Composer Eli Denson’s love for film scores started while listening to albums by film composers with his parents growing up. That same love has taken him across the country to work in LA, and now, his music will also be heard across the Atlantic.
The Jacobs alumnus composed the first-ever score for the nearly lost 1929 Erich von Stroheim film “Queen Kelly,” which debuted in a complete and restored, 4K version at the Venice Film Festival on August 26 and then will travel to the New York Film Festival in the fall! https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2025/films/queen-kelly/
Check out Denson’s interview with Fox59 and peep the film, as well as see what he and some fellow grads are up to out West in the article below from our 2024 “Resonance” publication.
Jacobs in LA is not only the name of a dynamic new initiative the Jacobs School launched in spring 2024, it is also increasingly a culture and a state of mind. “This new residency program is a way to realize and fully engage an established network of industry professionals, many of whom are Jacobs alumni, and a way to catapult our students into the highest level of the profession,” said Dean Bush.
“We needed a connection between Bloomington and LA,” said Larry Groupé, composition professor who oversees the Music Scoring for Visual Media program. “Richard Marvin, an old friend and one of our alumni, lives there as an episodic TV composer, so he offered to do an eight-week class in his particular field.” The two met when Groupé was orchestrating Star Trek: the Next Generation.
Marvin is now one of the most in-demand composers in television and film as well as Jacobs adjunct faculty and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. He has also established a partnership with Film Independent in Los Angeles, which places additional Jacobs composers in its highly successful Project Involve program.
“The inaugural first semester of Jacobs in LA has more than provided proof of concept with the rapid placement of three Jacobs School graduates in top Hollywood positions within the industry,” said Groupé.
Arda (Turhan) Ren and Eli Denson each earned an M.M. in Music Scoring for Visual Media in May and already enjoy assistantships with elite composers in LA. Ren started with five-time-Grammy-winner Mike Post in August, and Denson began with 22-time-BMI Award-winner Kevin Kliner in July.
Jacob Bauman graduated in August with a B.S. in Audio Engineering and Sound Production with minors in Music Scoring for Visual Media and Jazz Percussion, and a Certificate in Analog Electronics. Through Groupé and Marvin’s efforts, Bauman now works with prime film/trailer/television producer and mixer Greg Townley—Dune and Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailers are just two of his impressive credits.
“I’m extremely proud of all of them and thankful for the opportunity to help our students make their way into the LA market,” said Marvin. “It is personally very gratifying that the program is paying off in placing our students in the entertainment business. We’re starting to have a significant presence in LA!”
All three alums have since moved to the City of Angels, and they take a part of Jacobs with them.
