Biography
Geoff Knorr is an American composer of music for media and the concert hall. He has worked as a composer, orchestrator, sound designer, and mixing engineer on many video game titles, including Civilization VI, Civilization: Beyond Earth - Rising Tide, Civilization: Beyond Earth, and Civilization V, among others. His recent work on the Civilization series has garnered numerous industry nominations and awards. Notably, the soundtrack for Civilization: Beyond Earth won the 2014 IFMCA Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media award. His music has been performed by the National Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Geoff also teaches an introductory course in sound and music for video games at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore.
Geoff is a graduate of the Peabody Institute, having received a BM and MM in Music Composition and BM in Recording Arts and Sciences. While at Peabody, he studied with composers Christopher Theofanidis and Michael Hersch.
Awards and Honors:
2020 BAFTA Game Beyond Entertainment Nominee (entire development team, Civilization VI: Gathering Storm)
2020 G.A.N.G. Awards Best Original Soundtrack Nominee (Civilization VI: Gathering Storm)
2020 G.A.N.G. Awards Best Original Choral Composition Nominee for “Maori - The Atomic Era”
2020 ASCAP Composer’s Choice Awards - 2019 Video Game Score of the Year Nominee (Civilization VI: Gathering Storm)
2019 G.A.N.G. Awards Best Original Choral Composition Nominee for “Cree - The Atomic Era (The Drums of Poundmaker)"
2017 Game Audio Network Guild Music of the Year Nominee (Civilization VI)
2016 Movie Music UK Best Video Game Score (Civilization VI)
2016 ASCAP Composers' Choice Awards - 2015 Video Game Score of the Year Nominee (Beyond Earth - Rising Tide)
2015 IFMCA Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media Nominee (Beyond Earth - Rising Tide)
2015 ASCAP Composers' Choice Awards - 2014 Video Game Score of the Year Nominee (Beyond Earth)
2015 Cue Awards Best Score: Video Game Nominee (Beyond Earth - Rising Tide)
2015 Movie Music UK Best Video Game Score Nominee (Beyond Earth - Rising Tide)
2014 IFMCA Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media (Beyond Earth)
2014 Cue Awards Best Score - Video Game (Beyond Earth)
2014 Cue Awards Best Cue ("The Future of Mankind" from Beyond Earth)
2014 Cue Awards Best Theme ("A New Beginning" from Beyond Earth)
2014 Cue Awards Best Overall Score Nominee (Beyond Earth)
2014 Movie Music UK Best Video Game Score (Beyond Earth)
2009 Minnesota Orchestra Composer's Institute Participant
2009 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Competition, Honorable Mention
2007 NACUSA Young Composers Competition, Honorable Mention
2004 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award