Jonathan Tunick

Jonathan Tunick (born April 19, 1938, New York City) is an American orchestrator, musical director, and composer, and one of nineteen of the "EGOT" – people to have won all four major American show business awards: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. He is best known for orchestrating the works of Stephen Sondheim, their collaboration starting in 1970 with Company and continuing until Sondheim's death in 2021.

Biography
Tunick graduated from Hunter College Elementary School, the LaGuardia Performing Arts High School, and holds degrees from Bard College and the Juilliard School. Tunick's principal instrument is the clarinet.

Much of his work has arisen from his involvement in theatre, and he is associated especially with the musicals of Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim said of Tunick's work: "'I think he's tops'..." and further noted that "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 also has a band, the "Broadway Moonlighters", which played at Birdland in March 2012 and in 2008 with Barbara Cook as his special guest. He has worked as an arranger and/or conductor on recordings with Judy Collins, Kiri Te Kanawa, Brian Asawa, Sir Neville Mariner, Itzhak Perlman, Plácido Domingo, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, and Bernadette Peters. In his review of the Bernadette Peters recording Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers and Hammerstein (Angel Records, 2002), John Kenrick wrote: "Jonathan Tunick provides the brilliant arrangements." Tunick won the Grammy Award as "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)/Best Background Arrangement" for his work on the song "No One Is Alone" from the Cleo Laine album Cleo Laine Sings Sondheim (RCA Victor, 1987).

Tunick won the first Tony Award for Best Orchestrations that was awarded, in 1997, for Titanic.

In addition to the other awards, he has won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations three 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 in 1971.

Stage

 * Sources - AllMusic; Internet Broadway Database


 * 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
 * Company - 1970
 * The Grass Harp - 1971
 * Follies - 1971
 * MASS - 1971
 * The Selling of the President - 1972
 * Sondheim: A Musical Tribute - Concert - 1973
 * A Little Night Music - 1973
 * Smith - 1973
 * A Chorus Line - 1975 ("Opening," "Nothing," "At The Ballet," "...And," "What I Did For Love")
 * Goodtime Charley - 1975
 * The Frogs - 1975
 * Pacific Overtures - 1976
 * Ballroom - 1978
 * Sweeney Todd - 1979
 * Merrily We Roll Along - 1981
 * Nine - (musical supervisor and orchestrations) 1982
 * Alice in Wonderland - (musical supervisor) 1982
 * Baby - 1983
 * Dance a Little Closer - 1983
 * Wind in the Willows - (musical supervisor) 1985
 * Into the Woods - 1987
 * Nick & Nora - 1991
 * Phantom - 1992
 * A Grand Night for Singing - 1993
 * Company (re-orchestrated) - 1993
 * Sweeney Todd (re-orchestrated) - 1993
 * Passion - 1994
 * The Petrified Prince - Public Theater 1994
 * Patti LuPone on Broadway - Walter Kerr Theatre Concert 1995
 * Company - 1995


 * A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (re-orchestrated; originals by Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal) - 1996
 * Martin Guerre - 1996
 * Into the Woods - 1997
 * Titanic - 1997
 * Saturday Night - 1999
 * Minnelli on Minnelli - (orchestrations) Palace Theatre Concerts 1999
 * Marie Christine - 1999
 * Putting It Together - 1999
 * Napoleon - 2000
 * Follies (re-orchestrated) - 2001
 * Into the Woods (re-orchestrated) - 2002
 * Elaine Stritch At Liberty - 2001
 * Nine - (re-orchestrated) 2003
 * 110 in the Shade (re-orchestrated from Hershy Kay's originals) - 2003
 * The Frogs (re-orchestrated & expanded) - 2004
 * Pacific Overtures - (re-orchestrated) 2004
 * The Color Purple - 2005
 * A Chorus Line - (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! - (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
 * Sweeney Todd (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! 2016
 * Carousel - (re-orchestrated from Don Walker's originals) 2018
 * Here We Are - 2023

Filmography

 * Sources - AllMusic; Internet Movie Database


 * The Twelve Chairs - 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)
 * 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
 * Sweeney Todd - 1982 - (television) - orchestrator
 * Alice in Wonderland - 1983 - (television) - composer, conductor
 * I Am the Cheese - 1983 - composer, conductor
 * Murder, She Wrote - 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
 * Into the Woods - 1991 - (television) - orchestrator
 * Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall - 1993 (televised) (concert in 1992) - (television) - orchestrator
 * 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 - 2000 - music adaptor and arranger, conductor
 * Find Me Guilty - 2006 - composer, conductor
 * Sweeney Todd (Tim Burton film) - 2007 - music adaptor and orchestrator
 * Into the Woods - 2014 - orchestrator
 * Beauty and the Beast - 2017 - orchestrator