biography

Ray Sharp is a veteran pianist / songwriter in the DFW metroplex music scene. Ray began playing the piano at age 12. By 13, he had composed dozens of contemporary and classical piano solos. In high school he wrote and directed two wind symphony performances and began performing at restaurants throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. While in college Sharp supported himself by performing solo piano at churches, restaurants, hotels, and art museums. Ray was discovered by critically acclaimed Four Day Weekend while playing at a local restaurant and was asked to be a guest musician where, after six months, he became their musical director. Four Day Weekend is the longest running show in the Southwest. On Fridays and Saturdays the group performs a one hour and 45 minute show created from audience suggestions and participation at their 212 seat theater in downtown Fort Worth. Voted best comedy, Four Day Weekend is a Fort Worth institution.  They’ve been called Fort Worth greatest ambassadors, have been awarded the key to the city, toured Europe to perform for American troops stationed abroad, have performed for two US presidents and delivered a keynote address to the 
United States Congress. 

Sharp has been commissioned to write the music for two comedy revues, national commercials, television theme songs, short films, and video games. During his professional career Ray has released many full length albums. Exaudio (2001) Eros (2005) Letters for a Lifetime (2013) More Than Myself (2014) Smile Driver (2015) My Muse (2017) Beaten Piano (2019).  

Over the summer of 2018, Sharp scored two short films “By The Dark of Night” & “Second Skin” (both directed by Farah White) that have had successful runs at film festivals around the nation.  Ray has recently scored two seasons of the new TV show series “Yes & Yoga” for Amazon Prime and has released a kundalini yoga/meditation album under the same name.  

In addition, Sharp wrote, directed and composed for his debut film entitled “ONE”.  “ONE” combines breathtaking compositions and stunning visuals to illustrate the unity of humanity.  "ONE" has garnered 25+ awards including "Best Religious Short" at the Dubai Independent Film Festival as well as "Best Composer - Honorable Mention" at the Arrow International Film Festival.  

In the fall of 2022, Ray participated in an intense international composition training regime lead by composer Marc Jovani.  During this time Sharp had his music workshopped and honed with renowned film/tv composers Christopher Young & Javier Navarrete.

In the Spring of 2023 Ray traveled to Macedonia to record two original symphonies 'Friday Mourning' and 'Other Wordly' with the studio orchestra Fames Project.  While overseas, Sharp finished composing the score for the UK based comedy / horror film "The Haunted Studio"; due to premiere in August 2023.

Throughout 2023 Sharp has been composing for 2 major projects.  'The Stones Are Speaking' is a documentary produced and directed by Olive Talley about an archeologist, Michael Collins, that discovers and preserves one of the greatest finds in the history of the Americas; due out on PBS in 2024.  Ray has also been tapped to score an interactive flight experience that provides the audience the most realistic interstellar ride without having to leave Earth.  Many more details to follow in 2024!

Recently, Ray was thrilled to be honored with an invitation to join an elite group of international composers named Audio Artilects International whose clients include Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +, Sony Pictures, Lifetime, Hallmark and ABC.

interview with
Canvas Rebel

Ray, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

During the pandemic I began taking online film scoring classes. The first few were one-off master classes and nothing too involved. The pandemic then eased and I began performing live again but now I had the beginnings of some new skill sets and my urge to get into film scoring was calling more and more. During the summer of 2022 I was approached by a professor from Berklee Sound of College of Music and he explained to me that they had a new film scoring masters program and would I be interested in joining in the fall. After some time discussing with my wife we decided to take the risk and I signed up. It was quite a lot of money but something we felt would be worth it in the long run. This course was intense and required me to participate 4-5 hours a day 6 days a week. At the tail end of the program I traveled to Europe to record with a live orchestra performing 2 selected pieces I composed during the semester. After putting up the videos of my adventures, projects started rolling in and the fruits of my labor started paying off and the reward out-weighed the risk; 10 fold.

Of all of the 1000s of times I have performed, my proudest moment was something that was most certainly not planned at all. One morning I got a call from my step-father who is a Methodist minister. He was in need of a pianist for a funeral in 2 hours and asked if I could come play. I agreed, threw a suit on and headed out. I had attended his church several times but I did not know the deceased nor the family. I happily agreed to play the few selected congregational hymns and let the family know I would play quietly before and after the service.  It turns out that the gentleman that passed away was quite the jokester and would always play the same trick on everyone. He had taken the small speaker out of a neck-tie that played 'Jingle Bells’ when you pressed the button. This man kept that button in his pocket every day, would press it at inappropriate times and would endlessly deny he could hear the famous tune playing. As I listened to my step-father tell these stories I begin to formulate a plan. ‘Jingle Bells’ is a very simple piece and I should play it after the service. But when? I had to sit on this idea and wait for the perfect moment. After the service the family walked by the casket and said their goodbyes. It was sweet and touching but I still hadn’t found my moment. It is usually customary for the spouse to say goodbye the last. Ahhh. There’s my moment. I was playing another piece softly and very subtly transitioned to a lovely version of ‘Jingle Bells’. I will never forget what happened next. The sweet old lady, who I had never met before, let out a sound. She laughed. She sobbed. She was overcome with emotion. I had taken all my years of music school, composing, and theatre timing and touched another human in a profound way. I will forever chase that feeling and that moment as I compose for new projects. I am in the business of changing emotions and helping people laugh and heal through music. 

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?The thing I have always craved is just for an audience. A chance to share my art. It’s really as simple as that. 

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I believe the most rewarding aspect of a career in music is making connecting with other people. We have all had those moments when you get lost and caught up in thought while listen to music. If I can create a mood or safe space for the mind to wonder, explore and imagine I have done my job.