An interview with Composer and Vocalist Noga Kedem

Noga Kedem is a composer and vocalist whose artistry bridges the worlds of classical, metal, and film music with remarkable versatility. Trained as a classical singer and a longtime member of The Haifa Symphony Orchestra’s Opera Choir, she later forged her own path by founding the progressive metal band Venus In Fear, performing across Israel for five years. Currently collaborating with acclaimed composer Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator), she is scoring multiple films across the independent and streaming worlds. Her recent works, such as Kidney Trial and Forbidden Holiness, have earned international recognition. At the same time, her orchestration contributions to Valensole and Tyler Perry’s new film for Amazon MGM currently titled Sisters in Italy (featuring Bresha Webb and EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg), further showcase her dynamic musical voice.

In our conversation, Kedem reveals an artist driven by emotion, precision, and a fearless curiosity that continues to shape her distinctive sound.

Many composers can write a score, but very few understand picture and dramatic storytelling the way you do. Whether it’s a horror film, a mystery thriller, a romantic drama, or a comedy, your writing is always story-driven and perfectly tailored to each project, which is truly impressive. How do you typically approach a scene? What’s the first thing you look for when you start writing?

Well, first, I approach the project - or - the story. In my opinion, one scene can be interpreted in so many ways. The bigger picture is what counts when it is a project led by a team I’m part of. The scene probably has a placement and a role, so I make sure to figure that out before writing—what’s this scene’s part of the story? Where is it leading us next in the story? And for the sound palette and the themes I choose to use, I check - what’s the film about? What’s the core story? Many times, the first thing I’ll do will be to find one theme that holds together, within it, the full complexity of the main subject of the film, maybe both life and death, maybe both childhood and adolescence, maybe love and breaking up.

Your list of credits keeps growing, even during a time when many composers are finding it challenging to secure projects. It’s inspiring to o were hired. What do you think sets you apart- what do you bring to the table that makes your voice stand out?

That’s a great question. I don’t know if it has anything to do with my music; I actually think it doesn’t. I think it’s probably about being “thirsty” for making film - I mean very open and very passionate to just make music and cinema even when circumstances are making it very hard. I try to complain less and enjoy more, be focused on the artistic value and keep taking project after project to keep my creativity sharp and my composer skills in use all day every day. I listen to the people I work with and make revisions if needed, or just hit right to the point but make sure everyone’s happy so they recommend you to their friends!

As a multi-talented interdisciplinary composer, you’ve shown an impressive ability to move seamlessly between very different styles and genres, adapting quickly to a wide range of venues and artistic mediums, from theatre and film to television. One great example is your work on the Israeli theatre production Johnny’s Muses, which was completely sold out. What drew you to that project, and how did you approach creating music for a live theatrical experience compared to your work in film or TV?

I was also always drawn to theatre and musical theatre and not just film and TV. It was actually before I started composing for film more, that I wanted to compose music for theatre. Israel has a great theatre and musical theatre scene, so amazing and high quality compared to the size of the place. I grew up singing opera, on the stage all the time, I also took a theatre major in high school. These experiences together made the theatre stage something I understand very well and was the easiest best first step into composing for media for me. I do approach writing for theatre a bit differently than film and TV. This kind of theatre is first based on the songs. The songs are the center and to them I add more styles of musical cues but it’s all connected together. The productions I worked on (like Johnny’s Muses) had both long songs and a lot of under-dialogue musical cues. I usually try to use motifs from the songs in the other cues. Specifically in Johnny’s Muses though, the songs were a bit more separated, like jumping in and out of the musicals world from the colorful theater world we had in the show, taking inspiration from Greek music, Christian music, and old video games music.

As an in-demand composer, I'm sure your schedule can get pretty intense, with multiple projects often needing your attention at the same time. How do you manage to meet all those deadlines? And can you walk us through what a typical day looks like for you?

Oh this one here is the hardest one!

I guess I mostly try to work together with my inspiration and instincts instead of fighting them. One of my biggest fears is losing the happiness and passion for music, by making it too much of a job and being so stressed that I won’t like it anymore. By far I was very stressed working in crazy schedules and I still love it! Haha. But it is very important to me to sense when it’s a good time for creative work, when it’s a good time for administrative work, a good time for meetings and a good time to rest while listening to my body. I really try to manage my time while listening to my inner wishes and natural orientations in order to never break my own spirit and keep the smile on. In the long run it helps me be efficient and focused.

A typical day is a good cup of coffee and going in the studio. A break for a meeting, a phone call to family, and an event or just watching a film in the evening. I’m very much about people and about seeing and experiencing art every day.

Alongside composing, you’ve also orchestrated for major projects for composers Sharon Farber and Mark Yeager. Your work has been featured on Netflix's Rebel Royals/ Valensole 1965/ New Amazon MGM still NDA. You bring a composer’s sensibility to orchestration- it’s imaginative, and adds real emotional depth to the music. Your orchestrations don’t just support the score; they elevate it and give it a distinctive voice. How do you approach orchestration, and in what ways does being a composer influence the way you think about it?

Thank you so much! I’m incredibly flattered. I personally always search for new or a bit different colors in orchestration if possible. Not all projects are like that, but in general, I love working with the sound palette component of music when I compose, putting thought into it, the same amount as I do with melody and harmony, in specific projects even more. So in orchestration, I might also be a bit influenced by that, knowing how to create new, surprising, and untraditional sounds. In some projects that’s less relevant, so in there I use my composer skills to understand what the composer was trying to express and find the right signs, ways of notating, or even words, to bring that through in the score so the players will understand the emotional intention.

You recently worked on Forbidden Holiness, which was selected for the Cannes Festival and won the Best Jewish Film award. Please tell us about your collaboration with the director, and what was it like to work together?

The collaboration with Doron Ne’eman was perfect. Just a surprising, out-of-the-blue, perfect connection and understanding. We worked on two films together, the score for the first one, Kidney Trial, ended up being my favorite work of mine. The second one was Forbidden Holiness. At that point, we knew each other really well, this score had zero revisions. It was like a glove to the hand. Doron understands how to give guidance but still gives creative freedom for the team to do what they do best. I also liked the way he worked with references. The references mainly were Israeli songs and we both knew that it didn’t mean we’d have a song in the film. Somehow, we both understood the tone in the songs and where they belong emotionally in the film very clearly. The music held the mystery in the film, or even the unnatural, the tension, and the hope.

You were recently invited as a guest lecturer to give a workshop at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance about your work. What is your advice for young composers who dream of scoring for film?

Yes I was! My two biggest pieces of advice would be to get a good education and mentorship and to be truthful to your own special musical voice. In a way, they clash a tiny bit but I really believe in both. The only thing I can do really extraordinarily is to be myself, but that wouldn’t have depth and skill and quality without studying the work of others, to learn technical skills and different approaches to develop and enrich your music, and also create connections between various styles and ideas that you collected along the way.

Between recording orchestrations and seeing your work at film festivals and at sold-out shows, what were some of the highlights of your career so far?

Some of the highlights include seeing my name in the credits of a Netflix film and in the end credits of a film at the Haifa Film Festival, a distinguished film festival in the city I grew up in. This is the sum of my dreams: being part of what I grew up watching as a teenager and attending the festival every year, looking up to those artists in the films that are screened. I’m also very proud of the earlier steps, like getting my first internship in LA, sometimes the beginnings are actually harder.

Almost done- I have to ask, what’s it like collaborating with A-List composers like Klaus Badelt?

It’s the most teaching thing you’ll ever find! Watching Klaus do his thing was a real turning point for me, it gave me confidence and direction. Just learning from the masters. It also made me appreciate myself more by seeing my value through their eyes - if it’s the great Klaus Badelt, Mark Yaeger, or Sharon Farber, being chosen to join the team and having my ideas a core part of the process was always inspiring to keep going.

I'm sure you have a lot of big projects coming that you can't tell us about just yet, but what can you share about upcoming projects? (of course, don't break any NDAs for us)!

All upcoming projects are so exciting, I wish I could tell more than I can. I can say that I will be creating one of the next Candlelight (by Fever) creative shows and that it was a long way through to get to this moment and be chosen for this project.

I can also already tell you that I have one upcoming documentary about a meaningful social topic that I feel excited about because of the impact it’s going to have, and it’s with a director I have wanted to work with for a very long time.

What is one thing you'd love people to know about your work that people aren't aware of?

One thing I think people don’t know, and I do want people to know, is that it wasn’t always like that. I failed a lot. I went to school to study, and when I started there, I didn’t know how to do any of this. Some people didn’t believe in me at all, sometimes even for justified reasons, but I learned how to fix and change. Back then, just getting into studying music was my most significant achievement. Point is - I built this, it didn’t just come. So - if someone’s not there yet now, it doesn’t mean they won’t be there in the very near future.

Is there anything you'd like to add, or someone you wish to thank?

I want to thank you! For listening and making this interview happen! And also my parents. I always thank my parents.

Where can our readers follow more of your work?

Insta: Noga_kedem

Website: Nogakedem.com