Jeff Toyne, BMus’97, got his start crafting music for films while he was a student at Western.
It led him to a successful career crafting music for television and movie projects, including his latest venture with AppleTV+ series Palm Royale.
The journey hit a high note this month as Toyne won an Emmy for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music, the dark and spunky introduction for the star-studded dramedy set in 1960s Palm Beach, Fla., featuring Carol Burnett, Ricky Martin and Kristen Wiig.
Winning the Emmy was surreal, Toyne said, joking that he plans to carry around the iconic statue.
“With some distance from the rush of the moment, I’ve had a little bit of time to really reflect that I did not get here by myself. There’s a very long list of people who helped along the way who I respect and admire,” Toyne said. “The list is really quite long, and Western is one of the schools on that list.”
The Don Wright Faculty of Music was eager to celebrate his victory.
“Our community is absolutely thrilled for Jeff,” said dean Michael Kim.
“This milestone accomplishment not only recognizes his exceptional talent and versatility – his Emmy also exemplifies the dynamic range of successes our Western Music graduates continue to have, and their formidable impact on our musical ecosystem internationally.”
‘Really rewarding’
Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Toyne came to Western for his undergraduate degree, studying music theory and composition. He credited his Western instructors with deepening his piano and composition skills and building the technical knowledge needed for recording work.
He started a Sunday morning program for Radio Western, broadcasting concerts from the music faculty.
“The process of collecting and producing that show was a great experience. It gave me insights into managing a project and a team,” Toyne said.
Composer Jeff Toyne is a graduate of Western’s Don Wright Faculty of Music. (Kaori Suzuki)
It also gave him a profile. He was recommended by another student who could only name one composer in the program.
“David Clark was an artist who was teaching at Western. He had started a film, and he wanted a composer,” Toyne recalled. “That was my first film. It was a bit of a leap as a first project. It was a full-length feature, film noir.”
After graduating from Western in 1997, Toyne moved to Vancouver, where he finished Clark’s film and earned his master’s at University of British Columbia. Later, he headed south to study at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
It propelled him into the industry.
Building the ‘Palm Royale’ world
Toyne has developed music for more than 100 movies and a slew of TV shows. He’s worked with Palm Royale creator, Abe Sylvia, for years including highlights such as the 2020 series Filthy Rich and 2011 movie Dirty Girl.
But composing the music for Palm Royale was a fresh challenge.
“He told me he wanted the music to sound like a Slim Aarons photograph felt. At the time I was a little bit miffed, can’t you give me a little bit more to go on? He said, ‘I don’t want to be too prescriptive.’”
Toyne rose to the challenge of mirroring the photographer’s famous Palm Springs shots of luxurious people and places.
Eschewing a computer-generated sound – a popular option in the industry today – he designed the score featuring a 50-piece orchestra and soloists.
“This score was lauded in no small part because of the nature of the music. There were no synthesizers harmed during the making of this score,” Toyne joked.
“It’s really rewarding to be recognized for this music, because we have to take on extra steps in production. It’s terribly ambitious to think you’re going to have live musicians on your television score.”
But it’s what lights up composers like Toyne.
“We’re all addicted to working with the musicians. They bring it to life. It’s a really special experience.”
Coming next
Toyne plays piano and guitar and says his Culver City, Calif. home looks like a “music store went out of business.”
“We love to collect instruments. I worked for a long time as an orchestrator. It’s helpful to have instruments on hand when you’re thinking about how to write (music) for them and what things are possible and natural.”
He describes music as both a “vocation and avocation.”
Soon, Toyne will dive back into the world of Palm Royale, which was renewed for a second season.
“We’re going to be doubling down on all the things that made the first season great. We’re really excited to get back in with those characters and those themes and do more,” he said.
Toyne is used to the near-constant deadline pressure of the industry. It’s one reason he loves working on film and television projects.
“It’s possible, if you’re writing a concert piece, to have it languish for years if you’re not careful,” he said.
“I get to be a little bit free from the tyranny of self-doubt, because the deadlines are looming.” – Jeff Toyne, BMus’97, Emmy-winning composer
It’s a collaborative art, Toyne said, and he relishes the ability to dig deep into the themes of a show or film.
“I really enjoy watching television and going to the movies,” Toyne said.
“I think movies are today what Wagner thought of his operas; you have all these artists bringing their lifetimes of skill and passion to create something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. It’s really, really exciting when it clicks and it works.”
