International recognition

Two major international awards mark Kirsten Harma’s career as a film composer:

• Production Music Awards London (2025) — Winner in the Fantasy Score Production Music Track category, for “Dawn of Hope” from the album Tales of Emotion.
• Mark Awards Los Angeles (2019) — First American recognition for “Nostalgic Journey” (album Symphony of Emotion), in the Best PM Track – Dark & Mysterious category.

From conservatoires to film scoring

Conservatoire years and first concerto

Born in Sète in 1987, Kirsten developed his musical voice through the conservatoires of Sète, Montpellier and Dijon. During these formative years, he received several prizes in accordion, piano, analysis and music history.

A turn towards film music

In 2012, his first piano concerto La Lune et ses étoiles marked a turning point. He then graduated top of his class at the Music Academy International (MAI), quickly establishing himself as a leading orchestrator for picture.

Composing and orchestrating for the screen

Cine-concert specialist

Since 2013, Kirsten has worked closely with the Rueil-Malmaison Film Festival, orchestrating tributes to some of the most celebrated filmmakers of our time:

• Masters of Cinema: Claude Lelouch (2013), Costa-Gavras (2014), Patrice Leconte (2015), Jean-Jacques Annaud (2016) and Bertrand Tavernier (2017).
• Recent collaborations: Nakache & Toledano (2020), Arnaud Desplechin (2022) and Anne Fontaine (2023).

A versatile sonic signature

His work extends across formats: documentary (Au-delà de nos forces), television (Les Ravis de la Crèche on M6) and high-end branded content. Notably, he scored the making-of for Sam Mendes’ “1917”, and worked with brands such as Louboutin, BA113 and the OIF.

A catalogue distributed worldwide

A solid editorial partnership

As a long-standing partner of PennyBankTunes (with JW Media Music), Kirsten Harma has built an extensive catalogue of around fifteen albums, distributed worldwide. The collection reflects a wide narrative range.

Albums in chronological order

Several new projects are in the pipeline for 2026.

Stage musicals and songwriting

Beyond film, Kirsten also explores the worlds of musical theatre and songwriting, allowing his writing to move freely across genres.

Stage musicals

He composed Enchantement and On the Moon with Jonathan Kerr, and arranged Time City (SACD Beaumarchais Prize 2017). His work also features in Les Flagrants Délire and Les Cabots. In 2025, he took part in a Taiwanese production with John Eyzen.

Songwriting

He has also worked on full-length albums, collaborating with Malaysian singer Nourul (HUMAINE, 2019) and more recently with the artist Melynn (VERSATILE, 2025).

Teaching and educational engagement

A recognised educator, Kirsten taught in the film scoring programme at the MAI and was a guest lecturer at the Pôle d’Enseignement Supérieur de Metz. Today, he focuses primarily on private tuition. He is also regularly invited as a jury member, notably for the Claude Kahn International Piano Competition in 2023.

Writing and passions

Beyond music, Kirsten also nurtures a literary world. He is the author of the children’s series “Pouki et la musique des 5 nations”. Three volumes have already been published on Amazon, and the fourth is currently being illustrated with Virginie Mellouki.

And when he steps away from the score, Kirsten takes to the skies: he holds a private pilot’s licence.