Since 1978 Stuart Balcomb has worked for film and TV in Los Angeles. Before moving to LA he studied vibes with Gary Burton and taught composition and arranging at Berklee College of Music in Boston. For 23 years he was the head of the Music Library at Universal Studios, supervising a team of music copyists transcribing instrumental parts for film and television scoring sessions. He has written arrangements for Woody Herman, Cher, Donald O’Connor, Andy Williams, Magician David Avadon, Gary Burton and the Buffalo Philharmonic; orchestrated many films; and composed for Batman: The Animated Series, 1000 Journals, The Moses Code, Brian O’Brian (Disney), and Mythic Journeys. His American Trilogy for woodwind quintet was performed and recorded by the New York Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet in 2010.
In 2001 he founded and served as Editor-in-Chief of TheScreamOnline, an internet magazine for Art, Photography, Literature, Music, and Film, featuring the works of over 400 creatives. Stuart also contributed editorials, essays, poetry, and short stories, such as “Goodnight, My Love,” written under the pen name, Edward King.
Books:
Through the Lion’s Gate, A Medieval Tale of Intrigue and Transformation
A novel about an alchemist in 1352 London (pub. May 2025)
No Loitering: Musings • Rants • Explorations
Non Fiction, Poetry & Short Fiction (pub. Feb. 2026)
What—And Give Up Show Business?
40 years in the Trenches of Hollywood (late 2026)