BACKGROUND
Composer/Producer Lance Bendiksen hails from New York City, where he studied music theory with conductor Jules Menkin. Early inspirations include a wide range of artists from his father Lorentz Bendiksen, who was an actor and a singer, to conductor Leonard Bernstein and songwriter Woody Guthrie. Bendiksen began his scoring career working on a Good Morning America program documenting the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota. Inspired by the experience, he began to write and release records and tour the U.S. Intrigued by scoring films, he worked on a number of videos and films including the music for a USDA project underscoring the dangers of avalanches. Bendiksen composed the music in honor of two fans who perished in an avalanche on Peak Seven in Breckenridge, Colorado. Since then, he has worked on dozens of scores including music for NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates, independent film companies and independent filmmakers alike. Bendiksen holds concert artist endorsements from Baldwin Piano, Hohner, and a recording contract with Altair Records. Performance career highlights include headlining New York's Carnegie Hall and performing in over three thousand shows, spanning three U.S. and two Canadian tours.

AWARDS/DEGREES
Along with an Emmy™, a Telly, Aurora awards and multiple broadcast honors, he has assembled a production team that has won three Grammys™ and holds twenty-three Grammy™ nominations. Bendiksen holds degrees from the Ricker Institute and the Hollywood Film Institute and his production team and colleagues hold degrees from the Berkeley School of Music and Juilliard.

HISTORY
As a history buff, Bendiksen has spent his touring days as an artist visiting many historical landmarks, from Civil War battlefields in Fredericksburg, Virginia, to dozens of Lewis & Clark sites. He has traveled throughout the country, reflecting on history and composing music to capture its timeless nature. Bendiksen has written several musical compositions to honor and pay tribute to Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, Mark Twain and others. His work with the Fiddling Foresters was captured in the award-winning film America's Grasslands, and reflects his love and respect of traditional music. His award-winning PBS soundtrack There Was a Time featured a body of work that spanned twenty-six compositions reflecting the big band era.

CONTEMPORARY
Bendiksen has also worked on several contemporary scores for film and television, demonstrating that he is flexible enough to research, compose and orchestrate both period music, as well as more modern landscapes and musical genres. His Emmy™ award-winning theme song Lifewise captured the sounds of contemporary jazz. Thanks to his affiliations with key music associations AFM (American Federation of Musicians) and ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), Bendiksen has access to and works with some of the top session players and symphonies in the world. Symphony alliances include the London Philharmonic and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, among others.

RECORDING FOR FILM
"Recording live to picture with great musicians and capturing the spirit of a filmmaker's vision is an honor and a privelege," says Bendiksen. "The composition should reflect the tone and pace, as well as the spirit of the film." His professional alliances with top recording facilities and his flexibility and experience working with many types of filmmakers, combines to make post-production artful, productive and professional.

LIVE MUSICIANS VS. SAMPLED SOUNDS
Bendiksen is a true believer in the marriage of live musicians with technology. "I think it breathes life into a score and a film that can't be generated strictly by electronic keyboards," says Bendiksen. Particularly in the treatment of historical references--there is no substitute for a real banjo, harmonica, mandolin, fiddle, etc. We appreciate and utilize sampled electronic sounds to color the score only after real instruments have been printed and the essence of the score is already intact.

TECHNOLOGY
Bendiksen's overall approach to technology is cutting-edge, but very comprehensive and user-friendly. With current production methods and technology in place, Bendiksen's team can create a musical ecosystem that the filmmaker can adapt. Utilizing his private studio and its state-of-the-art Pro Tools software, they can send rough MP3 recordings by e-mail to production team members for approval.  His team is committed to working on scores and productions until the vision has been captured. Once approved, he then utilizes his Grammy™ winning team and multi-million dollar studios to print an elegant world-class soundtrack.