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May your passion & empathy nurture your growth.
Chihiro Nagamatsu - Composer & Songwriter
Crafting timeless original music with ❤️ for film and TV since 2019.
Award-winning artist at the intersection of music and storytelling.
Composing melodies that inspire hope, courage, and empathy, I strive to create a safer and happier world. I encourage you to pursue your dreams and help others, fostering a more joyful and peaceful life.
Renowned for creating a versatile range of scores and songs across orchestral, folk, jazz, rock, and atmospheric genres.
Award-winning artist at the intersection of music and storytelling.
Composing melodies that inspire hope, courage, and empathy, I strive to create a safer and happier world. I encourage you to pursue your dreams and help others, fostering a more joyful and peaceful life.
Renowned for creating a versatile range of scores and songs across orchestral, folk, jazz, rock, and atmospheric genres.
Based In:
Toronto/Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Contact:
chihiro@empathicoaks.com
artistic statement
My name is Chihiro Nagamatsu, and I am a Composer & Songwriter for Screen, Media, and Music, based near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Born and raised in Kumamoto, Japan, my musical foundation was formed through classical piano and traditional Japanese taiko drumming. I have been moved countless times by the power of music. During my childhood, the piano was my best friend, easing my pain and stress, while the excitement of taiko drumming always brightened my day. Growing up, I was strongly influenced by the years of volunteering with my singer-songwriter father, who passionately led efforts in the disabled community. For decades, he led a musical band of disabled individuals to write and perform original songs at local schools and communities. He brought my mother and me along to help with their events and performances, stepping in as an extra pianist or singer whenever needed. Most importantly, I witnessed that, beyond age, language, or disability, music connects people and shares joy, and these experiences profoundly affected my personal philosophy. Music can move us in ways we need at specific times in our lives. There have been countless times when I listened to music and found tears in my eyes before I knew it, and I have seen smiles and joy on many faces because of the soul-stirring rhythm, beats, and message. Knowing the impact of my music makes me happy. I care about people and the positive experiences our projects can bring to their lives.
I enjoy composing diverse types of music, from magnificent orchestral scores to fun jazz, folk, and rock songs, as well as synth atmospheric undertones for film, TV, and animation.
I love using orchestral and folk instruments to create unique arrangements, and sometimes I incorporate unconventional elements, such as glass, water dripping sounds, or voices, to add interesting layers to my compositions. I especially love the collaborative aspect of filmmaking, where a team puts their passion and effort into creating something that cannot be made alone. I cherish collaboration because, with team effort, the experience and joy you share through the work will double, and the challenges you might encounter will be more manageable as we have more minds to solve problems. The bonus is that we can bring a larger impact to the world and celebrate the memory together. Besides music composition, production, and performance, I have several years of experience in audio engineering. I am ready to bring all these skills to creating amazing and inspiring music for any project.
Helping others makes me feel worthy of existence, and I infuse the energy of others into myself by supporting their vision and making it a reality.
I understand it’s not easy to bring an idea into production, especially as a project gets larger, because there will always be accidents, problems, schedule changes, or simply the difficulty of persevering when times are tough. It is more likely to accomplish a project you are proud of when you work together, and it's also more enjoyable to do it collaboratively. I love to learn about why and what makes any creator’s specific project important to them and who they care about, and I help bring it to life with music. It is important to me that my work aligns with a creator’s vision and that I am proud of the final result. We are so eagerly creating a work of art as a team, and I need to bring out their vision in a way that showcases my expertise and talent without relying solely on pleasing others. No matter the size of the project, each piece I create becomes my next demo, and I thrive on learning and developing my craft.
I am on a mission to lead female creators, especially as a model for music producers, and to support the industry in an empathetic and inspiring way, encouraging many to follow their passion with confidence.
When I studied audio production in school, I was the only woman in the class, and as it was one of my earliest times in an English-speaking environment, I barely understood what the teachers were saying. However, I eventually caught up to their speed, and my hard work paid off when I graduated at the top of my class. I was interviewed by the Toronto Star newspaper and later featured on Citytv’s Breakfast Television for International Women’s Day to discuss the disparity of female music producers. I believe that with more women in the industry, we will collectively create brand-new art that resonates with many around the world. Women see and experience the world differently, and there are countless untold stories and unsung melodies that we are missing out on because they don’t yet exist. I am also excited to have been noticed as a shortlisted composer for the animated project ACE 4, funded by Women in Animation and Netflix, and I am thrilled about working with a team of talented women.
I want to be part of productions that tell encouraging stories and positively impact our audience's lives.
I am particularly interested in productions that explore themes of family & kids, disability, music, and humanity. May your passion and empathy nurture your growth. I look forward to collaborating on your next exciting project.
Original Music & Song Demos
Selected Works
Gracie and Pedro: Pets to the Rescue!
Original Songs Animation / Comedy Feature Film Dir. Kevin Donovan, Gottfried Roodt"Gracie and Pedro, a pampered dog and a street-savvy cat, embark on a perilous adventure to reunite with their family, discovering friendship and bravery along the way."In Theatres! in 20+ countries including US, Canada, UK, Russia, Ireland, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, and more.Oct 2024 Watch TRAILER VIsit WEBSITE
Pocket Princess
Original Score Fantasy / Horror Stop-motion Animation Film Dir. Olivia LoccisanoA young girl must take part in a dangerous task in order to complete her doll collection.In Festivals2024
Lupe Q And The Galactic Corn Cake
Original Score Comedy/ Sci-fi Film Dir. Javier BadilloAliens. Punk rock. Corn cakes. In space, only grandma's Latin cooking can save you.In Festivals2023
Unconquered
Original Score Drama/ Thriller Film Dir. David DrewHarry is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder. When drug addicts break into his apartment as part of a drug deal that could go horribly wrong, Harry shows them the consequences - violently.In Festivals2023
The Law Of AttractioN
Original Score & Sound Design Drama/ Thriller Film Dir. David DrewA young woman with telekinetic powers finds herself in a love triangle along with her best friend and her boyfriend.2020
Silenced
Won the Best Original Score at 48 Hour Film Project Toronto Drama/ Silent Film Dir. James Becke2020
Baby Fever
Original Score Thriller Silent POC Trailer Dir. Pascale PotvinWhen everyone but your unborn child wants a place inside of your body, you might develop a new baby—a parasitic anger—to push the intruders out.2020
Awards & Aknowledgements
"Pocket Princess (Original Film Soundtrack)" Release Nov 2024
"Unconquered (Original Film Soundtrack)" Release Oct Oct 2024
"Gracie and Pedro: Pets to the Rescue (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" Release 2024
Shortlisted Composer at ACE 4 Project by Women In Animation Vancouver & Netflix Canada 2024
Los Angels Film Conducting Intensive with Angel Velez and Conrad Pope 2024
Women In Film and TV Mentorship Program with Nina Beveridge 2023
EP Release “For My Victory” to encourage people to follow their passion 2022
Featured on Citytv Breakfast Television, Canada 2022 for International Women’s Day
Featured on Asian Canadian Film Alliance 2021
Won Best Score Award at 48 Hour Film Project Toronto 2020
Screen Composers Guild of Canada Mentorship Program with Adrian Ellis 2020
Released a piano solo album “15 Years of Majestic Notes”
Featured on JAZZ.FM91, and CIUT radio, Toronto, ON
Interviewed by Toronto Japanese Association of Commerce & Industry, Toronto, ON
Featured on Kumamoto City FM radio, and FMK radio, Kumamoto, Japan.
Interviewed by Toronto Star newspaper, Toronto 2016
Interviewed by “TORJA” magazine
Won the 2nd place on the original music competition on indi .com 2015
Women In Film and TV Mentorship Program with Nina Beveridge 2023
EP Release “For My Victory” to encourage people to follow their passion 2022
Featured on Citytv Breakfast Television, Canada 2022 for International Women’s Day
Featured on Asian Canadian Film Alliance 2021
Won Best Score Award at 48 Hour Film Project Toronto 2020
Screen Composers Guild of Canada Mentorship Program with Adrian Ellis 2020
Released a piano solo album “15 Years of Majestic Notes”
Featured on JAZZ.FM91, and CIUT radio, Toronto, ON
Interviewed by Toronto Japanese Association of Commerce & Industry, Toronto, ON
Featured on Kumamoto City FM radio, and FMK radio, Kumamoto, Japan.
Interviewed by Toronto Star newspaper, Toronto 2016
Interviewed by “TORJA” magazine
Won the 2nd place on the original music competition on indi .com 2015
Testimonials
Services
Original Music & Songs
- Scores and songs for film, TV, animation, game, interactive media, etc.
- Various styles (folk, orchestral, drum & bass, synthesizers, abmient) and genres (ballad, folk, classical, jazz, pop, rock, lo-fi, dance, choirs)
- Signature theme songs
Music & Audio Prodction
- Songwriting
- Music arrangement & production
- Mixing & mastering
- Vocals (English & Japanese)
- Harmony & backup vocals
- Voiceovers
Sound Design
- Sound effects
- Foley
- Sound editing
- Music editng
- Dialogue editing
- Sound editing
FIlm production
- Stories with heart
- Post production
- Short films
- Music videos
Projects
Same Old Friend - Lofi Music EP
5 original lo-fi songs in collaboration with the Canadian music producer Geddn.Distribution2024Orchetral Instrumental Album
Features Chihiro's orchetral arrangments on her 7 origianl instrumental pieces including Chipmunk Walk, Victory Parade, Komorebi.In Development2025
Silent gestures, heartfelt connections."A young Deaf girl learns kindness ffrom un unlikely teacher - an old oak tree."Development2024
Our team
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Bernie CIsternas Sound Designer
Audio edits, mixing, mastering, sound effects for music and film.
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Matt Giovanelli aka GeddnMusic Producer
Dance and hip-hop music productions.
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Alexandrina Torres de FigueiredoBusiness Affairs
Film and TV projects.
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John WhitcherEditor, Writer, Producer, Direcor
Film and TV projects.
