Greta Gertler-Gold is an award-winning composer, lyricist, producer and performer. She has worked on a variety of projects in her native Australia, across Europe and in New York City, where she currently resides. She’s written and created for musical theatre, film and television, advertising campaigns, live band performances and social justice campaigns. Greta’s unique style fuses strong melodic sensibilities and personal perspectives with modern technologies to create unique and immersive soundscapes.
Greta’s musical education began when her well-meaning parents forced her to learn piano at a young age (despite her best efforts to thwart them by banging the keys instead of learning the notes). But she soon realized music gave her solace, and a way to channel her angst into an empowering experience for herself and others. Later, during a stint in law school trying to pursue a “real” career, Greta joined a band and began exploring the Sydney music scene of the ‘90s. Her creative passions reignited, she soon dropped out of law school – a terrible idea to begin with, let’s be honest – and returned to her first love in earnest. She moved to New York where she lived for two decades, and credits the Big Apple and its Broadway theatre influences for transforming her musical style.
Greta’s accolades are numerous. She has been featured twice on NPR’s “Song of the Day”, and won the prestigious City of Sydney Cultural Award. She co-wrote the song “Blow up the Pokies” for the rock band The Whitlams which became a multi-platinum selling hit. In 2020 she became a Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist.
Greta is currently working on the first draft of a musical theatre adaptation of PICTURE AT HANGING ROCK with playwright Hilary Bell, funded by Create NSW, a seed development grant from the Hayes Theatre and support from a US theater producer. She also composed the music and wrote lyrics for the children’s musical ALPHABETICAL SYDNEY: ALL ABOARD!, which got rave reviews in its limited 2022 release and will be performed at the Sydney Opera House in 2023. Other musical theater works include TRIPLIGHT, a collaboration with playwright Ally Collier, which premiered at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater in 2019, in concert form; THE RED TREE (Greta’s and Hilary Bell’s adaptation of an illustrated book by Academy Award-winner, Shaun Tan) and ANNA HIT, a collaboration with Stew (Tony Award-winning co-creator of the musical PASSING STRANGE).
She and her drummer-producer-husband, Adam Gold, started the band THE UNIVERSAL THUMP. They recorded their ‘Walking the Cat’ EP at Abbey Road Studios in 2015, following the release of their eponymous double orchestral album debut in 2012. Their music video “Seder-Masochistic” has had over 3 million views on YouTube.
As an activist and storyteller, Greta believes music can help inspire, connect and elevate the human experience, especially during these increasingly troubled times. A proud member of The Dramatists Guild, ASCAP and Maestra, she also makes delicious scrambled cheesy eggs for her two children, Lila and Eben.
