Jonathan Tunick
Jonathan Tunick (born April 19, 1938) is an American orchestrator, musical director, and composer. 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.
Jonathan Tunick

The Tony Awards · YouTube – View/save archived versions on archive.org · CC BY 3.0
- Born
- 1938 · New York City.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- composer · conductor · music arranger
- Fields
- musical play
- Education
- Bard College · Juilliard School · Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
- Honours
- Academy Award for Best Original Song Score
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Documentary summary
Jonathan Tunick (born April 19, 1938) is an American orchestrator, musical director, and composer. 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.
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Jonathan Tunick (born 1938) is a composer, conductor and film score composer, among other activities, of American nationality. The composer was born in New York City. Jonathan Tunick was educated at Bard College and Juilliard School.
The work spans musical play. Honours include Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q3809962 · wikipedia · Jonathan Tunick
In this article
Early life and education
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 and the Juilliard School.
Career
Career
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 "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, Kiri Te Kanawa, Brian Asawa, Sir Neville Mariner, Itzhak Perlman, Plácido Domingo, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, and Bernadette Peters.
Personal life
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
Stage
Sources - AllMusic; Internet Broadway Database
Filmography
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
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, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, making him an EGOT. 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. 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.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Rothstein, Mervyn. "A Life in the Theatre: Orchestrator, Composer and Music Director Jonathan Tunick" playbill.com, September 16, 2005
- 2.Gans, Andrew. , playbill.com, March 19, 2012.
- 3.Jonathan Tunick biography, sondheimguide.com; accessed April 17, 2012.
- 4.Sharbutt, Jay. Musical Arrangers, Men Behind The Song Hits. The Journal News. Associated Press. G8. 23 May 1982.
- 5.Gans, Andrew. Tony Winner Cook Will Join Tunick at Birdland Nov. 24. Playbill. 11 November 2008.
- 6.Jonathan Tunick profile goodmantheatre.org, June 2003; accessed April 17, 2012
- 7.Kenrick, John. "Solo CD's. Bernadette Peters" Musicals101.com; accessed April 18, 2012
- 8.King, Darryn. The EGOT Winner Behind Sondheim's Signature Sound. The New York Times. January 10, 2024.
- 9.Gans, Andrew. How 2 Phone Calls Changed the Life of Frequent Sondheim Orchestrator Jonathan Tunick. Playbill. July 7, 2023.
- 10.Kuchwara, Michael. Revival rakes in the awards; Tony taps 'Chicago'. Chicago Sun-Times. 25. June 2, 1997.
- 11.Jonathan Tunick Orchestrator, Musical Coordinator. Playbill.
- 12.Gans, Andrew. (January 26, 2009) Playbill
- 13."Leigh Beery Film and TV" imdb.com; accessed October 10, 2015
- 14.Jonathan Tunick Listing", Internet Broadway Database; accessed April 17, 2012.
- 15.Hischak, Thomas S. "Chapter Two, A New Arena:The 1950s" Off-Broadway Musicals Since 1919 (2011), (books.google.com), Scarecrow Press, Inc., , p. 43
- 16." 'All in Love' Listing" Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed April 17, 2012
- 17." 'Sondheim: A Musical Tribute'" , SondheimGuide.com; accessed April 17, 2012
- 18." 'Smith' Listing", Internet Broadway database; accessed April 17, 2012
- 19." 'Phantom' Cast Album Listing" castalbumdb.com, accessed April 17, 2012
- 20.Brantley, Ben. "Theater Review; Both a Sendup and an Embrace, Based on Bergman Again" The New York Times, December 19, 1994
- 21.Evans, Greg. Variety, October 12, 1995
- 22." 'Minnelli on Minnelli' Listing" Internet Broadway Database, accessed April 17, 2012
- 23." 'Road Show'" Internet Off-Broadway database, accessed April 18, 2012
- 24.Murray, Matthew. "Theatre Review. 'Bounce' " talkinbroadway.com, November 2, 2003, accessed April 18, 2012
- 25.Eadie, Bill."Regional Reviews. 'Some Lovers', Old Globe" talkinbroadway.com, December 10, 2011
- 26."Jonathan Tunick Credits" allmusic.com, accessed April 17, 2012
- 27."Jonathan Tunick Listing" Internet Movie Database, accessed April 17, 2012
- 28.fandango.com, assessed April 18, 2012
- 29." 'The B.R.A.T Patrol' Cast and Crew" movies.amctv.com, accessed April 18, 2012
- 30."Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall" sondheimguide.com, accessed April 18, 2012
- 31.Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The 50th Academy Awards (1978) Nominees and Winners.
- 32.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 1982 Awards.
- 33.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 1984 Awards.
- 34.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 1988 Awards.
- 35.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 1994 Awards.
- 36.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 1997 Awards.
- 37.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 1999 Awards.
- 38.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 2000 Awards.
- 39.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 2001 Awards.
- 40.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 2002 Awards.
- 41.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 2007 Awards.
- 42.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 2008 Awards.
- 43.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 2014 Awards.
- 44.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 2018 Awards.
- 45.Drama Desk Awards. Nominees and Recipients – 2020 Awards.
- 46.Grammy Awards. Jonathan Tunick.
- 47.Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Jonathan Tunick.
- 48.Tony Awards. 1997 Tony Awards.
- 49.Tony Awards. 2000 Tony Awards.
- 50.Tony Awards. 2001 Tony Awards.
- 51.Tony Awards. 2003 Tony Awards.
- 52.Tony Awards. 2005 Tony Awards.
- 53.Tony Awards. 2007 Tony Awards.
- 54.Tony Awards. 2008 Tony Awards.
- 55.Tony Awards. 2010 Tony Awards.
- 56.Tony Awards. 2014 Tony Awards.
- 57.Tony Awards. 2018 Tony Awards.
- 58.Sherman, Rachel. Tony Awards Nominations 2024: The Complete List. The New York Times. 2024-04-30. 0362-4331.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q3809962: Jonathan TunickWikimedia Foundation
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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