Interview with “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Composer Nami Melumad

Josh LaCount sits down and chats with Star Trek’s first female composer, Nami Melumad. She is currently the composer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds which airs on Paramount+.

Interview with Nami Melumad

In this conversation, Josh LaCount sits down and chats with Nami Melumad about her start in music, her passion that lead her into to the composing realm, and the honor and responsibility it is to currently be the composer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

About Nami Melumad

Nami Melumad (Composer) has composed scores for numerous films and tv series, most notably “The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window”(Netflix), “An American Pickle” (HBO Max), “Far From the Tree” (Disney+) and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and “Star Trek: Prodigy” (Paramount+), making her the first female composer for the Star Trek franchise. Nominated for Breakthrough Composer of the Year by the International Film Music Critics Association, Nami won the IFMCA Award for Best Original Score: Video Game for “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond,” and the BMI Award for the Oscar® winning documentary short, “Colette” in 2020.

An alumna of the ASCAP Film-Scoring Workshop, Nami graduated from the Scoring for Motion Pictures and TV program at the University of Southern California. She holds a B.A. in multi-style composition from the Jerusalem Academy of Music, where she was admitted directly to her sophomore year. She is a board member of the Alliance for Women Film Composers and a voting member at the Television Academy. Originally from Israel, Nami lives in Los Angeles and enjoys hiking and singing nights with friends. She plays flute, piano, and guitar.

Nami takes pride in telling thought-provoking stories that make an impact on the viewer, such as Subira, Kenya’s official entry to the 92nd Academy Awards, about a young Muslim woman who challenges gender stereotypes and tradition; Miss Arizona, a dramedy about a former beauty queen who meets four women at a shelter; More Beautiful For Having Been Broken, a drama focusing on a single mother and her special-needs child; and Not Your Skin, a documentary examining the issues of the transgender community through the stories of people who transitioned in different stages of their lives.

Nami had recorded music at the Fox Newman Scoring Stage, Warner Brothers Eastwood Scoring Stage, Abbey Road Studios, East-West Studios and Capitol Records. Her works have been performed by the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, Haifa Symphony Orchestra, The Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva and Helix Collective Ensemble.

An alumna of the prestigious ASCAP Film Scoring workshop (16′), Nami completed the highly rigorous Scoring for Motion Pictures and TV program (SMPTV) at the University of Southern California (15′) and holds a B.A. in multi-style composition from the Jerusalem Academy of Music, where she was admitted directly to sophomore year.

Nami started her musical life as a pianist and a flute player, performing in orchestras and bands, and she also plays guitars, uke, and some clarinet. After completing her two-year IDF service she traveled the world with a big backpack (New Zealand, Australia, China, Thailand), and a small backpack (Israel, Europe, Canada, USA). She is an enthusiastic Trekkie and an avid film fan but also enjoys oil painting, hiking, and having coffee with friends.

Nami serves as board member of the Alliance for Women Film Composers and is represented by Maria Machado at the Gorfaine Schwartz Agency.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is based on the years that Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The series is a spin-off of fan favorites from the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock.

The series follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock, and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise as they explore new worlds around the galaxy. The series debuted on Paramount+ on May 4th, 2022, and is currently streaming weekly episodes.