Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans

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Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans are an American-Danish award-winning composing duo specializing in film and television scores. They have collaborated for over 20 years, producing more than 100 projects known for innovative textures, bold orchestrations, and haunting melodies.

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Early lives

Danny Bensi, born in Denmark, trained as a cellist across Europe including the UK, Germany, and Italy before studying music at Northwestern University in the US. He moved to New York in 2001. Saunder Jurriaans was born in 1977 in Evanston, Illinois, to Dutch immigrant parents, growing up in Seattle amid the grunge scene with influences from Led Zeppelin and Metallica. He briefly attended the Rhode Island School of Design but dropped out to pursue music, picking up guitar at age 10 and forming his first band soon after.

Musical beginnings

The duo met in Providence, Rhode Island, bonding over music—Bensi on cello and Jurriaans on guitar—and began collaborating. In 2000, they moved to New York and formed the progressive chamber-rock band Tarantula (later Tarantula A.D. and Priestbird) with drummer Gregory Rogove. The band toured extensively with acts like Medeski Martin & Wood, Devendra Banhart, CocoRosie, The Sword, and opened for Pearl Jam in Europe, releasing several albums as an instrumental trio where Bensi composed primarily on cello.

Film scoring career

They transitioned to film scoring in 2010 with Two Gates of Sleep , directed by Alistair Banks Griffin, a friend of Jurriaans from RISD. This led to their breakthrough with the 2011 thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene starring Elizabeth Olsen. Since then, they have scored over 100 projects, including Netflix series Ozark (all three seasons), The OA , American Gods , HBO's The Outsider and films like The Devil All the Time , Boy Erased , The White Tiger , Presumed Innocent , and 2025's Black Rabbit . Their style draws from modern classical music, featuring atypical ensembles like string groups, unusual percussion, and clarinets for unpredictable soundscapes.

Notable works

Films

Television

References

  1. "Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans". Stenfert Charles. Retrieved 17 December 2025.<a href="https://www.stenfertcharles.com"></a>​
  2. "The Music of Ozark: An Interview with Saunder Jurriaans & Danny Bensi". Spitfire Audio. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2025.<a href="https://composer.spitfireaudio.com/en/articles/the-music-of-ozark-an-interview-with-saunder-jurriaans-danny-bensi"></a>​
  3. "Saunder Jurriaans & Danny Bensi". Scorebird Music. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2025.<a href="https://scorebirdmusic.com/composer/saunder-jurriaans-danny-bensi<nowiki/>/"></a>​
  4. "Saunder Jurriaans & Danny Bensi". Decca Publishing. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2025.<a href="https://www.deccapublishing.com/roster/saunder-juriaans-danny-bensi/"></a>​
  5. "SAUNDER JURRIAANS". Global Music Rights. Retrieved 17 December 2025.<a href="https://globalmusicrights.com/artist/1423528"></a>
  6. "Danny Bensi y Saunder Jurriaans pondrán música a 'Boy Erased' de Joel Edgerton". Film Music Reporter . 28 de marzo de 2018. Archivado del original el 2 de julio de 2018 . Consultado el 13 de abril de 2025 .
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