In the spring of 2022, I was invited by RiverRoad Films to join an incredible team working on a film series that set out to tell positive stories of restoration, rehabilitation, and harmony on our planet. I had the pleasure of composing music alongside the talented Robert Neufeld, embarking on what became a year-long journey of crafting the score for this powerful series.

We traveled—sonically at least—through more than 22 countries, creating immersive soundscapes to anchor each story in a deep sense of place and emotion. One particularly surreal moment was scoring a scene of a forest fire in Guatemala, only to experience a real-life evacuation from our home in the Slocan Valley due to wildfires. That added a profound layer of realism and emotional depth to the process.

Several friends contributed unique sounds that enriched the musical palette. A special shoutout to Uwe Neuman, whose Kolkata-based instruments helped shape the texture and tone of the Kolkata sequences, and to Chado, who brought in his South African bush bow, flute, and guitar—especially memorable in the closing cues of the South Africa segment in Open Spaces.

Composing music for film often means adapting across a wide sonic range to match the filmmaker’s vision. But on this project, the moments that were most positively received were when I was simply being myself—trusting my instincts and creating what felt right to me.

Some of the highlights, for me personally, include the percussive score for the urban scenes in Japan, the ambient-rich forest bathing sequences, the opening of Cities: New York, the beginning of the Colombia segment, and the entire Kolkata sequence. For Kolkata, I composed in a specific raga and then adapted the series’ main theme—originally composed by Robert—by bending it into a Bollywood-style orchestral arrangement to match the raga’s scale. It was intense to create, and the payoff was immensely fulfilling.

I’ve put together a playlist of all four episodes below. I truly hope you enjoy the films—and the music—as much as I loved being part of this journey.