Alan Anthony Silvestri is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and music producer of film scores. He has received two Grammy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
real name: Alan Anthony Silvestri
labels: Varèse Sarabande
genres: jazz, blues
awards: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)
plays: guitar, piano
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Silvestri was born March 26, 1950. His grandparents emigrated in 1909 from the Italian town of Castell'Alfero, and settled in Teaneck, New Jersey. He grew up in Teaneck, and graduated in 1968 from Teaneck High School. He attended Berklee College of Music for two years. He was a drummer for a short time in 1966 with Teaneck-based rock band the Wildcats.
Silvestri moved to Los Angeles in 1970. "I came to Hollywood in 1970 broke.... I didn't even have any goals or plans. I didn't even go to movies. And I knew nothing about composers or composing," he said. In 1972, while he was working intermittently as a session guitarist, the producer of the low-budget action film The Doberman Gang asked him to score the picture. Silvestri agreed, despite a lack of experience: "I went out and bought a how-to-compose book by Earl Hagen.... At one point, I was using beer cans for percussion."
Underlined songs have their story further down.
"Spirit of the Season" is a song composed by Alan Silvestri with lyrics by Glen Ballard for the movie The Polar Express. It serves as a motif in the background score throughout several scenes, and the elves sing it while preparing Santa's sleigh.
The full version, orchestrated by Conrad Pope and featuring both orchestra and choir, can be heard during the end credits, and is included in the soundtrack album.