Singapore-born film score composer Chee Wei Tay has added to his long list of accolades with a victory at the 27th COMPASS Music Awards Presentation on September 30.
The Point Cook resident was honoured with the Top Instrumental Contemporary award for his score on NOVA: Black Hole Apocalypse, a documentary aired on GBH/PBS America.
Black Hole Apocalypse is a two-part documentary in which astrophysicist and novelist Janna Levin educates viewers on the science of black holes.
Bringing an inanimate spacetime phenomenon to life in an audio-visual medium is no easy assignment, so he took a creative licence in giving black holes a personality.
“I imagined what a black hole would be based on the information that was given to me from all the scientists, then tried to turn it into a living character,” he said.
“My job as a composer is to connect the audience to the lead character of the show, which is the black hole.”
A quick turnaround for a long documentary and creative meetings at 3am added another degree of difficulty to an already artistically demanding project, but fittingly acquainted him with the night sky.
He jokingly recalled quipping, “What happened to all the easy jobs,” to his clients.
His next composition will tackle another conjecture-filled, celestial mystery in the form of UAPs and UFOs.
His compositions have been featured in films and documentaries the world over, including on PBS, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and Channel NewsAsia.
His work has earned him recognition at events such as Cannes Film Festival, WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, the Asian Television Awards, and the Apollo Awards.
Jaidyn Kennedy
