The multi-award winning composer behind “Mao’s Last Dancer” and “Master and Commander”, Christopher Gordon, will be honoured at the 2025 Screen Music Awards with the Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen Award.
No stranger to the Screen Music Awards, Gordon’s work on the two films earned him three of his five previous APRA and Screen Music wins.
The Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen Award recognises an individual’s exceptional and transformative contributions to the screen industry. Previous recipients include Bruce Beresford, Nerida Tyson-Chew, Nigel Westlake, Rachel Perkins and Robert Connolly.
On receiving the accolade, Gordon said: “This is an incredible honour. My thanks to the APRA Board for this recognition which, by extension, goes to the community of composers who work tirelessly in their hermit caves and the many musicians who make such a vital contribution, usually uncredited, to screen storytelling.”
Born in London and raised in Australia, Gordon’s musical journey began in the 1960s with the Australian Boys Choir, where he discovered his passion for composition, drawing on inspiration including the legendary Benjamin Britten.
His first foray into screen music was for television, with his breakthrough score for “Moby Dick” in 1998 earning him his first APRA Award. His prolific work continued, culminating in an Emmy nomination in 2005 for “Salem’s Lot” in the Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) category.
His transition to major feature films saw him work on the scores for blockbuster hits, including the Academy Award-winning 2003 film “Master and Commander”, 2009’s “Mao’s Last Dancer” and 2018’s “Ladies in Black”, for which he took out Best Original Music Score at the AACTA Awards.
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Beyond the screen, his love for classical music has flourished through work for the likes of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, as well as ballet scores for The Australian Ballet and The Royal New Zealand Ballet.
His music has also featured in landmark national events in Australia, including the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2003 Rugby World Cup, the official celebration of the Centenary of Federation of Australia in 2001 and the Millennium Eve global telecast.
The remaining 15 award categories at the 2025 Screen Music Awards will be announced at the ceremony on Tuesday, October 28 at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall. The annual awards celebrate excellence and innovation in screen composition, recognising outstanding contributions in short film, television series, documentaries, children’s programming, feature films and more.
Nominees include Antony Partos, Jed Kurzel, Adam Gock, Cassie To, Dinesh Wicks, Mitch Stewart, Caitlin Yeo, Cornel Wilczek, David Bruggeman, Jackson Milas, James Mountain, Luna Pan, and this year’s APRA Professional Development Award winner for Screen Composition, Samuel Marks.
Taking hosting duties this year is celebrated actor David Wenham, who is joined by actor, writer and composer Mark Coles Smith, and guest presenter Nathalie Morris from the Logie and AACTA-nominated “Bump”. The music director is Erkki Veltheim.