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	Orchestrator musical director composer
Spouse(s)	Leigh Beery
Awards	EGOT

Jonathan Tunick is a talented American musician. He is known for being an orchestrator, a musical director, and a composer. An orchestrator arranges music for different instruments in an orchestra. He is most famous for working on the musicals of Stephen Sondheim. Their work together began in 1970 with the musical Company and continued until Sondheim passed away in 2021.

Early Life and Learning

Jonathan Tunick grew up in New York City. He went to Hunter College Elementary School. He also attended the LaGuardia Performing Arts High School, which is a special school for arts. Later, he earned degrees from Bard College and the Juilliard School. These are both well-known schools for music and arts.

What Jonathan Tunick Does

Jonathan Tunick's main instrument is the clarinet. He has worked a lot in theatre, especially on musicals. He is very closely linked with the musicals created by Stephen Sondheim. Stephen Sondheim once said that Tunick is amazing because he understands music so well. He also has a great imagination and a special way of making music fit the mood of a play.

Tunick also had his own band called "Broadway Moonlighters." They performed with famous singers like Barbara Cook. He has also worked as an arranger or conductor for many other famous musicians. These include Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, and Plácido Domingo.

Awards and Special Honors

Jonathan Tunick has won all four of the biggest American entertainment awards. These are the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Winning all four makes him an EGOT winner, which is a very rare achievement!

• In 1978, he won an Oscar for his work on the film A Little Night Music. This was for the best original song score.
• In 1982, he won an Emmy for his work on a TV special called Night of 100 Stars.
• In 1988, he won a Grammy 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 has also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations four times. In 2009, Jonathan Tunick was added to the American Theatre Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for people who have made huge contributions to American theatre.

Jonathan Tunick's Family Life

Jonathan Tunick is married to an actress named Leigh Beery. She is also known as "Lee Beery." She appeared in a TV show called Dark Shadows in 1971.

Jonathan Tunick's Work in Theatre

Jonathan Tunick has worked on many stage productions. He has been an orchestrator or musical supervisor for a long list of musicals. Here are some of the famous ones:

Jonathan Tunick's Work in Movies and TV

Jonathan Tunick has also worked on many films and television shows. He has been a musical director, orchestrator, or composer for these projects.

• The Twelve Chairs (1970)
• Blazing Saddles (1974)
• Young Frankenstein (1974)
• A Little Night Music (1977)
• Endless Love (1981)
• Reds (1981)
• Murder, She Wrote (TV series, 1984)
• The Birdcage (1996)
• The Fantasticks (2000)
• Sweeney Todd (Tim Burton film, 2007)
• Into the Woods (2014)
• Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Awards and Nominations

Jonathan Tunick has received many awards and nominations throughout his career.

Academy Awards

Drama Desk Awards

Grammy Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

Tony Awards

See also

In Spanish: Jonathan Tunick para niños