Kara Talve is a Grammy and 3x Emmy Award nominated composer for film and television and is a leading composer at Bleeding Fingers Music. She scored The Tattooist of Auschwitz, for Sky TV, co-scored with Hans Zimmer, and co-wrote Barbra Streisand’s song “Love Will Survive”, for the series, which was Grammy nominated in 2024. She is known for scoring Apple TV+’s Prehistoric Planet, Season 1 and 2, which was narrated by David Attenborough and produced by Jon Favreau in conjunction with BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit. The score, which features custom built, otherworldly instruments blended with an 80 piece orchestra has received global acclaim, including a Primetime Emmy Nomination, a win for Best Original Score for a Documentary Series at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMAs) and a nomination for the 2022 Bulldog Television Broadcast Awards. The score was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score). The soundtrack of Prehistoric Planet has, to date, claimed over 80 million streams.
Kara's passion for creating powerful storytelling experiences is best demonstrated by her ability to bolster the musical identities of narratives across a variety of genres and mediums. Since season 30, she has served as the Principal Composer on the iconic animated series, The Simpsons; her styles have ranged from the iconic orchestral sound of the show across nearly every other genre imaginable, including their famous annual Treehouse of Horror episodes and Disney+ Shorts.
Kara’s other notable projects include her score for Faraway Downs (Hulu), Directed by Baz Luhrmann, Adrift, directed by Emmy-winning, documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy, Houdini’s Lost Diaries (History Channel), Unidentified (A&E), and The Americas, an upcoming series for BBC/NBC.
Growing up as a classically-trained pianist, Kara continued her musical education and refined her skills in film scoring and jazz composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She was recognized early in her professional career by BMI and was awarded a film scoring scholarship for her exceptional musical talent and potential for success.