“Amin’s music is a breath of fresh air.”
Oscar Peterson
“The standard has been set.”
Steve Porcaro
“…rating right up there with Wendy Carlos and Isao Tomita.”
Mark Vail, author of Vintage Synthesizers
ABOUT AMIN
With hundreds of scores to his credit, Emmy-nominated composer Amin Bhatia has written music for film, television, radio, theatre, and albums, for several decades, composing with as much passion as the day he started.
Born in London England, he grew up in Kampala Uganda until his family immigrated to Canada to escape political turmoil. His childhood was full of music from many cultures and his gift of perfect pitch gave him a unique ability to learn from them. Though he loved orchestral music, it was keyboards and electronics which fascinated him the most, so instead of the academic route he went with a Minimoog synthesizer and a 4-track tape recorder. In a short time this led to multiple prizes in the Roland International Synthesizer Competition and projects with Steve Porcaro of Toto and the infamous David Foster. (He even has a synth cameo on Michael Jackson‘s Thriller.)
His solo albums The Interstellar Suite and Virtuality pay homage to his love of science fiction TV and film scores, and many album tracks have become standard repertoire in music competitions. Amin recently became the first Canadian on the Board of Advisors for the Bob Moog Foundation.
Film and television projects include Anne with an E (CBC/Netflix); Sullivan’s Crossing (CTV/Bell Media), the internationally-acclaimed Flashpoint for CTV and CBS as well as the CBC series X Company, all while creating guest compositions for the hit series The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu/MGM Television), Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+), Queer as Folk (Alliance Atlantis/Bravo) and The Ray Bradbury Theatre (Showtime/Amazon). His feature film credits include Storm (Cannon Films/Groundstar), Iron Eagle II (Alliance Atlantis/Tri-star/Carolco), Rescue Heroes: The Movie (Nelvana/Fisher Price), John Woo’s Once a Thief (Alliance Atlantis/CTV) and many IMAX orchestral scores for award-winning filmmaker David Lickley.
Amin and long-time friend and collaborator Ari Posner have won numerous Canadian Screen Awards for their work on Anne with an E (CBC/Netflix), Detention Adventure (CBC/HBO Max/Broken Compass Films), Flashpoint (CTV/CBS) and Let’s Go Luna (PBS/TVO/9 Storey Entertainment/Brown Bag Films), as well as an Emmy Award nomination for the Disney sci-fi anime series Get Ed. Other collaborators include Arlene Bishop, Johnny Clegg, Ralph Dyck, Sarah Slean, and Meiro Stamm. Amin has been nominated twice for the Louis Applebaum Composers Award.
Amin’s music is as diverse as his own personal journey. “I’ve always been an outsider”, he admits “and music has been the only place where I can just be me. We’re slowly making progress in many forms of diversity and I love making music that serves those stories.” He is also an advocate for screen composers and serves on the Board of Directors for the Screen Composers Guild of Canada.
After being mentored by such luminaries as Steve Porcaro, Oscar Peterson, and David Greene, Amin is now giving back with workshops at various institutions including the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and The Screen Composers Academy. He recently dusted off his acting resumé with speaking roles in Christoph Waltz‘s Georgetown, and CBS’s Blood and Treasure.
CREDITS (selected)
JANE GOODALL’S REASONS FOR HOPE IMAX/Cosmic Pictures/Science North
FELLOW TRAVELERS Showtime/Paramount+/Fremantle
BEACON 23 MGM+
KIPKEMBOI New Real Films/Telefilm/CBC Films
SULLIVAN’S CROSSING Reel World Management/Bell Media/Freemantle/CTV
DETENTION ADVENTURE CBC Gem/HBO Max, Broken Compass Films
ANNE with an E CBC/Netflix, Northwood Entertainment
LET’S GO LUNA 9 Story Entertainment/Brown Bag Films/PBS/TVO
THE HANDMAID’S TALE (additional music) Gilead Productions/MGM Television
X COMPANY Flashbang/Temple Street/CBC
FLASHPOINT CBS/CTV/Ion/Pink Sky/Avamar
THE INTERSTELLAR SUITE in 5.1 Surround 25 year Anniversary Triplet Records
See More Credits
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
Canadian Screen Award Winner (2024) Best Original Music, Sullivan’s Crossing
Canadian Screen Award Nomination (2024) Best Original Music, Ride
CASMA Winner (2023) Best Original Score, Short Film Jane Goodall’s Reasons for Hoe
Canadian Screen Award Winner (2023) Best Original Music, Animation Let’s Go Luna
Canadian Screen Award Winner (2022) Best Original Music, Animation Let’s Go Luna
Canadian Screen Award Winner (2021) Best Original Music, Fiction
Detention Adventure
Canadian Screen Award Winner (2021) Best Original Music, Animation Let’s Go Luna
Canadian Screen Award Winner (2020) Best Original Music, Fiction Anne with an E
Louis Applebaum Composer’s Award Nomination (2022)
Canadian Screen Award Nomination (2019) Best Music for a Dramatic Series or Program
Anne with an E
Canadian Screen Award Nomination (2018) Best Music for a Dramatic Series or Program
Anne with an E
Canadian Screen Award Nomination (2018) Best Music for a Dramatic Series or Program X Company
Canadian Screen Award Nomination (2017) Best Music for a Dramatic Series or Program X Company
Canadian Screen Award Nomination (2016) Best Music for a Dramatic Series or Program X Company
Canadian Screen Award Winner (2012) Best Music for a Dramatic Series or Program
Flashpoint
Louis Applebaum Composer’s Award Nomination (2014)
Emmy Award Nomination (2006) Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
Get Ed
Gemini Award Winner (2006) Best Music Underscore for a Program
In the Dark
Gemini Award Winner (2005) Best Music for an Animated Series
King
Gemini Award Nomination (2011) Best Music for a Dramatic Series or Program Flashpoint
Gemini Award Nomination (2010) Best Music for a Dramatic Series or Program Flashpoint
Gemini Award Nomination (2009) Best Music for a Dramatic Series or Program Flashpoint
Gemini Award Nomination (2005) Best Music for an Animated Series Franny’s Feet
Gemini Award Nomination 1999) Best Music for a Dramatic Series
John Woo’s Once a Thief
Gemini Award Nomination (1998) Best Music Underscore for a Program
John Woo’s Once a Thief
Gemini Award Nomination (1997) Best Music Underscore for a Program
Gridlock
Ampia Award Winner (1991) Best Music for TV The Ray Bradbury Theatre
Ampia Award Winner (1987) Storm
CLIO Award Honourable Mentions (x 6) (1983-1986), Producer/Sound Designer
Moffat Communications
Roland International First Prize Winner (1982), Synthesizer Competition Roland Japan
Roland International Grand Prize Winner (1981), Synthesizer Competition Roland Japan
HIGH-RESOLUTION 300DPI IMAGES (click to download)