JohnGibson
- Composer
John Gibson composed his first major work at the age of 16. By the age of 24 he had done time as musical director at theatres in Dunedin and Auckland, and acted on-screen as one of the musical quartet in TV drama Heroes. Since then Gibson has composed music for a wide range of mediums, including television, theatre and dance, and co-composing Rain of the Children.
Screenography
Biography
John Gibson showed his talents early. At 16, he composed his first rock opera; at 21 he was musical director of Dunedin’s Fortune Theatre; in 1983 he moved to Auckland's Theatre Corporate.
The concept of performance took on a new note when Gibson was picked to act on 1984 television series Heroes, playing a keyboardist in an aspiring pop band, opposite newbie talents Michael Hurst, Jay Laga’aia, and Margaret Umbers. Off-screen he composed songs for the fictional band, in the process winning a Gofta award, alongside the show’s musical director Stephen McCurdy.
By the time Heroes went into its second series Gibson was increasingly in demand as a composer, with soundtracks under his belt for the 25-minute-long The Fastest Gun Down-Under and TV's Journeys Across Latitude 45 South. Since then he has composed music for a wide range of projects, from dance to Shakespeare to modern theatre, including collaborations with Michael Hurst and Gibson’s wife, noted choreographer Shona McCullagh. His theatre CV now runs to more than 100 scores, and 150 plus original songs.
Awards
2008 Qantas Film and Television Awards
Achievement in Original Music - Film (shared with Jack Body): for Rain of the Children
1989 Listener Film and Television Awards
Nominated for Original Music - Television: for The Milford Track
“I would have to say it was amongst the most satisfying of collaborations I have had. John’s music is by turns beautiful, driven, dramatic, humorous, tender and always in the service of the film. ”