German-born composer Patrick Kirst is one of Hollywood's next generation of film composers providing a fresh and a unique voice in the film music industry. He recently worked for Aaron Zigman on Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, starring Dustin Hoffmann and Natalie Portman, and Sex and the City: the Movie.

Patrick has scored numerous features, shorts, and documentaries. His recent work can be heard on HBO's trailer for their hit show Big Love. He also worked for composer Steve Porcaro on the PBS documentary The American Experience - John & Abigail Adams and on Lifetime's TV miniseries based on four of Nora Roberts' acclaimed novels, for which he wrote additional music and orchestrated.

A great supporter of independent filmmaking, Patrick's most recent feature Sweet Thing was accepted by the Seattle film festival in 2008, one of the most important festivals for independent filmmakers seeking international distribution. The short film Have You Ever Heard About Vukovar? was shown at the prestigious Aspen and Tribeca film festivals, the latter was founded by acclaimed actor Robert DeNiro.

Patrick's style ranges from the grand classic symphonic setting to smaller, more intimate band settings. He mélanges various styles and injects his own personality into each project, while capturing the unique soul of the story. With his broad musical understanding, he is able to reflect the visual experience in a well-spotted score filled with dramatic subtext and emotional sophistication.

Born in Southwest Germany close to the idyllic and inspiring French Alsace-Lorraine and the German Black Forest areas, Patrick began playing the piano at the age of seven and soon discovered that music was his passion that he would pursue for many years to come.

After extensive studies at the Classical Music Conservatory in Karlsruhe, Germany, he was awarded a national grant to do research on the perception of film music. In 2000, his journey continued abroad through a generous scholarship from Rotary International. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, followed by New York University, and then the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles where he studied under distinguished composers such as Academy Award nominee David Raksin, Golden Globe nominee Christopher Young, Jack Smalley and Grammy Award winner Joe Harnell.

In 2007 he joined the adjunct faculty at USC. He is honored to be part of the incredibly talented pool of faculty members and enjoys sharing his experience as an artist in today's highly competitive film music market.