Biography

In his thirty-year career David Newman has scored more than 110 films, including War of the Roses, Matilda, Bowfinger, Heathers, and, more recently, Five Flights Up and Serenity. His music has brought to life the dramas Brokedown Palace and Hoffa; comedies Galaxy Quest and Throw Mama from the Train; and the animated films Ice Age, The Brave Little Toaster, and Anastasia, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

Mr. Newman is also a sought-after conductor and appears with leading orchestras throughout the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut leading Elia Kazan's film On the Waterfront, with music by Leonard Bernstein, in January 2017. In fall 2017, Mr. Newman conducted the world premiere with live orchestra of John Williams's film series, Star Wars—  Episodes IV, V, VI, and VII, with the New York Philharmonic.

The son of nine-time Oscar-winning composer Alfred Newman and an active composer for the concert hall, Mr. Newman was the first composer to have a piece—1001Nights—performed in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s FILMHARMONIC series, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. His works have been performed by the Indianapolis Symphony and Long Beach Symphony, and at the Ravinia Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival. He also composed a suite for violin and orchestra for Sarah Chang based on songs from West Side Story. Mr. Newman serves on the Board of the American Youth Symphony, a pre-professional orchestra based in Los Angeles, and in 2010 he served on the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival in the Film Scoring Program.

David Newman is married to wife Krystyna, and is the father of two girls.

(January 2018)