Emmy-nominated composer Ceiri Torjussen (pronounced kay-re) creates emotionally rich, genre-spanning music that encompasses orchestral, electronic and experimental influences. Described by the Los Angeles Times as “a sudden bolt of creative lightning,” the Welsh-born, Los Angeles-based composer has scored more than 70 film and television productions for broadcasters such as Netflix, HBO, Amazon, CNN, Nat Geo, BBC, Discovery and the major film studios. He is also an accomplished composer of concert and experimental music.
Classically trained, Torjussen’s musical influences extend well beyond the Western tradition, encompassing jazz, funk, electronic music, Indonesian gamelan and North Indian classical music. His pre-college travels included a seven-month stint teaching in the Himalayan mountains and exploring the length of India, which further shaped his musical voice.
Immediately after completing his Master’s at the University of Southern California, Torjussen began his Hollywood career as an orchestrator and additional composer. He collaborated closely with Academy Award-nominated composer Marco Beltrami on films such as Terminator 3, Blade 2, Hellboy, Hitman: Agent 47, Repo Men, Die Hard 4 and Underworld Evolution. After this early apprenticeship, Torjussen shifted his focus entirely to composing original scores.
Recent credits include the hit Netflix drama series Delhi Crime (seasons 2 & 3), and the documentary film Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds (Discovery+/HBO Max) about the British Olympic diver. Ceiri has scored two theatrically-released features for Danish auteur Ole Bornedal: the dark thriller Nightwatch: Demons are Forever and the acclaimed Netflix film The Bombardment (the latter co-scored with Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders).
Some notable TV credits include composing a chilling new main title theme and underscore for A&E’s true crime series Cold Case Files, and a retro synth-infused score to Blumhouse’s alien-invasion tale Into the Dark: Crawlers (HULU). Alongside Jongnic Bontemps, he co-scored the critically-lauded CNN docuseries The People vs The Klan, which tells the extraordinary true story of the mother whose civil lawsuit helped dismantle the KKK.
Torjussen scored the cult horror film The Canal, which features some terrifying experimental sounds. He scored two award-winning films: Test (which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and was the feature winner at Outfest) is a drama set in the 1980s, and features a moody, ambient electronic score. At the other end of the stylistic spectrum, his music for Big Ass Spider! (Syfy) is a nod to the classic monster-movie scores of the 1950s and features full orchestra with a hard-rock edge.
Torjussen has composed concert music since his youth, and has been commissioned by groups such as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, The Vale of Glamorgan Festival and the Henry Mancini Institute. Most recently, three of his works were performed by the Orchestre National de Bretagne. His music has been recorded and released commercially and performed worldwide, including the USA, UK, Germany, France and India. He is a dual US/UK citizen.
