John has a BM in music composition and has been composing and performing a wide variety of eclectic music styles, including Classical, Jazz, Brazilian, Rock and Electronic music for the past 30 years.
He enjoys fusing instruments and styles from around the world to create unique blends of acoustic and electronic music for his film scores and original songs.
follow John on:
Check out John's other websites:
Kilburnmusic
Sierra Entertainment
Three Springs
WhoAreWeTV
John is a lender for a wonderful non-profit. Check them out:
KIVA
Film Music - Musical theatre - Modern Dance - Original Songs
Explore John Kilburn's Creative Works:
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How do you work remotely with Film Makers?I have worked with Film Makers in LA, SF and Chicago. We typically send files back and forth via FTP. They send DV quicktime clips to me and I send back music files (see formats).
I also use dropbox for soundfiles. It's easy and convenient:
Send me your track -
In what formats do you deliver the music?
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What equipment do you use?Computer – MAC
Interface - MOTU Ultralite - Apogee Duet
Monitors - BlueSly Mediadesk 5.1 (surround & stereo)
DAW – Logic 9
Plugins - EWQLSO, Silk, RA, SD2, Komplete5, Pianoteq
See Three Springs Studio for more details. -
How much do you charge per score?I work with many Independent Film Makers whose budgets vary greatly. My price is calculated based on three main criteria:
1) How long is the score, how many different cues, etc.
2) How many real instrumentalists are required to accomplish the score.
3) How much of the music work I am doing. Just the score, recorded stems, final music mixes, full mastering, etc. -
What kind of projects do you like to do?I try to choose projects that move me in some way: artistically, emotionally, spiritually. I put my whole heart and soul into everything I do and strive for the highest art possible.
I like to work with talented, creative people who are easy going and like to have fun while maintaining a high artistic integrity. -
Do you use real instruments?Yes, Yes, Yes!!
It is all according to your budget. Sometimes it's all real instruments and sometimes it's a mixture of real instruments layered with samplers & synths. I always strive to create natural and very organic arrangements and mixes.
I play nylon, steel string acoustic, and electric guitar. I also play keyboards, lapsteel guitar, mandolin, mandola, cavaquinho, native flutes, plus a variety of percussion instruments.
I work with professional players on: violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, sax, upright & electric bass, vocals, percussionists, and drummers.
See Three Springs Studio for more details.
Watch clips from John Kilburn's recent scoring projects on our:
FILM VIEWER PAGE
Listen to clips from the award winning score:
"Living Death Valley"
Or simply watch trailers and excerpts of some of
John Kilburn's scoring projects right here:
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As a young boy John studied piano and as a teenager he picked-up the guitar after hearing the Beatles who were a big influence on his music. After listening to the Mahavishnu Orchestra his musical interest broadened into Jazz, World and Classical music. He studied Jazz guitar with a passion and took lessons from Jazz guitarist Robert Conti in Florida. He began studying a variety of guitar styles, including finger picking, classical, Brazilian, etc. His interest in World music even led him to briefly study Indian rhythms with a tabla teacher from the Ali Akbar College of Music. He also went to Rio de Janeiro in numerous occasions with his Brazilian wife Paola to study Brazilian rhythms and play music with some of the top players in Brazil. In 2003 John recorded, mixed, mastered and arranged the music for a documentary film about the traditional folk music of the Northwestern Indian region of Kutchh, titled Rhythm of the Rann.
In college, he studied Jazz Arranging and Improv with Don Schamber at Monterey Peninsula College and Ray Brown at Cabrillo College. He studied classical composition with Dr. Edwin LaBounty at Western Washington University, where he went on to earn a B.M. in Music Composition. He composed many works for small ensembles, string quartets and full orchestras. He wrote extensive works for modern dance, and multimedia concerts. Also, while there, he extensively studied electronic music and Audio Engineering, which later led him to teach MIDI and Digital Audio classes at the University of Sound Arts in Hollywood and to do consulting for major studios including Lorimar Pictures.
In the early '90s he purchased a beautiful 160 acres in the Sierra Foothills where he and his partner Paola created an intentional community called Three Springs, focused on sustainable living. They also created a non-profit community center, in the nearby small town, called
The North Fork Studio, with a mission to bring cultural and educational opportunities to the local community.
Here are original comedy sketches from John Kilburn:
The Ngish Won series is a set of videos about humorous usage of the English Language. This is the first pilot episode.
The Ngish Won series is a set of videos about humorous usage of the English Language. This special episode is about "Ben Franklin and the New Tea Party".





