Seth Ward, who earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in 2006, has achieved a significant career milestone by directing and composing the score for “Odysseus Returns,” a documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman and produced by his production company, Revelations Entertainment. The film, which was recently awarded Best Documentary at the International Epidaurus Film Festival in Athens, Greece, explores a controversial claim that the ancient tomb of King Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s “The Odyssey,” was discovered on the Greek island of Kefalonia in 1991. Ward first learned about the project through a friend whose family was from Kefalonia.
“He was very upset that this discovery had been mired in the often contentious and difficult world of Greek archaeology,” Ward said, adding that he traveled to Kefalonia with a cinematographer to investigate. “Upon arrival with great skepticism, I was blown away by what I saw and heard. Once I saw the tomb and met Makis (Metaxas, who discovered the tomb), I knew I had a film.”
The discovery of what may be the tomb of Odysseus has been a point of contention between Kefalonia and the neighboring island of Ithaki, which has long been considered the legendary hero’s homeland. Ward’s documentary not only explores the discovery with lead archeologist Lazaros Kolonas, famous for his work with explorer Jacques Cousteau, but also the political rivalries that suppressed the findings for over 30 years.
“Directing a film about one of the greatest archaeological discoveries is a large responsibility, especially one so laden with controversy,” Ward said, emphasizing the complexity of navigating the cultural tensions surrounding the discovery. “The film had to include historians, literary experts, archaeological experts in multiple fields, and then tell a compelling story about the man who discovered it all.”
Once Revelations Entertainment and Freeman were on board, Ward was able to sign distribution agreements with the History Channel in the United Kingdom and PBS/Amazon Prime in the U.S. That generated a new challenge since the History Channel wanted a faster turnaround than expected, leaving Ward with little time to hire an outside composer.
“For about a month, I slept very little,” Ward said. “I’m extremely happy to have scored the film, though I wouldn’t necessarily suggest doing both to anyone else!”
Ward credited his education at the Shepherd School for preparing him to handle both directing and composing under tight deadlines.
“My incredible training and experience at the Shepherd School gave me the tools to get the job done, even under tremendous pressure,” he said, praising the composition faculty for their high standards and mentorship. “There was a real sense of community and encouragement between the composition students and professors.”
Ward’s versatility as both a composer and director sets him apart from his peers, said Richard Lavenda, professor of composition and theory and director of graduate studies at the Shepherd School.
"The thing about Seth is that he was interested in being a film and TV composer as well as a director,” Lavenda said. “That’s unusual. Most people do one or the other. It’s rare that you find somebody who actually makes the movie is the same person who wrote the score. That’s very unusual and very wonderful.”
Ward’s path to success is a testament to his talent and perseverance, traits that Lavenda saw during his time at the Shepherd School.
“He has enormous talent but also understands that success requires initiative and hard work as well as networking and making important connections,” Lavenda said. “Seth is good at all of those things.”
For current students at the Shepherd School, Ward offered words of encouragement: “If you are studying composition at the Shepherd School, you are a tremendously fortunate artist,” Ward said. “Soak up all the experience you can get from any and every professor — from score reading to music business. It will all help you tremendously in the future.”
Watch the “Odysseus Returns” preview here or click here to learn more about the Shepherd School.