Mark Korven Wins Inaugural Billboard Canada Screen Composer of the Year Award
The 'First Omen' and 'The Lighthouse' composer was named the first-ever winner of the SOCAN-presented award, accepting the honour at Billboard Canada Power Players 2025.
Mark Korven accepts the Billboard Canada Screen Composer of the Year Award at the Illuminarium in Toronto on June 11, 2025.
Mark Korven is the winner of Billboard Canada's Inaugural Screen Composer of the Year (Presented by SOCAN).
The decorated composer received the award at the Billboard Canada Power Players 2025 celebration on Wednesday (June 11) at the Illuminarium in Toronto as part of NXNE. The award honours a screen composer who has made a global and powerful impact in film and television.
"This job is the most incredible job in the world," said Korven during his speech. "I can just be totally, completely weird and earn a living from it. It's absolutely wonderful."
Korven was on an extremely strong shortlist that also included renowned composers Cristobal Tapia de Veer (Smile 2, The White Lotus), Andrew Lockington (Atlas, Mayor of Kingstown, Prime Monday Night Hockey), Michelle Osis (TRex in IMAX) and Jeff Toyne (Palm Royale).
Korven has done significant work in the horror genre, creating his own eerie sonic language for films like The Lighthouse, The Witch and 2024's The First Omen. In a genre that thrives on atmosphere, Korven's innovative style deepens the storytelling of the films he works on and shapes what we see and feel.
Korven's custom Apprehension Engine instrument, which he created with guitar maker Tony Duggan-Smith, has revolutionized the composing process, creating an innovative approach to grumbling, piercing and sinister sounds of horror. The composer is currently scoring two MGM+ productions: the third season of Billy the Kid (along with fellow nominee Michelle Osis) and the first season of The Institute.
In his speech, Korven recognized the wealth of talented screen composers in Canada and said he's honoured to be celebrated alongside his peers.
"I would like to acknowledge the great talent that was on the shortlist for this," he said. "And I would share this with all the other composers."
Last year Billboard Canada partnered with SOCAN for Canada's first Non-Composing Songwriter Award, also presented at Power Players.
Billboard Canada Editor Richard Trapunski introduced SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown and Director, Film & TV Mike Rocha to announce the winner of this year's Screen Composer of the Year Award.
"SOCAN are fantastic partners because they are true champions of creators in music," he said. "Our partnership is all about presenting awards to important people of the music industry whose influence is important, but they’re rarely recognized in rooms like this with the most important people in music."
Brown is also recognized on this year's Billboard Canada Power Players list, on both the Leaderboard and at No. 1 alongside SOCAN's Vice President, Creative and Member Relations Cameron Kennedy in Organizations.
As it celebrates its 100th anniversary, the music rights organization hit a record-high half-billion dollars in total royalty distributions to artists and rights-holders in 2024.
