Owen Pallett is one of Canada’s most prolific composers and collaborators. As a solo artist, Owen has released a string of critically praised solo recordings, winning the Polaris Prize in 2006. Their most recent album, Island, was released in 2020 on Secret City Records and Domino Recording Co. As a chamber music composer, Owen has been commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Bang On A Can, The Barbican, among many others. Most recently, Owen worked in collaboration with Lido Pimienta in creating a new work for the New York City Ballet, “sky to hold”. As a producer and arranger, Owen has worked with Frank Ocean, Caribou, Charlotte Gainsbourg, The National, Taylor Swift, R.E.M., Wolf Alice, Fucked Up, Keane, Pet Shop Boys, Christine And The Queens, Titus Andronicus, Julia Jacklin, The Last Shadow Puppets, Duran Duran, Banks, Snow Patrol, The Weather Station, Sigur Rós, Linkin Park. Buffy Sainte-Marie, Sharon Van Etten, The Mountain Goats, Beirut, Lana Del Rey, Superchunk, and many, many more. Owen won an “Album Of The Year” Grammy for their collaborative work on Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. Owen also works extensively as a film and TV composer, having worked with directors M Blash, Matt Wolf, Mary Nighy, Anton Corbijn and Jerrod Carmichael. Owen won an Emmy for their work on Solve Sundsbo’s Fourteen Actors Acting, and was nominated for an Academy award for their work on the original score of Spike Jonze’s Her. Owen currently resides in Toronto.
Photo: Jeff Bierk