Atli Örvarsson

Atli Örvarsson is an Icelandic composer for film and television. He scored the award-winning feature Rams (Hrútar), winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, which featured "a wonderfully minimalist score [that] lends a mournful solemnity to the [film]" -Mark Kermode, The Guardian. Growing up in the small town of Akureyri, Iceland, music was always present for composer Atli Örvarsson. The son of two musicians, Atli studied music in in his home country and where he learned to play the piano, trumpet and accordion. He later became a member of one of the country's most popular bands: Sálin hans Jóns míns. Leaving behind his life on the concert stage, he went on to study at the Berklee College of Music, where he fell in love with the alchemy of writing music for picture. He continued his studies in a Master's program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Currently, Atli writes music for the NBC series Chicago Fire, Chicago PD. and Chicago Med. In addition to these ongoing shows, his recent scores include The Edge of Seventeen starring Hailee Steinfeld and Woody Harrelson, and the animated feature film Bilal: A New Breed of Hero starring Ian McShane. Some of Atli's greatest influences in music are J.S. Bach, Pink Floyd, Ennio Morricone and Trevor Horn, but it's his love of travel that inspires him and gets his creative juices flowing. Visiting new places, exploring different cultures and finding new perspectives enrich not only his personal life but make him a more versatile and imaginative composer. When Atli is not writing music he enjoys time with his family, fly fishing, good food and the perfect glass of wine.