Jonathan Tunick is an American

orchestrator Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

, musical director, and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. He is best known for orchestrating the works of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

, their collaboration starting in 1970 with ''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

'' and continuing until Sondheim's death in 2021.

Early life and education

Jonathan Tunick graduated from Hunter College Elementary School, and the LaGuardia Performing Arts High School, and holds degrees from

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

and the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

.Rothstein, Mervyn
"A Life in the Theatre: Orchestrator, Composer and Music Director Jonathan Tunick"
playbill.com, September 16, 2005

Career

Tunick's principal instrument is the

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

.Gans, Andrew
"Tony-Winning Orchestrator Jonathan Tunick Plays Birdland March 19; Rebecca Faulkenberry Is Special Guest"
playbill.com, March 19, 2012. Much of his work has arisen from his involvement in theatre, and he is associated especially with the musicals of

.Jonathan Tunick biography
sondheimguide.com; accessed April 17, 2012. Sondheim said "Tunick is a standout in his field not only because of his musicianship and imagination, but primarily because of his great sensitivity to theatrical atmosphere". Tunick's band, "Broadway Moonlighters", played in 2008 with Barbara Cook as special guest, and played at Birdland jazz club in March 2012. He has also worked as an arranger and/or conductor on recordings with

Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning nearly seven decades. An Academy Awards, Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award-winning rec ...

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". On 1 December ...

, Brian Asawa, Sir Neville Mariner,

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman (; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist. He has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that have included a state dinner for Elizabeth II at the White House in 2007, and at the First ina ...

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

, and Bernadette Peters.

Recognition and awards

In his review of the Bernadette Peters recording ''Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers and Hammerstein'' (2002), John Kenrick wrote: "Jonathan Tunick provides the brilliant arrangements." He has won all four major American show business awards: the

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

, and Tony, making him an

EGOT EGOT, an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, is the designation given to people who have won all four of the major performing art awards in the United States. Respectively, these awards honor outstanding achievements in telev ...

. In 1978, Tunick won an Oscar for '' A Little Night Music'' ( Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score). In 1982, he won an Emmy for his work on the variety television special '' Night of 100 Stars'' ( Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction), and in 1988, he won a Grammy for his work on the song " No One Is Alone" ( Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)), and in 1997, he won the first Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for the musical ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

''. He has also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations four times and won a Drama Desk Special Award in 1982. Tunick was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in January 2009.

Personal life

Tunick is married to actress Leigh Beery (also known as "Lee Beery"), who appeared in the television soap opera ''

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...

'' in 1971.

Work

Stage

;Sources - AllMusic; Internet Broadway DatabaseJonathan Tunick Listing"
Internet Broadway Database; accessed April 17, 2012. *''Take Five'' (composer: "Gristedes," "The Pro Musica Antiqua")( Julius Monk Revue) - 1957 *'' From A to Z'' - 1960 *''All in Love'' - 1961 *'' Promises, Promises'' - 1968 *'' Here's Where I Belong'' - 1968 *'' Dames at Sea'' - 1969 *''

'' - 1970 *'' The Grass Harp'' - 1971 *'' Follies'' - 1971 *''

MASS Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

'' - 1971 *''The Selling of the President'' - 1972 *''Sondheim: A Musical Tribute'' - Concert - 1973 *'' A Little Night Music'' - 1973 *''Smith'' - 1973 *''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is cent ...

'' - 1975 ("Opening," "Nothing," "At The Ballet," "...And," "What I Did For Love") *''

Goodtime Charley ''Goodtime Charley'' is a musical with a book by Sidney Michaels, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Hal Hackady. A humorous take on actual historical events, it focuses on the Dauphin of France, who evolves from a hedonistic young man en ...

'' - 1975 *''

The Frogs ''The Frogs'' (; , often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in Athens, in 405 BC and received first place. The pla ...

'' - 1975 *''

Pacific Overtures ''Pacific Overtures'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by John Weidman, with "additional material by" Hugh Wheeler. Set in nineteenth-century Japan, it tells the story of the country's westernization starting ...

'' - 1976 *'' Ballroom'' - 1978 *''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'' - 1979 *'' Merrily We Roll Along'' - 1981 *''

Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

'' - (musical supervisor and orchestrations) 1982 *''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' - (musical supervisor) 1982 *''

Baby In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...

'' - 1983 *'' Dance a Little Closer'' - 1983 *'' Wind in the Willows'' - (musical supervisor) 1985 *''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' - 1987 *'' Nick & Nora'' - 1991 *'' Phantom'' - 1992 *'' A Grand Night for Singing'' - 1993 *''

'' (re-orchestrated) - 1993 *''

'' (re-orchestrated) - 1993 *'' Passion'' - 1994 *''The Petrified Prince'' - Public Theater 1994 *''Patti LuPone on Broadway'' -

Walter Kerr Theatre The Walter Kerr Theatre, previously the Ritz Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 219 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructe ...

Concert 1995 *''

'' - 1995 *''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specif ...

'' (re-orchestrated; originals by Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal) - 1996 *'' Martin Guerre'' - 1996 *''

'' - 1997 *''

'' - 1997 *'' Saturday Night'' - 1999 *''Minnelli on Minnelli'' - (orchestrations) Palace Theatre Concerts 1999 *'' Marie Christine'' - 1999 *'' Putting It Together'' - 1999 *''

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

'' - 2000 *'' Follies'' (re-orchestrated) - 2001 *''

'' (re-orchestrated) - 2002 *'' Elaine Stritch At Liberty'' - 2001 *''

'' - (re-orchestrated) 2003 *'' 110 in the Shade'' (re-orchestrated from Hershy Kay's originals) - 2003 *''

'' (re-orchestrated & expanded) - 2004 *''

'' - (re-orchestrated) 2004 *'' The Color Purple'' - 2005 *''

'' - (re-orchestrated) 2006 *'' The Apple Tree'' - (re-orchestrated from Eddie Sauter's originals) 2006 *'' 110 in the Shade'' - (re-orchestrated from Hershy Kay's originals) 2007 *'' Lovemusik'' - 2007 *'' A Catered Affair'' - 2008 *'' Road Show'' - 2008 and 2003 *'' The Story of My Life'' - 2009 *''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

'' - (re-orchestrated from Robert Russell Bennett's originals) 2009 *'' Bye Bye Birdie'' - (re-orchestrated from Robert Ginzler's originals) 2009 *'' Paradise Found'' - 2010 *''Some Lovers'' - Old Globe Theatre 2011 *''

'' (re-orchestrated) - 2012 *'' Passion'' (re-orchestrated) - 2013 *'' A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'' - 2013 *''Waterfall'' - Pasadena Playhouse 2015 *'' Dames at Sea'' (re-orchestrated) - 2015 *'' Cabin in the Sky'' -

Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...

2016 *''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

'' - (re-orchestrated from Don Walker's originals) 2018 *'' Here We Are'' - 2023

Filmography

;Sources - AllMusic;"Jonathan Tunick Credits"
allmusic.com, accessed April 17, 2012 Internet Movie Database *''

The Twelve Chairs ''The Twelve Chairs'' () is a Russian classic satirical picaresque novel by the Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov, published in 1928. Its plot follows characters attempting to obtain jewelry hidden in a chair. A sequel was published in 1931. The ...

'' - 1970 - musical director, orchestrator *'' Blazing Saddles'' - 1974 - orchestrator *'' Young Frankenstein'' - 1974 - orchestrator *'' The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother'' - 1975 - orchestrator *'' A Little Night Music'' - 1977 - composer orchestrator, conductor (winner,

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

) *'' Columbo: Murder Under Glass'' - 1978 - (television) - composer, conductor *'' Flying High'' - 1978 - (television) - composer, conductor *''3 by Cheever'': "O Youth and Beauty", "The Sorrows of Gin" and '' 3 by Cheever: The 5:48'' - 1979 - (television) - composer, conductor *''Rendezvous Hotel'' - 1979 - (television) - composer, conductor *''Swan Song'' - 1980 - (television) - composer, conductor *'' Blinded by the Light'' - 1980 - (television) - composer, conductor *'' The Jilting of Granny Weatherall'' - 1980 - (television) - composer, conductor *'' Fort Apache the Bronx'' - 1981 - composer, conductor *'' Endless Love'' - 1981 - composer, conductor *'' Reds'' - 1981 - orchestrator *''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'' - 1982 - (television) - composer, conductor *''Night of 100 Stars'' - 1982 - (television) - music arranger *''

'' - 1982 - (television) - orchestrator *''

'' - 1983 - (television) - composer, conductor *''

I Am the Cheese ''I Am the Cheese'' is a young adult novel by the American writer Robert Cormier, published in 1977. Plot The novel opens with protagonist Adam Farmer biking from his home in the fictional town of Monument, Massachusetts, (based on Cormier's ...

'' - 1983 - composer, conductor *''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' - 1984 - (television) - series composer, conductor *'' Concealed Enemies'' - 1984 - (television) - composer, conductor *''Brotherly Love'' - 1985 - (television) - composer, conductor *'' Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories'' - 1985 - (television) - series composer, conductor *''The B.R.A.T. Patrol'' - 1986 - (television) - composer, conductor *'' American Masters'' - 1986 - (television) - composer (theme only) *'' You Ruined My Life'' - 1987 - (television) - composer, conductor *''

'' - 1991 - (television) - orchestrator *''Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall'' - 1993 (televised) (concert in 1992) - (television) - orchestrator"Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall"
sondheimguide.com, accessed April 18, 2012 *'' The Last Good Time'' - 1994 - composer, conductor *'' The Birdcage'' - 1996 - music arranger and adapter, composer, conductor *'' Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh'' - 1998 - (television) - orchestrator *''

The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two ne ...

'' - 2000 - music adaptor and arranger, conductor *''

Find Me Guilty ''Find Me Guilty'' is a 2006 American courtroom comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Sidney Lumet. The film is based on the true story of the longest Mafia trial in American history. Much of the courtroom testimony was taken from the ori ...

'' - 2006 - composer, conductor *''

'' (Tim Burton film) - 2007 - music adaptor and orchestrator *''

'' - 2014 - orchestrator *''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' - 2017 - orchestrator

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...
s

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

References

External links

* *
Jonathan Tunick Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2021) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tunick, Jonathan Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners American male musicians Jewish American composers Bard College alumni Drama Desk Award winners Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Grammy Award winners Juilliard School alumni Tony Award winners 1938 births Living people Musicians from New York City 21st-century American Jews