Lisa Maxwell has composed, arranged, orchestrated, produced, and conducted music for horn sections, strings, big band and full orchestra. Part of the Emmy Award-winning music team for Warner Bros., orchestrator on all 52 episodes of the Histeria! animated series and Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish feature film. Original music has been licensed for over 25 TV shows (listed below).
In 2019, she released “Shiny! Lisa Maxwell’s Jazz Orchestra,” her debut album as a composer and arranger, which received critical acclaim, including 4 stars in DownBeat Magazine. It features an all-star jazz orchestra of New York's top players, including Randy Brecker, Will Lee, Paul Shaffer, Mike Stern, and Lou Marini.
As a sax player, Lisa led the horn sections on the Guns 'n' Roses Use Your Illusion world tour and Spinal Tap tour. She has also performed with Bruce Willis, Steven Tyler, Lenny Kravitz, Carole King, Band, Machito Big Band, Gil Evans Orchestra, Charlie Haden, Hiram Bullock, Will Lee, Chuck Berry, Smokey Hormel, Chester Whitmore, The Joni Mitchell Project, Fox TV's "Sibs" and "Phenom" (James Brooks) live studio bands, "Duckman" cartoon, the MTV Awards, and the National Association of Songwriters Awards shows.
TV / Movies (Composer, Source Music, Orchestrator)
● BMF, STARZ - 2023 "Family Business"
● Making Fun, Netflix - 2022 "Pirate Pizza Cannon"
● The Stand, Paramount+ - 2021 "The Stand'
● El Club (The Club), Netflix - 2020 "Mami TUmba La Casa (Mmam Said Knock You)
● Tirdy Works, truTV - 2020 (4 Episodes)
● Buck Commander, Outdoor Channel - 2020 "From Ducks To Bucks"
● Four Weddings: Top 10 Weddings, TLC - 2019 "...And A Grilled Cheese"
● Talk Show the Game Show, truTV - 2018 "Andy Richter Sasheer Zapata Nadia G LCI"
● Strangers in Danger, Fuel TV - 2017 "Jamica"
● Person of Interest, CBS TV - 2015 "Panopticon"
● The Following, Warner Bros. TV - 2015 "Exposed"
● Buck Commander, Outdoor Channel - 2015 "Of Bulls and Men"
● Rectify, Sundance TV - 2014 "Heart of Hearts"
● Four Weddings, TLC - 2014 "...And A Grilled Cheese"
● Four Weddings, TLC - 2013 "...And A Phantom"
● Four Weddings: Unveiled, TLC 2013 (2 Episodes)
● Four Houses, TLC 2013 "...And A Hot Pink Bedroom
● Dexter, Showtime - 2012 "Smokey and the Bandit"
● On the Fly, TLC - 2012 "I Give You A Disclaimer - I Curse!"
● Ice Brigade, Food Network - 2012 "DJ Bronco"
● Four Weddings, TLC - 2012 (3 Episodes)
● Four Weddings, TLC - 2011 (5 Episodes)
● Extreme Royal Collections, Demand Media - 2011 DVD
● Four Weddings Biggest Blunders, TLC - 2011
● Sons of Anarchy, FX Network - 2010 "Na Triobloidi"
● Burn Notice, USA -2010 "Past and Future Tense"
● Gravity, STARZ - 2010 (3 Episodes)
● Stuffocating, TLC - 2010 (Pilot)
● Four Weddings, TLC - 2010 (4 Episodes)
● Histeria!, Warner Bros Television, - All episodes: #1-55 (orchestrator) Emmy Award!
● PBS American Experience: Edison's Miracle of Light, 1994, PBS Television (orch., copyist)
● Duckman Cartoon, Paramount Network Television, 1994, (saxophone, orchestrator)
● Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish, 1999, Warner Bros. Ent. (orchestrator)
Other
● Summer in the Square Concerts, Union Square, NYC, Featured Composer
● Histeria!, Warner Bros., Best Musical Direction in a Daytime Show Emmy Award!
● Animaniacs, Warner Bros., Best Musical Direction in a Daytime Show Emmy Award!
● Sugarbeats: 21 Really Cool Songs, 1994, (co-producer, saxophone, orchestrator)
● Believe in Me, Duff McKagan, 1993, Geffen Records"Could It Be U" (string arranger)
● Bayless Meets Bernstein: West Side Story Variations, John Bayless, 1992, Columbia Records (orchestrator, copyist)
● Guns 'n' Roses Use Your Illusion World Tour, 1991-93 (horn section leader, arranger)
● The Joni Mitchell Project, L.A. Theater Center (saxophones, synthesizer)
● Sugarbeats: 21 Really Cool Songs (co-producer, saxophone)
Education
● SUNY Empire State, B.A. Jazz Composition
● Berklee College of Music, Quincy Jones Arranging Scholarship
● Dick Grove School of Music, Composing and Arranging Program
● Manhattan School of Music - Joe Allard, saxophone
● UCLA film scoring - Don Ray, composing
Affiliations
Musician’s Union Local 47, American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers