Justin Freer was born and raised in Huntington Beach, California. He began his formal studies on trumpet, but quickly turned to piano and composition, composing his first work at age 11 and giving his professional conducting debut at 16. Continually composing for various different mediums, he has written music for trumpeters Doc Severinsen and Jens Lindemann, and continues to be in demand as a composer and conductor.
Mr. Freer has composed for several independent films and has written motion picture advertising music for some of 20th Century Fox Studios’ biggest campaigns including Avatar, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Aliens in the Attic. As a conductor, he has appeared with the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and Philadelphia Orchestra. He is also one of the only conductors to have ever conducted in both the Colosseum and Circus Maximus in Rome. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in January 2015 with The Godfather.
Mr. Freer has been recognized with grants and awards from organizations including ASCAP, BMI, the Society of Composers and Lyricists, and the Henry Mancini Estate. He is the Founder and President of CineConcerts, a company dedicated to the preservation and concert presentation of film, curating and conducting hundreds of full length music score performances live with film, including Rudy, Gladiator, The Godfather, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, It’s A Wonderful Life, and the Harry Potter franchise.
Mr. Freer earned both his BA and MA in music composition from UCLA, where his principal composition teachers included Paul Chihara and Ian Krouse. In addition, he was mentored by legendary composer/conductor Jerry Goldsmith.