At some point, everyone chooses a career but there are a handful of people whose careers choose them. These folks work at something they love in a field as intrinsically tied to them as breathing is to all living creatures. Such is the case with composer Peter Michael (Mike) von der Nahmer. Born in Munich, Germany into a family mainly comprised of musicians and scientists, Mike began tinkering at the piano by the age of four when his grandmother started teaching him to play a wide range of classical pieces. As he grew, his musical education expanded under various teachers who encouraged him to test his limits and exposed him to diverse musical styles. He composed his first original piece at the tender age of 12 and after forming a band and composing music for his school’s orchestra, Mike’s destiny as a composer was completely set in motion.He continued his professional music studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich where he received a Bachelor’s degree in composition. He furthered his studies at the University of California, Los Angeles and received a certificate in film scoring. In 2005, he was accepted into the highly competitive Aspen Music Festival and School and in 2007, entered the ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop. He has been awarded numerous prizes and honors such as receiving the Renee B. Fisher Composer Award and a scholarship to the O’Neill Puppetry Conference, among others.Mike’s passion for creating fresh, inspiring music is matched only by his insatiable quest for knowledge in all areas. He particularly enjoys discovering the subtle psychology behind music’s effect on emotions and human behavior and he uses this knowledge to shape each of his compositions around the subject at hand. With every piece he crafts, his goal is to take the listener on a journey to another world through the use of unique sounds and the connection of different genres that allow the listener to hear something new with each performance.Of his own compositions, his favorite is “The Monk and the Fish” which he composed for violin, viola, cello, and piano. In this piece, he found his distinct voice and made a name for himself in a new country. In 2004, the Society for New Music awarded “The Monk and the Fish” with its Dr. J. Howland Auchinloss prize and performed it at their American Nights concerts. Their performance aired on various radio stations in Upstate New York. Then in 2006, ERMMedia selected “The Monk and the Fish” for their prestigious Masterworks prize and will be releasing this piece as part of their “Masterworks of the New Era” CD series sometime in 2008. It was also performed at the New Direction concerts in Bakersfield, California.Always open to new and challenging endeavors, Mike composes across multiple genres including orchestral works, musical theatre, ballet, and film while managing a full schedule of creative projects. He works with artists and production houses worldwide and has current projects in the United States, Germany, Australia, Japan, and England. When not composing, he can be found taking nature hikes or playing with his cats. He also teaches budding composers the fundamentals of the craft and is available as a guest lecturer.To learn more about Mike and his current projects, visit his website. To hear samples of his work, visit his profile on Nextcat.