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May your passion & empathy nurture your growth.
Chihiro Nagamatsu - Award-winning Composer, Songwriter & Producer
Based In:
Toronto/Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Contact:
chihiro@empathicoaks.com
Deeply personal, timeless, and unforgettable—arts that infuses heart and humanity.
Crafting original music with heart for film and TV since 2019, Chihiro Nagamatsu is a composer and songwriter who believes the arts are a bridge to a more peaceful world—connecting cultures, emotions, and dreams. She infuses humanity into every project, creating music that resonates deeply and lingers long after the story ends.
Her work has reached audiences in more than 25 countries through film festivals and theatrical releases. Chihiro’s score for the animated film Bubble Tea Time won the Best Canadian Composer Award at the Film Scoring Contest organized by the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers, and the Screen Composers Guild of Canada, and was performed live to record in Toronto in 2025. She was selected for the Screen Music Lab at Ubisoft Montreal by the SOCAN Foundation (2025), shortlisted for the ACE Program by Women in Animation & Netflix (2024), and featured on Citytv’s Breakfast Television for International Women’s Day (2022). In 2020, she received the Best Score Award at the 48 Hour Film Project Toronto for the drama Silenced.
Raised in Japan, Chihiro trained in classical piano and traditional taiko drumming, drawing inspiration from anime, Studio Ghibli films, and Nintendo games. Her musical palette blends orchestral richness with global instruments, the expressive power of the human voice, and the subtle musicality found in everyday sound.
Her artistic worldview was shaped deeply by her father’s decades of volunteer work leading a band of disabled performers, where she learned firsthand how music fosters empathy, connection, and inclusion. Since relocating to Toronto in 2013, she has also been inspired by Toronto’s vibrant, multicultural arts community, influences that continue to shape her musical voice today.
Chihiro creates original music that feels distinct, emotionally moving, and profoundly personal. As a mother of two young children, she brings lived experience, cultural nuance, and a genuine spirit of care into every project—always striving to bring something truly special to life. May your kindness and friendship rise above differences, barriers, and disability.
Crafting original music with heart for film and TV since 2019, Chihiro Nagamatsu is a composer and songwriter who believes the arts are a bridge to a more peaceful world—connecting cultures, emotions, and dreams. She infuses humanity into every project, creating music that resonates deeply and lingers long after the story ends.
Her work has reached audiences in more than 25 countries through film festivals and theatrical releases. Chihiro’s score for the animated film Bubble Tea Time won the Best Canadian Composer Award at the Film Scoring Contest organized by the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers, and the Screen Composers Guild of Canada, and was performed live to record in Toronto in 2025. She was selected for the Screen Music Lab at Ubisoft Montreal by the SOCAN Foundation (2025), shortlisted for the ACE Program by Women in Animation & Netflix (2024), and featured on Citytv’s Breakfast Television for International Women’s Day (2022). In 2020, she received the Best Score Award at the 48 Hour Film Project Toronto for the drama Silenced.
Raised in Japan, Chihiro trained in classical piano and traditional taiko drumming, drawing inspiration from anime, Studio Ghibli films, and Nintendo games. Her musical palette blends orchestral richness with global instruments, the expressive power of the human voice, and the subtle musicality found in everyday sound.
Her artistic worldview was shaped deeply by her father’s decades of volunteer work leading a band of disabled performers, where she learned firsthand how music fosters empathy, connection, and inclusion. Since relocating to Toronto in 2013, she has also been inspired by Toronto’s vibrant, multicultural arts community, influences that continue to shape her musical voice today.
Chihiro creates original music that feels distinct, emotionally moving, and profoundly personal. As a mother of two young children, she brings lived experience, cultural nuance, and a genuine spirit of care into every project—always striving to bring something truly special to life. May your kindness and friendship rise above differences, barriers, and disability.
Recent Works
.jpg "Saturday Class (2025)")
Selected Works
Breathe
Original ScoreAnimated FilmCreator's Jam 2025Won the Best Film Award & Audience Favourite AwardIn Festivals Watch2025
Bubble Tea Time
Original ScoreAnimated Film by Rebecca LiuFilm Scoring Challenge organized by Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers, Screen Composers Guild of Canada and NACUSA LA. Recorded live at Canadian Music Centre.Won the Best Canadian Composer Award2025
1001 Crowns For My Head
Original ScoreDocumentary FeatureDir. Habibata OuarmeEach braid, each curl, each hairstyle reflects a collective memory.1001 Crowns immerses you in an experience where hair becomes an act of self-affirmation and identity.Available now on TFO - Ontario French TV WATCH2025Saturday Class
Original ScoreDrama FilmDir. Carri ChenA slice-of-life story set in a family-run Chinese bakery, exploring parenting philosophies and the pressures faced by the younger immigrant generation. The film challenges the parenting doctrines that immigrant parents pass down to their children, especially the assumptions and expectations about success and relationships.In Festivals SOUNDTRACK2025Gracie 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."Available for on-demand & download! Theatrical released in 20+ countries!2024 TRAILER WEBSITE SOUNDTRACKPocket 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 Festivals2024Lupe 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
Selected for the Screen Music Lab 2025 by the SOCAN Foundation at Ubisoft Montreal; mentored by Music Supervisor Simon Landry.
Best Canadian Composer Award Winner, Film Scoring Contest 2025 (Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers, Screen Composers Guild of Canada, NACUSA); Bubble Tea Time, her winning score recorded live in Toronto.
Composer for Breathe, winner of Best Film and Audience Favourite at the Creator’s Jam Competition 2025
Selected for the level 2 Equity X Production Mentorship Program 2025 (SOCAN Foundation)
Selected scores on the Alliance of Women Film Composers Winter Playlist 2024
"Pocket Princess (Original Film Soundtrack)" Release 2024
"Unconquered (Original Film Soundtrack)" Release 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
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
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
Women In Film and TV Mentorship Program with Nina Beveridge 2023
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
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
Testimonials
Services
Original Music & Songs
- Scores and songs for film, TV, animation, documentary, game, interactive media.
- Various styles and genres.
- Signature theme songs
Music Production
- Songwriting
- Music arrangement & production
- Mixing & mastering
- Vocals (English & Japanese)
- Harmony & backup vocals
- Voiceovers
Audio
- Music editing
- Sound design
- Sound editing
- Sound effects
- Dialogue editing
- Foley