The music of twin composers Andrew & Jared DePolo has echoed from Cleveland to Cannes in a broad body of work that includes original scores for a highly regarded advertising campaign, an award- winning documentary, several commissioned pieces for Hollywood movies, and their own critically acclaimed contemporary orchestral album.
The twins are currently writing the score for the Irish dance production Rhythm in the Night, The Irish Dance Spectacular.
The Northeast Ohio natives have shared the screen with Oscar-nominated actors Danny Glover and Danny Aiello and have been
collaborating with multiple Grammy-winner Thom Russo, producer for such artists as Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and Jay-Z. Working with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Andrew & Jared’s remake of the Here We Go Brownies stadium chant has recently been barked out in unison by nearly 70,000 people filling Cleveland Browns Stadium. Their music also rings throughout the venue as epics written for Joshua Cribbs punt/kickoff returns and to stir fans – and players — prior to crucial defensive plays. On Dec. 3 2011, the Ohio Philharmonic Orchestra performed a world premier of their piece Spirit of Christmas under the direction of Italian maestro Domenico Boyagian.
Additionally, the twins are currently serving on the advisory committee for the first annual Ohio Philharmonic film and composer competition.
And they accomplished all of this and more by the age of 25.
Their work with Glover began in 2008, when the twins were chosen to work as lead music coordinators and composers for a feature film length documentary on AIDS orphans called Tiny Tears. The landmark film, narrated by Glover, is set to more than 60 minutes of original music composed by Andrew & Jared. The film’s score showcases various music themes from countries across the globe including Uganda, Thailand and Brazil. This thought-provoking film premiered at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on March 27, 2008, and received praise for its moving narrative and outstanding original soundtrack. Tiny Tears also appeared at the legendary Festival de Cannes in France.
“In a film the images are the body, the script is the voice and music is the soul,” says John Nazareth, producer of Tiny Tears. “Andrew and Jared’s contribution to Tiny Tears through music has made the experience of this film a powerful one.”
The early success of the twin composers has been marked, in no small part, by the versatility of their work.
Andrew & Jared were asked to write club-based background music for an advertising campaign promoting the development of the flats in Cleveland. Having done considerable work in the field of dance and electronica, this project fell well within their vast musical spectrum. The twins were able to capture the brilliant atmosphere of the strip in Las Vegas, where the advertisement aired.
Upon receiving their BA’s in Business Administration from Baldwin Wallace College, the DePolo twin composers began working on their first commercial album, Imagine. Hitting stores September 24, 2010, Imagine is a unique compilation of contemporary music with a cinematic flair mixing the traditional orchestra with ambient elements.
“While writing for film and advertising, we have always wanted to put together an exclusive collection of original work,” says Andrew. “This album gave us the opportunity to do just that.”
The debut album is currently available on iTunes and Amazon mp3, as well as Amazon Disc On Demand.
In the midst of releasing Imagine, the twins were contacted by multiple Grammy award-winning producer Thom Russo to work on a variety of pitches for movie trailers. From an epic superhero cue to a wholesome action-adventure number, the DePolo twin composers continue to work on a broad variety of genres.
“These cues are a lot of fun.” says Jared. “Collaborating with a guy like Thom Russo is simply a great experience for us.”
Although their success has come at an early age, their journey began years ago. Andrew & Jared began listening to a variety of scores and compositions as children, always captivated by music in a way that surpasses ordinary listening pleasure. “We were born to generate innovative music,” says Andrew.
Andrew & Jared excelled at trumpet at age 9 and they have not looked back. Shortly after high school, they began producing electronic music. They became absorbed in the artistry of musical production and studied the techniques necessary to compose and produce original scores.
Throughout their formative years, Andrew & Jared played the trumpet for several orchestras and contemporary bands, for which they wrote their own parts, naturally composing and improvising during the set. The merging of their natural music ability with their avant-garde character creates an impeccable artistic energy making the twin composers the right choice for an innovative contemporary movie score.
As their music continued to develop, they were introduced to director and film maker Robert Corna, who immediately recognized their talent and requested original music for his independent film. At the age of 20, Taste launched Andrew and Jared into the film industry as they supplied all the original music for this independent film in January of 2007. The film was shot on location in Italy and entered into the Fox film competition, On the Lot.
When asked about the challenges they face in writing music, Jared says, “Every composer struggles with times where he can’t get something written down, but for us, we have each other to pick up where the other left off. We have a lot of fun writing and producing music together.”
A lot of composers work on their own, but these two work together composing something with twice the amount of creativity and passion. The DePolo Twin Composers currently reside in Olmsted Falls and work from their studio in Cleveland, Ohio.
