Born in Dallas Texas in 1978, Mr. Lanier began studying violin at the age of four and has been performing and composing ever since. Receiving his primary music education in New York, Mr. Lanier holds an M.A. in Composition and Film Scoring from NYU and a B.M. in Violin Performance from Mannes College of Music.

Mr. Lanier has written music for numerous films, television, and theatrical productions starring such talent as Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Bosworth, Edward James Olmos, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Mark Hamill, Casper Van Dien, Tom Sizemore, Jason Mewes and Danny Trejo, to name a few. He has also written music for several television networks including HBO, FOXkids, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, BBC, CBC, BBC Scotland, LifeTime, and MSNBC.

In addition to composing, Mr. Lanier has also conducted and orchestrated many film scores and musicals. He was a score editor on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and a technical scoring assistant at Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control. As a violinist, Mr. Lanier has performed violin on the Tonight Show, at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Hall, and has performed and recorded with such artists as Josh Groban, Stevie Wonder, Isaac Hayes, John Williams, Julie Andrews, Take 6, Michael Buble, Smokey Robinson, and Barry Manilow.