Sheldon Kennedy Story"
1999 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Program or Mini-Series: "Win, Again!"
1992 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Program or Mini-Series: "Between Two Worlds"
Genie Awards
1999 – Nominated – Best Music Score: "Cube"
1996 – Nominated – Best Achievement in Music – Original Score: "The Michelle Apts."
1996 – Won – Best Achievement in Music – Original Score: "Curtis's Charm"
1994 – Nominated – Best Music Score: "Henry & Verlin"
1993 – Nominated – Best Music Score: "The Grocer's Wife"
1991 – Nominated – Best Music Score: "White Room"
Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival
2005 – Won Golden Sheaf Award – Best Original Music, Non-Fiction: "Continuous Journey", award shared with: Philip Strong, Kiran Ahluwalia, Ben Grossman, Ravi Naimpally
