As a listener, instrumental music and soundtracks have always been important to me. The wordlessness of it all gives you a platform to process and reflect on things that are personal to you; it so easily becomes a soundtrack to your own life. My hope is that my work can provide at least some measure of that for those who come across it. If nothing else, I hear it makes for good work/study music. Or something to put on during late night drives. Or background music while you make pancakes (not recommended for french toast-- will only end in disaster).
John Hilsen is a composer from Minneapolis, MN. He focuses primarily on instrumental, melody-driven music and often can be found sitting at a piano.
His first album Lapyear is a collection of twelve original songs for solo piano. For his sophomore album, For the Epilogue Kids, the sound palette is broadened beyond just the piano, ranging from full orchestral arrangements to colorful hybrid arrangements utilizing both acoustic and electronic instruments. Both albums are is streamed daily by listeners worldwide.
John is the Music Director for the international hit stage show HYPROV, an improv comedy show created in part and regularly starring comedy legend Colin Mochrie (“Whose Line Is It Anyway”). He has performed with HYPROV on over one hundred tour shows, as well as the entirety of a 12-week residency in NYC, and another residency in Las Vegas. Armed with his knowledge of composition, orchestration, and technology, John turns the keyboard into a lifelike one-person orchestra, improvising the soundtrack in real-time wherever the improv goes, into whatever mood, style, or genre. John was praised by The New Yorker for his performance in HYPROV, who wrote “John Hilsen’s keyboard accompaniment is itself a feat of improvisation.”
In addition to improv theater, John has also composed for numerous scripted theater productions. He was awarded “Best Music and Soundscape Composition” by Lavender Magazine in their “Best of 2018” list for his original score of The Minotaur.
Outside of live theater, John has produced and composed numerous works for GoNoodle, a service that streams sing-along, movement-based videos into schools worldwide. He also composes for commercials and other video work, including several produced by The Stable.
John with Colin Mochrie after scoring one of his shows.
“John Hilsen’s keyboard accompaniment is itself a feat of improvisation.”
-The New Yorker, review of HYPROV
“Music Director John Hilsen ends up being an improv star himself.”
-Relfections in the Light, review of HYPROV
“The vintage film element resonance further transports the staging with an utterly magnificent score by John Hilsen. This composer-keyboard musician has an uncanny ear for the orchestral sounds of the early and middle 20th century and their deep influence on film scores. At points his music is breathtaking.”
-Lavender Magazine, review of The Minotaur
“His sonatas are emotional and charming, calm and cheerful pieces alternate dynamically… John Hilsen lives out his feelings on the piano, which can be heard very clearly on individual pieces.”
-Gezeitenstrom Musikmagazin, review of Lapyear