Janal Bechthold, Composer
Janal Bechthold was 9 years old when she discovered her love
of composition. She has composed music for everything from string
quintet, piano solo, alternative rock music, choir, marching band,
to toilets and garbage cans!
Janal's compositional style is diverse and innovative as she
tends to combine musical elements and styles in a natural manner. Her comfort using non-traditional textures and tambres within her music makes for a fresh and intriguing sound. The multi-faceted
nature of her musical background makes Janal unique in that she
has a large amount of resources, skills, experiences, and ideas
from which to draw to create compelling and emotionally charged
music.
Janal studied composition while completing an Honours
Bachelor of Music Therapy degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.
"Music Therapy was a natural transition to scoring for film and
other media.... It enables me to recognize the emotional content of a
scene and be able to create music which would support the emotions
of the actors, the underlying themes, and guide the audience to a
greater experience."
As an integral part of film and television projects, Janal's
music has appeared in numerous film festivals and broadcast both
domestic and internationally.
Memberships: Screen Composers Guild of
Canada, Women in Film and Television, The Academy of Canadian
Cinema and Television, SOCAN: Society of Authors, Composers, and
Publishers of Canada, and SODRAC: Society for Reproduction rights
of Authors, Composers, and Publishers in Canada.