Jonathan Tunick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonathan Tunick
|
|
|---|---|
Tunick receiving Tony Award for Best Orchestrations 2024
|
|
| Born |
New York City, New York, United States
|
| Education | Bard College, Juilliard School |
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse(s) | Leigh Beery |
| Awards | EGOT |
Jonathan Tunick is an American musician known for his amazing work as an orchestrator, musical director, and composer. An orchestrator decides which instruments will play which parts of a song. He is especially famous for working on the musicals of Stephen Sondheim, a very well-known composer. Their partnership began in 1970 with the musical Company and lasted until Sondheim's death in 2021.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Jonathan Tunick grew up in New York City. He went to Hunter College Elementary School and then to the LaGuardia Performing Arts High School. After high school, he continued his music education at two well-known schools: Bard College and the Juilliard School.
Music Career and Collaborations
Tunick's main instrument is the clarinet. He has spent a lot of his career working in theatre, especially on Broadway musicals. He is very closely linked with the musicals of Stephen Sondheim. Stephen Sondheim himself said that Tunick was special because of his musical talent, imagination, and his ability to create the right feeling for a play.
In 2008, Tunick had his own band called "Broadway Moonlighters." They performed with special guest Barbara Cook. The band also played at the famous Birdland jazz club in 2012.
Besides his theatre work, Tunick has also arranged music or conducted for many famous singers and musicians. These include Judy Collins, Kiri Te Kanawa, Itzhak Perlman, Plácido Domingo, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, and Bernadette Peters.
Awards and Special Recognition
Jonathan Tunick is one of only a few people who have won all four major American entertainment awards. These awards are the Emmy (for television), the Grammy (for music), the Oscar (for film), and the Tony (for Broadway theatre). Winning all four makes him an EGOT winner!
Here are some of his major awards:
- In 1978, he won an Oscar for his work on the film A Little Night Music. He won for Best Music, Original Song Score.
- In 1982, he won an Emmy for his work as a music director on the TV special Night of 100 Stars.
- In 1988, he won a Grammy Award for his arrangement of the song "No One Is Alone".
- In 1997, he won the very first Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for the musical Titanic. He won another Tony in 2024 for Merrily We Roll Along.
He has also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations four times. In 2009, he was welcomed into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for people who have made a big impact on American theatre.
Personal Life
Jonathan Tunick is married to actress Leigh Beery. She is also known as "Lee Beery." She appeared in the television soap opera Dark Shadows in 1971.
Selected Works in Theatre and Film
Jonathan Tunick has worked on many stage musicals and films throughout his career. He has been involved as an orchestrator, musical director, or composer.
Stage Musicals
He has orchestrated or supervised music for many famous Broadway shows. Some of these include:
- Company (1970)
- Follies (1971)
- A Little Night Music (1973)
- A Chorus Line (1975)
- Sweeney Todd (1979)
- Into the Woods (1987)
- Titanic (1997)
- A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (2013)
- Carousel (2018)
Film and Television
Tunick has also contributed to many movies and TV shows. His work includes:
- The Twelve Chairs (1970)
- Blazing Saddles (1974)
- Young Frankenstein (1974)
- A Little Night Music (1977) - for which he won an Oscar.
- Reds (1981)
- Murder, She Wrote (1984) - as a series composer.
- The Birdcage (1996)
- Sweeney Todd (2007) - the Tim Burton film.
- Into the Woods (2014)
- Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Images for kids
-
Tunick receiving Tony Award for Best Orchestrations 2024
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Tunick para niños
- List of music arrangers
