CR 047: Composer Alexander Parsons Melds Music and Technology to Bring Nonfiction Stories to Life

The sought-after composer of “Tucci in Italy” discusses his adventurous approach to making music.

Alexander Parsons, photo by Mike Portlock

Alexander Parsons is a London-based composer whose work has been featured in a number of high-profile documentaries, including the BBC’s critically-acclaimed Stephen: The Murder that Changed a Nation, the BAFTA Award-nominated Hell Jumper, the harrowing Flight 149: Hostage of War, which premiered at this year’s SXSW, and most recently, Stanley Tucci’s National Geographic series, Tucci in Italy. Still, he admits that although he knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in music, for many years he wasn’t quite sure what that career would look like. “I loved playing the violin,” he says. “I was in bands. But [I had] no idea how that would lead to a career.”

While a student at Goldsmiths, University of London, he was introduced to composition, and a newfound passion took hold. “It was quite interesting,” he says. “They put you in a room with a computer [to] see what you can make. And it was that freedom that led me to think, ‘There’s …