Ravi Krishnaswami

Ravi Krishnaswami’s music has been heard by millions of television viewers. Composing in a wide range of styles for advertising, film, television and interactive media, he is also an accomplished songwriter, guitarist, sound designer, producer and engineer. His work for advertising has included Super Bowl commercials and commissioned scores for major national brands and networks. His writing has been described as diverse, innovative and organic, and he is equally comfortable working with minimalist modern classical as he is with electronic music or rock.

Krishnaswami is Co-founder, Partner and Creative Director at COPILOT Strategic Music + Sound in New York, NY, where he continues to compose while overseeing the work of a wide network of professional composers. He previously worked at Sacred Noise as Staff Composer and Sound Designer. During his decade-plus jingle career, he has worked with clients including Bluefly, Burger King, Cadillac, Coca Cola, Dove, ESPN, General Electric, Hyundai, Johnson & Johnson, K Mart, Lincoln Mercury, Microsoft, Nabisco, Neutrogena, Oxfam, Pfizer, Philips, Pontiac, Post Cereals, Sears, Sony, Sunny Delight, Time Warner, Toyota, US Army, Verizon, Volkswagon and Volvo.

As a film composer, Krishnaswami creates atmospheric scores that weave traditional music with modern western scoring techniques. His music has been featured in HBO’s acclaimed documentary Alive Day Memories and the award-winning film American Zeitgeist, both about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Oracles and Demons of Ladakh and Karmapa in America, both films about Tibetan spiritual leaders.

As a songwriter and guitarist, Krishnaswami is known for creating compact and melodic hooks. He is the founding guitarist in The Sons & Heirs, a tribute to The Smiths, and performs regularly to large audiences on the east coast. He has produced albums with his own indie-pop band Charming and the atmospheric band Black Swan Green. A big believer in collaboration, Krishnaswami has also worked in the studio with a diverse list of artists including Yung Chen Lhamo, Viva Girls, Sharon Jones and The Magnetic Fields.

Krishnaswami has a Bachelor’s degree in Music and English from the University of Virginia, where he studied in Ethnomusicology. His honors thesis focused on hybrid music from the South Asian diaspora. More recently, he has presented his writing on music and advertising at New York University, University of Virginia, UCLA and VCU Brandcenter.