BIO
Nicola Lerra
Award-winning composer
Nicola Lerra is an award-winning Italian composer. After specializing in film and video game scoring at the Film Scoring Academy of Europe, he studied under the guidance of two renowned figures in the industry: Dr. Norman Ludwin, orchestrator and conductor for Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, with whom he collaborated on the score for Up, winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and a professor at UCLA in Los Angeles;
and Dr. Andy Hill, former Vice President of Music Production at Walt Disney Studios, where he oversaw the music for iconic films such as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Sister Act, working closely with celebrated composers and songwriters including Alan Menken and Hans Zimmer.
Lerra has composed powerful and emotionally engaging music performed and conducted by the European Recording Orchestra at Doli Media Studio and the prestigious BNR Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, legendary recording venues that have welcomed masters such as Ennio Morricone, Nicola Piovani, Luis Bacalov, Wojciech Kilar, and Pino Donaggio.
At the age of twenty-five, he received his first Hollywood Music in Media Award, becoming the youngest Italian composer ever to receive the distinction and joining a prestigious roster of artists that includes Hans Zimmer, Alexandre Desplat, Alan Silvestri, Tina Guo, and many others.
Known for his eclectic musical voice, his work spans animated feature films, cinematic trailers, and emotionally complex international productions, embracing genres ranging from epic and romantic to thriller. His compositions have earned recognition worldwide and reached millions of listeners across global platforms.
Among his most acclaimed projects are The New Era, a complete rescoring of the final trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and the original score for the animated short film My Grandfather Was a Cherry Tree (2015), which was shortlisted among the top seventy contenders for the 89th Academy Awards and received numerous international accolades.
His credits also include original music for Fine Vita Mai, In the Name of a God, The Walk, Never Seen Before, and many other productions. He composed the score for the anti-violence campaign It Could Be You, created in collaboration with Bournemouth University, crafting a poignant musical contrast between abandonment and hope.
Lerra is regularly invited to participate in high-profile events, including a special performance dedicated to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus during the Lamp of Peace ceremony held at the Upper Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.
His distinctive and versatile musical language is characterized by emotional depth, refined orchestral color, and a storytelling-driven approach. As the founder of the Film Music Score collective, he continues to collaborate with directors, studios, and orchestras on the international stage, establishing himself as one of the most respected and promising voices of the new generation of film composers.
Working between Rome, London, Sofia, and Los Angeles, he brings the richness of his Italian heritage to every project, transforming each score into an authentic and unforgettable sonic experience.
