Cindy O’Connor

ComposerSongwriter

Mar 10

Written By Arbel Bedak

Composer, Keyboardist, Singer-Songwriter

Featured Credits

Retreat To You

Once Upon A Time

Christmas Sail

Highlights Reel

To download full credits and bio as a PDF, click here.

Credits

Retreat To You (2023)
Hallmark Channel | Feature
Dir.
The Blessing Bracelet (2023)
Hallmark Channel | Feature
Dir. Michael Robison
The Professional Bridesmaid (2023)
Hallmark Channel | Feature
Dir. Peter Benson
The Gift of Peace (2022)
Hallmark Channel | Feature
Dir. Fred Gerber
Rip In Time (2022)
Hallmark Channel | Feature
Dir. Jessica Harmon
Christmas Sail (2021)
Hallmark Channel | Feature
Dir. Stacey N. Harding
South Beach Love (2021)
Hallmark Channel | Feature
Dir. Damián Romay
The 27-Hour Day (2021)
Hallmark Channel | Feature
Dir. David Winning
Red River Road (2020)
Wytshark Media | Feature
Dir. Paul Schuyler
Deany Bean Is Dead (2020)
Volkal Pictures | Feature
Dir. Mikael Kreuzriegler
Bill and Ted Face the Music (2020)
Orion Pictures | Feature
Dir. Dean Parisot
composer, additional music
A Dog’s Journey (2019)
Amblin Entertainment | Feature
Dir. Gail Mancuso
composer, additional music
Dolphin Tale (2011)
Alcon Entertainment | Feature
Dir. Charles Martin Smith
composer, additional music
The Mechanic (2011)
CBS Films | Feature
Dir. Simon West
composer, additional music
The Black Dahlia (2006)
Universal Pictures | Feature
Dir. Brian DePalma
composer, additional music
Forgiving the Franklins (2006)
Feature Film
Dir. Jay Floyd
*Sundance Film Festival, SXSW Film Festival
Crash (2004)
Lionsgate Films | Feature
Dir. Paul Haggis
composer, additional music
*Winner, Academy Award for Best Picture
Amazing Stories (2020)
Apple TV+ | Series
composer, additional music
Once Upon a Time (2017-2018)
ABC | Series
Co-composer
*Nominated, Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, EMMYS 2018
Once Upon a Time (2011-2017)
ABC | Series
composer, additional music
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (2013-2014)
ABC | Series
composer, additional music
Crash Season 2 (2009-2010)
STARZ | Series
Crash Season 1 (2008-2009)
STARZ | Series
composer, additional music
The Black Donnellys (2007)
NBC | Series
composer, additional music - 13 episodes
All That He Was, original musical
Composer and Music Director
*Winner of Kennedy Center/ACTF Musical Theater Award
America’s Best Outcast Toy, original musical
Composer
FLIES! The Musical, original musical
Composer
Powder Puff Pilots, original musical
Composer
40 is the New 15, original musical
Composer and Music Director
*2010 Selected for Stephen Schwartz's ASCAP/Disney Musical Theater Workshop
*2010 GLAAD Award nomination
In The Air, Off-Broadway
Composer
La Llorona/The Crying Woman, Off-Broadway
Composer
2018
Nominee, Once Upon a Time, Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series
2018
Fellow, BMI Conducting Workshop
2018, 2019
Fellow, Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive
2017
Fellow, Sundance Composer Lab
2010
Featured Musical, 40 is the New 15, ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop
2010
Nominee, 40 is the New 15, GLAAD Award; All That He Was, Kennedy Center/ACTF Musical Theater Award and Playwriting Award

Bio

A 2018 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Once Upon a Time), Cindy O’Connor (she/her) is an accomplished composer and performer for film, television, and theater. She combines her love of musical theater, orchestral music, pop/rock, and electronic textures to create unique musical worlds for each project.

Cindy spent her early years working for composer Mark Isham and arranging, orchestrating, and composing additional music for films such as Warrior, Dolphin Tale, The Mechanic, and Brian DePalma's The Black Dahlia.

Her feature film scores include Forgiving the Franklins (Sundance), Deany Bean is Dead (Amazon Prime) and the thriller Not Forgotten, starring Simon Baker.

In television, Cindy spent seven seasons collaborating with Mark Isham and Michael Simon on the hit ABC series Once Upon a Time. The fantasy/adventure score featured live orchestra every week. Other TV credits include Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, the Starz series Crash and the NBC series The Black Donnellys.

Cindy began her career as a musical theater composer with All That He Was, winner of the Musical Theater Award in the Kennedy Center/ACTF Festival and published by Concord Theatricals. Her other musical theater works include La Llorona/The Crying Woman (Off-Broadway), 40 is the New 15 (NoHo Arts Center), Powder Puff Pilots (about the early female aviators in 1929, workshopped at UC Irvine) and the recent Chicago hit parody, Flies! The Musical (Pride Arts Center).

As a performer, Cindy spent four years touring as a keyboard player and singer with rock superstar Pat Benatar, and she has performed as a singer and choir director with a cappella genius Petra Haden for concerts at the Ford, the Getty, and David Byrne’s Meltdown Festival in London. She has recently ventured into concert music, conducting the world premiere of her piece, “Archangel,” with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra at the Wiltern in Los Angeles as part of The Future is Female concert, and conducting her piece “Sunrise” with the Moravian Philharmonic as part of the Hollywood Classics concert.

She is grateful every day for the chance to collaborate with talented artists to tell stories that touch people’s hearts and explore the wonders of the human spirit.