Jason Staczek

Jason is a composer and keyboardist born in Washington, DC. His musical life began on piano and cello but he became a lifelong student of the Hammond B-3 organ. His keyboard playing appears on dozens of recordings including albums by Mark Lanegan, Zen Guerilla, and the Black Halos. As a film composer, his work with director Guy Maddin has been called "swirling and adventurous" and Film Score Monthly describes his latest work for Maddin's "Keyhole" as "George Crumb meets Ennio Morricone". His score for Maddin's "Brand Upon The Brain" premiered with live orchestra and Jason has conducted performances around the globe. His music for feature, documentary, animated, short and dance films has appeared in festivals worldwide including Sundance, Luminato, Toronto Int'l Film Festival, Berlinale, SXSW, New York Film Festival, San Francisco Int'l Film Festival, Buenos Aires Int'l Film Festival and the BFI London Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. He lives with his family on a small island in the Puget Sound where he works from his studio, the Pumpkin Palace. He collaborates with fellow islander and instrument inventor Ela Lamblin, exploring the possibilities of Lamblin's inventions such as the Shrimp Platter and the Koola. Jason was a 2012 Sundance Composer Fellow.