Chiara Strickland is a composer for film, TV, theatre and commercials.
During her Musicology studies at the University of Heidelberg she developed a special interest for film music, subsequently writing her final thesis on Alfred Schnittke's film scores. She then studied Film Music and Sound Design at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg where she composed and produced the music for a variety of film, theatre and TV productions. Galamsey by Johannes Preuss, for example, received the Student Academy Award for best documentary of an international film school in 2017.
Chiara’s interest in film is also enhanced by her family ties. She is the granddaughter of the cinematographer Thomas del Ruth who is perhaps best known for his camera work on Stand by Me and The West Wing. The stage and motion picture actress Winnie Lightner was her great-grandmother. Chiara's compositions have been recorded, among others, by the Slovakian orchestra Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina and the renowned German Film Orchestra Babelsberg.
In 2021, Chiara was awarded the Golden Horseman at Filmfest Dresden together with Marc Fragstein and Luis Schöffend, winning "Best Sound Design" for her music on Shoko Hara's animated documentary Just a Guy .
Coming from a traditional instrumental background, her work has developed a strong focus on crafting dense sonic atmospheres, which she creates using her voice and a wide array of synthesizers.
Currently, she is working as a freelance composer in Berlin and Heidelberg.