Speakers

Petri Alanko

Petri Alanko (aka Lowland) is a three-time BAFTA-nominated Finnish composer, musician and producer who creates deeply emotional soundscapes for visual media, including games, television and movies. His dynamic repertoire ranges from the haunting orchestral/electronic scores for Remedy Entertainment’s psycho-thriller, ALAN WAKE, to the thematic hybrid works of action blockbuster QUANTUM BREAK and the complex musical landscape of CONTROL featuring a twisted and ominous electronic sci-fi score for Remedy’s cinematic triumph. Returning to ‘The Dark Place’, Alanko’s latest musical adventure was composing the intense duality and character-driven score for Remedy’s supernatural horror sequel, ALAN WAKE II, released to universal critical acclaim in 2023.

For ALAN WAKE II, Alanko curated the game’s unique surreal soundscape with a custom-built Apprehension Engine (multi instrumental device), Mega Marvin (metallic percussion instrument), and other manipulated percussion sounds sourced from a 'plate reverb'. As the narrative unfolds, the melodies and harmonies are to tied to each character but their different soundscapes and unique instrumentation evolve and intertwine as the worlds collide between protagonist Saga in her world and Alan Wake in ‘The Dark Place’.

As an artist and performer, Alanko has toured extensively with popular Finnish bands including keyboards for Neon 2, recorded the critically acclaimed albums, Classical Trancelations 1 and 2 (under his Lowland moniker) and performed Classical Trancelations In Concert at the Helsinki Festival. Previously Alanko collaborated with the symphonic metal band Nightwish composing the elegant and sophisticated classical arrangements for Imaginaerum The Movie, based on their hit album. Since 2018, Alanko has also held the role of Audio Director at Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE’s radio department. Other upcoming projects include scoring assignments for Space X and Paris Fashion Week as well as Classical Trancelations 3, currently in pre-production.

Whether scoring for games, television or movies, Alanko’s crafted soundtracks feature a unique composing style, rich with vibrant harmonies and highly unusual hybrid instrumentation, thanks to his roots in both electronic and classical music. Encompassing hard-edged all-electronic to sublime and emotional orchestral scores, his arranging style varies depending on the needs of the production, combining contemporary instruments with cutting-edge technology and custom-built tools for sculpting the sound – creating a memorable, timeless sonic experience, which is instantly recognizable.

Stephen Barton

GRAMMY-winning and BAFTA-nominated composer Stephen Barton has left an indelible mark on the realms of film, television, and video games, boasting a prolific career that spans these diverse mediums. His remarkable contributions include composing for renowned projects such as Star Trek: Picard, all sixteen seasons of Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Multiversus, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, 12 Monkeys, and Unlocked, among numerous others.

Barton's influence extends to the world of live service gaming, with titles like Apex and Multiversus captivating over 300 million regular players worldwide through his musical talent.

Born in 1982, Barton's musical journey commenced at an astonishingly young age. At just eight years old, he earned a prestigious scholarship, enabling him to sing in Winchester Cathedral Choir and perform on renowned stages worldwide, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall. His angelic voice graced more than a dozen albums.

Embarking on his composing career at 19, Barton served as an assistant to the acclaimed Harry Gregson-Williams, relocating from the UK to Los Angeles in 2001. Beyond composing, he actively explores spatial and immersive music for virtual, augmented, and extended reality, contributing his expertise to formats like Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D. He is a member of Abbey Road's Spatial Audio research group, the GRAMMY immersive audio committee, and consults major companies on immersive and binaural audio techniques for music.

In addition to his digital endeavors, Barton maintains an active presence as a conductor and pianist. Collaborating with luminaries like Sir Anthony Hopkins and performing with prestigious orchestras such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Colorado Symphony Orchestra, he continues to shape the world of music with his multifaceted talents.

Helge Borgarts

Helge Borgarts is a German composer and producer. Working in the games industry for more than 17 years, he was involved in more than 40 projects as a composer and/or producer. He produced and contributed music to the game “Tiger & Chicken”, which was awarded Best Mobile Core Game at the German Developer Awards. With Thomas Stanger he founded the brand “BowsToHymns” and scored trailers for developers and publishers like Crytek, Stratotainment or Higgs Games, wrote library demos for companies like Spitfire Audio, Steinberg or Orchestral Tools and provided music for SPM or Warner/Chappell. His latest works include the scores for the games “The Surge 2”, “The Surge – The Good, The Bad and the Augmented” and “A Year of Rain”. He is the program manager for games music at the renowned festival and conference for music in film and media Soundtrack_Cologne and a regular speaker and lecturer at events and universities. Since 2021 he is audio director and composer at Deck13 Interactive.

Helge works in Mülheim an der Ruhr and Cologne.

Gordy Haab

Gordy Haab is a Grammy-winning and BAFTA-nominated film, video game, and television composer. His most recent project is the Chinese blockbuster Fengshen - Creation of the Gods: Kingdom of Storms (Well Go USA), which garnered $400M in box office in its home territory prior to the film’s 2023 North American Release. Haab is also well known for his music for AAA and AAAA video game titles including Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Star Wars: Squadrons, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Microsoft’s Halo Wars 2, and Star Wars: Battlefront I and II, among others. In 2022, Haab was nominated for an International Film Music Critics award for his work on the feature film My Country, My Parents, and was bestowed the inaugural “Music City Maestro” Award by the Society of Composers and Lyricists for his ongoing support of the Nashville music and recording community. In October 2022, his music from Star Wars: Battlefront I and II was featured as part of DICE’s 30th-anniversary concert series and performed by the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm.

In 2020, for the second time in three years, Haab won ASCAP’s Composers Choice award for Video Game Composer of the Year. He also took home the inaugural Society of Composers and Lyricists Award for Best Interactive Score, and Music of the Year at the 18th annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which he co-wrote with composer Stephen Barton. In 2018, Billboard proposed that he could be the “Heir Apparent to John Williams.”

For his work on Star Wars: Battlefront, Haab won Music of the Year, Best Interactive Score, and Best Instrumental Score at the 14th annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards and his work was nominated for a BAFTA for Excellence in Audio Achievement. Haab also scored Activision/AMC's The Walking Dead, based on the #1 hit TV series, and Microsoft's Kinect: Star Wars, which won Best Music at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. He continues to compose the music for EA and Bioware’s Star Wars: The Old Republic, for which he was awarded Best Original Soundtrack and Best Instrumental Music at the 10th Annual Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards.

Haab’s music has received the highest praise from numerous industry publications and many of the world’s leading media outlets, including the Huffington Post, who said, “Star Wars: Battlefront is sounding better and better every day…this new Star Wars music will light your saber”. Hardcore Gamer said, ‘‘Star Wars: Battlefront features the best game score John Williams never wrote”. And the Los Angeles Times said, “Haab created ‘the B-side to John Williams’ score’”.

Haab is known for his unsurpassed understanding of the orchestra as well as his unique ability to blend contemporary and traditional sounds into one – oftentimes conceiving and creating brand new musical instruments to feature in his scores. He has recorded and conducted his music with orchestras from all around the world, including The London Symphony Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, The Nashville Symphony, and the Hollywood Studio Orchestra.

A few of Haab's other film, television, and video game credits include: Anchor Bay's Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon; MTV's The Truth Below; Dave Barry's Guide to Guys; Lionsgate's War; The Oprah Network’s The Judds; Roadside Attractions' Shrink; TLC's Little People Big World; ABC's Greek; NBC's Kath and Kim; VH-1's Scream Queens; Endeavor's At the Edge of the World’; LucasArts' Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, and many others.

Haab is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received his master's in Scoring For Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Media. Prior to this, he received a bachelor's degree in Music Composition at Virginia Commonwealth University. While he learned from many composers in university and conservatory settings, Haab says that most of his music education comes simply from, “Playing in hundreds of rock bands and being an avid fan of Hitchcock, Kubrick, Lucas, and Spielberg films . . . "B" Horror Movies of the 70's and 80's . . . and all of their great scores.

Corinna C. Poeszus

Corinna C. Poeszus is a senior business executive with over 30 years experience in the music, digital media & film production, advertising and tv entertainment industries driven by the power of passion and an open mind and the desire to think outside the box. Corinna is a successful Leader and Manager with more than 18 years of experience in leading teams to their goals. Her experience is well rounded with an in-depth understanding of international media business management & operations, product branding, online marketing, social media, CRM, planning and controlling of marketing, monitoring, marketing & comms, monitoring of strategic marketing activities, B2B as well as B2C.
Her professional career took her from Polygram via Endemol Entertainment to Bertelsmann and Universal Publishing, Bavaria Media and many more.

Corinna C. Poeszus ist eine erfahrene Führungskraft mit über 30 Jahren Erfahrung in den Bereichen Musik, digitale Medien und Filmproduktion, Werbung und TV-Entertainment. Sie ist angetrieben von der Kraft der Leidenschaft und Offenheit, über den Tellerrand hinaus zu denken. Corinna ist erfolgreiche Managerin mit mehr als 18 Jahren Erfahrung, ihre Teams zu Zielen zu führen. Ihre Erfahrung zeichnet sich durch ein tiefgreifendes Verständnis der internationalen Medien, Business Management & Operations, Produkt-Branding, Online-Marketing, Social Media, CRM, Planung und Controlling von Marketing, Monitoring, Marketing & Kommunikation, Überwachung von strategischen Marketing-Aktivitäten - sowohl B2B als auch B2C.

Ihre beruflichen Stationen führten sie von Polygram über Endemol Entertainment zu Bertelsmann und Universal Publishing, Bavaria Media und viele weitere Stationen.

Luisa Prinz

Luisa Prinz ist seit Januar 2023 als Verlagsleiterin Artists & Repertoire für den Enterprises Sonor Musikverlag zuständig. Sie wechselte 2022 aus TV-Rechtevertrieb in den Filmmusikverlag, der ihre Interessen aus Film und Musik perfekt miteinander vereint. Ihre akademische Ausbildung umfasst einen Masterabschluss in amerikanischer Literaturgeschichte von der Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität München sowie einen Bachelorabschluss in "North American Studies".

Tom Salta

ASCAP award-winning and BAFTA-nominated composer Tom Salta is one of the most versatile and prolific music artists/producers working in film, television, advertising, and video games. Renowned for crafting emotionally engaging soundtracks for multimedia, Salta has received widespread industry acclaim for his world-class produced hybrid scores featured in film, television, and video games such as Red Barrels’ THE OUTLAST TRIALS, Arkane Studios’ DEATHLOOP, Machine Games’ WOLFENSTEIN: Youngblood & Cyberpilot, Microsoft’s iconic HALO series (Best Original Soundtrack Award at Game Developers Conference), Ubisoft’s PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE FORGOTTEN SANDS and RED STEEL (IGN Award for Best Original Score), Tom Clancy’s GHOST RECON and H.A.W.X  series, as well as the epic theme music for the record-breaking online multiplayer game PLAYERUNKNOWN’s BATTLEGROUNDS, which has sold more than 75 million units with over 700 million players. 

Most recently, Salta metamorphosed his musical persona to compose the score to Red Barrels’ latest co-op multiplayer horror game, THE OUTLAST TRIALS. The musical palette utilized in The Outlast Trials ranges from haunting orchestral compositions to the depths of dark organic and synthetic textures, culminating in moments of pure aural pandemonium. Salta's incorporation of unnerving diegetic music — spanning eerie pastiches of mid-century styles — creates an unsettling contrast that deepens the overall experience of the score. The Outlast Trials soundtrack is a spine-tingling journey through the very essence of fear and despair. Red Barrel’s Audio Director, Francis Brus, adds, "In the realm of horror, music is not just an accompaniment; it's the conductor of fear, the orchestrator of tension, and the unseen hand that grips our hearts in a symphony of terror. This unique soundtrack didn't just complement "The Outlast Trials," but became an integral and unforgettable part of the bone-chilling odyssey into the terror that the game offers. Fans can anticipate a terrifying and immersive soundtrack that masterfully accompanies the game's horror-filled world. Tom Salta's meticulous craftsmanship will deliver a sonic experience that heightens every emotion, from spine-tingling tension to heart-pounding suspense. Prepare to be captivated by haunting melodies, chilling soundscapes, and all-out madness.”

Prior to The Outlast Trials, Tom was the lead composer for the smash hit video game of the year contender DEATHLOOP from Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks. Described as “An absolute banger of a soundtrack that amplifies action and accentuates the tension” (GameSpot) and “A fantastic soundtrack that keeps the vibe electric” (Shacknews), the music plays a foundational role in transporting the player into this richly artistic world. It supports a wide range of action with a “late ‘60s” inspired hybrid score, ranging from mysterious ambiances to psychedelic and progressive rock to swing band and cinematic orchestral music. As Arkane Studios’ audio director Michel Trémouiller describes, “Moving from a hazy, mysterious atmosphere to palpable tension to the most exhilarating fights, Tom’s original score carries Deathloop‘s gameplay with great dynamism and vivacity. From the ground up, Blackreef Island owes much of its identity to Tom’s themes and original compositions created with a unique vision and distinctive flair.”

Salta is a TEDx presenter and has spoken internationally at industry conferences, universities, and schools about the art, craft, and business of music for games and interactive entertainment. He has spoken in Washington D.C. and continues to champion and educate through mentoring Grammy Advocacy and his “Tom Salta Masterclass Series.”

In 2023, Salta released the software application “Auto-Bounce,” which saves composers, producers, and songwriters countless hours by automating the process of exporting stems, multi-tracks, and mixes.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to MusiCares to support mental health initiatives and services for musicians. It is part of Salta’s continuing efforts to educate and advocate for mental health and wellness, giving music creators more freedom to spend less time in the studio.

Salta’s other notable collaborations include 343 Industries and Microsoft Studios’ re-imagined soundtracks to HALO: Combat Evolved Anniversary and HALO 2: Anniversary, as well as composing the original scores for HALO: Spartan Assault and HALO: Spartan Strike (the first HALO video game to be released on Apple devices). Additionally, Salta returned to the beloved sci-fi franchise to score the animated series HALO: The Fall of Reach adapted from the best-selling novel and produced by the award-winning animation studio Sequence. His third solo outing in the iconic HALO universe, Salta also composed, arranged, and produced the first original pop song in the franchise’s history, “Take This Life,” featured exclusively on HALO: The Fall of Reach soundtrack.  

Prior to his composing career, Salta toured with and worked on releases by a diverse array of popular recording artists. After several years of touring, Salta became increasingly immersed in studio work, producing, remixing, and songwriting. Recording under the artist name “Atlas Plug,” Salta released the critically acclaimed electronic/orchestral music album “2 Days or Die,” which quickly caught the attention of leading music supervisors. His album introduced a new hybrid sound to the visual entertainment industry at large, garnering high-profile placements on numerous television shows, international commercials, and movie trailers, simultaneously launching his music career in video games, which he continues to embrace as a cutting-edge and powerful musical voice in modern scoring.

Corinna Stahl

Corinna Stahl studierte Musikwissenschaften in Köln und ist seit über 30 Jahren für verschiedene Labels und Verlage tätig, u.a. Kick Musikverlag, Winter&Winter, Care MusicGroup und Chrysalis Music Publishing. Zunächst mit dem Schwerpunkt Pop- und Jazz ist sie vor 9 Jahren zur Filmmusik gewechselt und verantwortet bei der Bavaria Media in München als Verlagsleiterin Rights Administration die Verlage Bavaria Sonor und die Enterprises Sonor.