Once Upon a time in Italy, there was a little girl who used to watch old Hollywood movies with her mum and was dreaming to move to Los Angeles one day and make music for the silver screen.
In 2016, as a 44 year young girl, I took a leap of faith, left my permanent job as a State Teacher, sold my beloved farmhouse and vineyards ( yes, I used to make and I love red wine) and came to LA.
I am so thrilled to say that I am currently a full time freelancing Film and Television Composer and my credits even include, this year, an Oscar nominated film!
Dreams do come true and Stage 32 is a wonderful place where you can meet more dreamers turned doers to keep turning dreams into reality together and this is why I am thrilled to introduce myself as a Stage 32 Thought Leader, too.
Nice to meet you all!
"Once Upon a Time" is also the title of the last piano sketch I wrote before leaving Italy and that I orchestrated and recorded in 2021. Feel free to have a listen: it is dedicated to us all!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yT_UG7bFTY
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Hi Elena! So nice to meet you. I enjoyed reading this post. Congratulations on being a Film and Television Composer. I love film scores so much. That's such a talent.
I listened to "Once Upon a Time." I LOVED it. Absolutely beautiful.
Are there any composers that have inspired you?
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For the record, I met Elena here on Stage32 and last year she scored my short film, METEORIC. She is fabulous as a composer and a delightful collaborator!
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This is so inspiring, thank you very much for sharing your story, Elena Maro!
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"Once Upon a Time" is beautiful, Elena Maro. It reminds me of scores in movies I watched growing up. It's great to hear your superhero origin story. :)
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Incredible life story Elena Maro! Certainly will have a listen to the, piano sketch!
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Elena - your story is very inspiring..Just what I needed this morning as a 66 yr old dreamer...
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That is such a beautiful story Elena Maro with an inspiring message. Dreams do come true. And your story is nowhere near over. There’s even more beauty ahead in the journey.
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May your "once upon a time" continue to have "happy endings." I'm a screenwriter of 68 who came in late into the business after many years as a journalist and copy editor (a profile has been sent under separate cover).
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Nice to meet you, Dustin Richardson. Thank you so much for listening and for your kind words. I fell in love with orchestral music while I was training as a ballet dancer, so I absolutely admire the music of Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. As for film music, well, I love Ennio Morricone ( needed to put an Italian name in the mix...LOL) and I am always captivating by every single note coming from Elmer Bernstein. These are timeless composers, I think. As for the contemporary scene, I am a huge fan of Thomas Newman, both for his skillful writing for orchestra and for his brilliant use of electronic and original contemporary sounds. It is always hard to pick a few names... Thank you for your work to srpead the word on Visual Snow, a condition I didn't know about that well before today :)
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Thank you so much, Philip Sedgwick ! You know I feel the same about you as a Writer Director :)
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Pleasure to meet you, Alana Gerdes . Thank you for reading my story!
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Thank you, Maurice Vaughan . Glad that you liked the music piece and my story. I am so grateful I was able to make that choice and every time a setback occurs, what keeps me going is the fact that I owe it to myself and to all other people who could only dream of doing what I did.
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Thank you, Eon C. Rambally . It is very nice to meet you.
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it is very nice to meet you, Kate Merywyn Hawkes. Thank you, you inspire me: congratulations on pursuing your dreams!
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Leonardo Ramirez.
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Thank you so much, Vincent J Paterno .
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Wonderful, Elena!
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Elena Maro, thanks, you're welcome!
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Thank you for stopping by, Linwood Bell ! Admire you both as a very capable composer and as a kind person. :)
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Dreams do come true❤️
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Connie Barretta , very nice to meet you... from one of my favourite poems when I was a teenager:
"Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly."
Langston Hughes, Dreams
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Elena Maro You're sweet. I wish you could come over. I just opened a Montage M8x. Wow...so nice!
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well done Elena, you are inspiration!
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Linwood Bell Montage M8x sounds like a lot of fun!
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Thank you, Tanya Cooper , so kind of you. Reading I can inspire other creatives is an honor and makes my heart melt a little :)
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You're welcome, Elena Maro. That's great motivation for when you have setbacks. That's an incredible poem by Langston Hughes.
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Elena, love the poem! Thank you! Great meeting you here!
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Connie Barretta , the feeling is mutual :)
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Of course, Elena Maro! Thomas Newman is one of my favorites as well. His work on Meet Joe Black is amazing! I appreciate you looking into Visual Snow. I've had it since I was a kid, and have been thankful to have the opportunity to help others feel they're not alone with it. :)