
Stephen Gallagher is an Emmy-nominated film and media composer and Emmy Award-winning music editor. Known for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim and collaborations with Peter Jackson, Brian Eno, and Nick Cave.
Stephen Gallagher is an Emmy-nominated film and media composer and Emmy Award–winning music editor from Wellington, New Zealand. His recent work includes composing the score for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim and the Emmy-nominated series Secrets at Red Rocks.
Across more than two decades in the industry, Stephen has created music for feature films, television, documentaries, contemporary theatre, and dance. His work is shaped by a fascination with “making sounds and worlds out of sound,” and by a deep understanding of how music amplifies story, character, and emotion.
Stephen’s composing credits include the multi-award-winning Puppet Killer, the documentaries Conquering Cancer and Kimana Tuskers, and—as co-composer with David Long—the Emmy Award–winning series INSiDE and three seasons of the BBC children’s series Mystic. His score for Human Traces earned a nomination for Best Score at the APRA Silver Scroll Awards, and he received an additional Best Original Score nomination for Kimana Tuskers at the International Sound and Film Music Festival.
In earlier Middle-earth projects, Stephen wrote the iconic songs “Blunt the Knives” and “The Torture Song” for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and contributed additional music alongside Brian Eno for The Lovely Bones.
As a music editor, Stephen’s work is known for its sensitivity to narrative and emotional nuance.
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Credits
- Warner Bros
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- Blunt The Knives
- The Lovely Bones
- District 9
- West Of Memphis
- King Kong
- Sir Peter Jackson
- Brian Eno
- Ed Sheeran
- Country Calender
- Gloriavale - A World Apart
- Way In Rye
- Left In Kathmandu
- Power of Six
- The Sorrows
- Wingnut Creative
- Mortal Engines
- Puppet Killer
- Human Traces
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- The Beatles: Get Back
- Secrets At Red Rocks
- Weta FX
Endorse Stephen Gallagher13 Reviews

Stephen is an absolute genius. Whenever I have a track that I need help with from an arrangement point of view; Stephen is always the man to go to! His knowledge of composition and arrangement is second to none! Plus, he is without a doubt the friendliest guy in the industry!

Stephen is such an utter joy to work with. As an editor, being able to work with an understanding and most of all patient composer is truly a gift. We have worked together on two different projects and his talent has only been surpassed by his kind and genuine nature. I'm lucky to have worked with him and hope to work with him again in the future.

Stephen's score truly brought our film to life. He knows how to write music that is felt in bone and fibre. He's the real deal - an artist and a bloody nice guy.

Stephen's ever calming manner is always a pleasure to be around during post production. His work is never selfish, Stephen ensures his music propels the dramatic drive of any given moment. As a composer and storyteller Stephen is truly talented.

Stephen’s a fascinating composer. His ability to blend the relationship between sound and emotion into the perfect soundtrack makes him one of the industry’s most in demand composers. He’s detail-oriented and highly adaptable making him an absolute pleasure to work with. Can't recommend him enough!

Stephen's ability to nail the tone I was after for the score of my film, right from the first pass, was remarkable. He has a deft understanding of story telling, a fact that is evident in both the finished product and his creative process. Stephen is a true professional who always has a smile on his face - working with him is a joy.

If there's an easier composer to work with than Stephen, then I haven't met them yet! Always enthusiastic and keen, Stephen consistently delivers music that exceeds our expectations. I've always appreciated that he's happy to work on our small scale projects, when he could be making music for Hollywood blockbusters instead!

From high school rock god (seriously), to theatre composition supremo and on to soundtracks for the screen, it’s been a pleasure to know and work with the talented Stephen Gallagher over many years. Solutions focussed, with a great sense of humour and care for the people he works with, Steve has an ear for the right sound that will support the visu

An absolute joy to work with, Stephen Gallagher is serious talent and professionalism personified. I've had the pleasure of having Stephen do music composition and edit work on my animated feature, BILAL. Stephen understands filmmaking and always provides effective and innovative solutions, be it for songs or the film score itself.

Everything you need to know about Stephen is in his music - he is a masterful composer with a huge range. He has an innate understanding of scoring for film and goes straight to the heart of the story. I cannot think of anyone who is as well liked in the industry. He has legions of fans and I am most certainly one of them!

Stevie G is a gentleman and a great talent. Equally at home scoring Hollywood hot stuff like The Hobbit and indie oddities like Vajazzle, this music man is a valuable and highly adaptable addition to any production. Loved working with him!

Excellent results that lifted our production to the next level. Beautiful arrangement and writing. Stephen is one of the nicest guys in the industry; his ability to work with clients and deliver exactly what they're after is precisely why he has worked with some of the biggest names in music/film. We were lucky to have him on our team.

A powerhouse talent, who is incredibly humble and easy going - Stephen is simply a joy to work with. Equally at home writing for electronics or orchestral instruments - he quickly grasps the storytelling style of his clients and delivers scores that elevate the production.
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