Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans are two award-winning film composers. They have been writing and playing music together for over twenty years.

 

Before both moving to New York in 2001, Danny was raised studying the cello in Europe, while Saunder grew up playing guitar in Seattle’s thriving music scene. As a duo, they are known for bold unpredictability, uniqueness, and their ability to interpret a wide range of genres. Drawing from an array of modern classical styles and beyond, their compositions are filled with atypical orchestrations, sensuous melodies, and visceral soundscapes.  

 

One of their first films, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (Dir. Sean Durkin) garnered much attention for its sparse and suspenseful score. Soon after, their sinister score for ENEMY (Dir. Denis Villeneuve) won “Best Musical Score” at the Canadian Screen Awards. In 2015, they scored Joel Edgerton’s acclaimed suspense thriller THE GIFT and later his 2018 drama BOY ERASED. Other films include SPEAK NO EVIL, THE WHITE TIGER, THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME, THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, WINDFALL, and GOD’S CREATURES. The duo has also written remarkable scores for documentaries LA 92, AMANDA KNOX, TINA, THE WOLFPACK, BECOMING COUSTEAU and many more.

 

In TV, Danny and Saunder have scored 4 seasons of Jason Bateman’s OZARK, for which they were nominated for an Emmy in 2020. Other television work includes THE OA, THE OUTSIDER, OUTER RANGE, TOKYO VICE, THE STAIRCASE, TULSA KING, and PRESUMED INNOCENT. More recently they scored Dennis Lehane’s SMOKE, and Jason Bateman’s upcoming series BLACK RABBIT.

 

Danny and Saunder currently live and work in Los Angeles

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Danny Bensi | @dannybensi

Saunder Jurriaans | @saunderjmusic | saunderjurriaans.com