EXCLUSIVE: Billboard has acquired Cosmic Symphony, the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated composer Laura Karpman that explores irreplaceable musical instruments lost in the Los Angeles wildfires, and the artists who owned them.
EGOT winner John Legend, two-time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and actress, singer and songwriter Rita Wilson are among the executive producers of the short documentary. Billboard plans to launch the film on its digital channels and Billboard TV (available on Amazon Fire and Samsung TV+) on Tuesday, October 27. The night before – Monday, October 26 – the film’s Los Angeles premiere will take place at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
Each of the four musicians featured in the documentary – bassist and composer John Clayton, pianist and educator Susie Chung, pianist and composer Starr Parodi, and composer, guitarist and pianist Diane Warren – suffered terrible losses in the January 2025 wildfires, including beloved instruments. One of Clayton’s basses destroyed when fire consumed his home in Altadena was almost 200 years old and had been owned formerly by bassist Ray Brown.
“Cosmic Symphony explores a truth that every musician knows – that musical instruments have souls,” notes a release. “Four iconic instruments, including The Wizard of Oz and A Star is Born pianos, all lost in the 2025 Los Angeles Fires, are celebrated by John Clayton, Susie Chung, Starr Parodi and Diane Warren, culminating in an animated send-off towards an imagined future, a Cosmic Symphony.”
Karpman directed the film and composed the original score. In a statement, she said, “When a musician loses an instrument, they lose a part of themselves – their partner, their voice. In the aftermath of the Los Angeles Fires, I felt a strong sense of urgency; my friends, musicians across Los Angeles, were experiencing profound loss, and their experiences needed to be captured. I envisioned this film, my first as a director, simultaneously as a requiem and a celebration. Somewhere in the heavens, these beloved instruments have formed a glorious orchestra—a cosmic symphony where every lost voice is restored.
“Cosmic Symphony memorializes the instruments, honors their journeys, and affirms the resilience of the human spirit. Each instrument lost represents a story interrupted, a melody waiting to be continued. Music, after all, is the language of survival—the force that keeps us connected even in the face of devastation.”
The film is produced by Laura Karpman and Lorenza Muñoz. Along with Legend, Obaid-Chinoy, and Wilson, executive producers include Mike Jackson, Legend’s partner at Get Lifted Film Co, Christina Kounelias, and Peter Rotter. Amy Andersson is a co-producer.
“Artists are the beating heart of Los Angeles, the creative capitol of the world,” Legend commented. “As artists, we know that instruments are core to the music we make. Cosmic Symphony is a thank you to all of the musical instruments that help us sing our song. As we look back on the immense tragedy of the fires of 2025, I’m inspired by the stories of loss and resilience that are portrayed in this film. I am so happy to join my friend Laura Karpman in celebrating the music of our city.”
Jackson added, “Cosmic Symphony is a beautiful reminder of how deeply music is tied to memory, identity and community. Laura has created something that honors what was lost while also celebrating the artists and stories that endure. We’re proud to be part of a film that captures the resilience of Los Angeles and the extraordinary role music plays in bringing people together.”
Wilson’s work in music includes the albums AM/FM, Rita Wilson, Bigger Picture, and Halfway to Home.
“Laura Karpman’s short documentary film, Cosmic Symphony, illuminates for us how instruments are not inanimate objects that have no life,” Wilson observed. “They are our friends, our confidants, our family. And just like those friends and family, they have lives that preceded, sometimes even our own lives. They bring their history to each musician who plays them, and to each of us who listens. It’s been an honor being a part of this film. I doubt I will ever be able to look at an instrument in the same way again without the distinct feeling that each instrument has had a life of its own.”
The Los Angeles premiere on October 26 at the Annenberg will be followed by a concert performance featuring the musicians in the film and more. All ticket proceeds will go towards MusiCares, the nonprofit that provides health, financial, and emergency relief services to professional musicians.
Karpman’s composing credits include 2023’s American Fiction, for which she earned an Academy Award nomination; East of Eden (2026); Give Me the Ball! (2026); The Marvels (2023), and Lovecraft Country (2020). She directed Cosmic Symphony and produced the film alongside Lorenza Muñoz. Michael Wohl and Kate Amend edited Cosmic Symphony. Cinematography is by Christina Dunlap; Temple Hale serves as animation director. Sound is by Paul Hollman.
In the film, Clayton likens the bass he lost in the fire to a grail. “It was a masterful bass,” he says. “When I touched it, I really thought to myself, ‘This bass can do anything.’”
Chung says of the Steinway she lost, which had been used in the 2018 version of A Star Is Born directed by Bradley Cooper, “I developed this relationship with this piano. I believe my piano has a soul.”
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