Composer Rob Teehan
Film composer Rob Teehan has continued to impress audiences around the world with his extraordinary ability to tap into the soul of a story and evoke emotions within audiences through his powerful scores.
Originally from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, a small industrial city just outside of Toronto, Teehan had a modest upbringing and admits that he was a little shy and often had trouble fitting in with his peers in his youth, that is, until he discovered his passion for music. Through music Teehan not only found comradery and a deep connection to people with similar creative passions, but he found an area where he could truly shine.
After devoting himself to his music for many years, Teehan took his skills to the next level and began composing for film, an occupation that he says draws on all of his diverse talents while also offering him a challenge as each project he embarks on requires a totally different musical arrangement in order to connect viewers to the story.
The composer recently finished scoring the documentary film Flor De La Mar aka Flower of the Ocean, which is scheduled for release this year. The film reveals a somewhat forgotten Venezuelan island, Cubagua, which is not only the picture of paradise, but also, the first Spanish settlement of the new world. Teehan says, “Like the broader picture of Venezuela itself, it has suffered from neglect and corruption, and its future is uncertain.” The composer crafted a beautiful score that pulls viewers into the story with his subtle instrumental orchestration and his inclusion of dramatic electronic elements that set the pace of the film. The film was directed by one of Venezuela’s most promising directors Jorge Thielen Armand.
One of Teehan’s greatest assets is his unparalleled knowledge of world music. For the upcoming feature film The Devil’s Harvest, Teehan and Mark Marczyk, the leader of Lemon Bucket Orkestra, travelled to Ukraine to record rare folk instruments that will be used in the film. He says, “There was a revolution happening at that time which made things extra exciting!”
Ironically enough, The Devil’s Harvest deals with war and revolution as well as the film’s lead character Yuri, a gentle and artistic soul born into a family of Cossack warriors, is forever changed after the invasion of the Red Army results in the persecution of his people. The film stars Golden Globe nominee Terrance Stamp (Yes Man, Get Smart, Wanted, Valkyrie), Primetime Emmy Award winner Barry Pepper (The Green Mile, True Grit, Broken City), Max Irons (Red Riding Hood, The Host, The Riot Club, Being Julia) and Samantha Banks (Les Miserables, The Christmas Candle).
Aside from his busy schedule composing for film, Rob Teehan is also working on an upcoming album entitled “Come Home.” In “Come Home,” Teehan shows his unique musical vision through a set of his own original instrumental compositions. While Teehan has developed a high-skilled and stylized mastery over the piano and many other musical instruments, he is widely known for his unique and unparalleled abilities on the tuba and sousaphone.
“My goal in life and in music is to celebrate wonder. I want to produce a simple, direct, honest and powerful collection of songs that will speak to the universal emotion inside all of us. Most songs will feature piano and one or two other instruments,” says Teehan about the upcoming album.
Rob Teehan is a three-time JUNO and seven-time Canadian Folk Music Award nominee. Over the last decade, he has become an internationally recognized musician for his work as both a soloist and composer, as well as for his work with the bands Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Heavyweights Brass Band, and the Boxcar Boys. Having already established a reputation for excellence and a dedicated international fan base, it is no surprise that Teehan managed to get his entire upcoming album funded by a Kickstarter campaign through which he raised over $5,000 last December.
Teehan admits, “As a musician, my ability to wield the sousaphone as a bass-line instrument is rare and unique in Canada; when I left the Lemon Bucket Orkestra, it took six months for us to find a replacement.”
Aside from The Devil’s Harvest and Flor de la Mar, Rob Teehan has also composed original scores for the films The Unsinkable Captain John, Life as a Coin, and The Babushkas of Chernobyl, which will be released this year.