David Benoit

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David Benoit, Mar 16, 2007

David Benoit (born May 9, 1953 in Bakersfield , California ) is an American jazz pianist, composer and conductor.

Live and act

Benoit was a piano student of Marya Cressy Wright and Abraham Fraser . He studied music theory and composition at El Camino College and orchestration with Donald Nelligan . He later attended a film music class at the University of California with Donald Ray . He began his training as a conductor with Heiichiro Ohyama , continued it with Jan Robertson and currently with Jeffrey Schindler .

He began his musical career in 1976 as musical director and conductor for Lainie Kazan , and later for Ann Margaret and Connie Stevens . He was a member of the Rippingtons , released more than twenty jazz albums, many of them involving symphony orchestras, and was nominated five times for a Grammy .

He has also performed classical works by Leonard Bernstein , Aaron Copland , Igor Stravinsky , Camille Saint-Saëns , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Francis Poulenc , Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and others with orchestras such as the Los Angeles and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras and the Dresden Philharmonic on, played works by Claude Bolling and performed a suite for guitar and piano with Angelo Romero on the founding anniversary of the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra .

His symphonic poem Kobe was performed by the Philippine Symphony Orchestra in 2001 and by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra under Kent Nagano in 2003 . His piano concerto The Centaur and the Sphinx was completed in 2004. He also composed the musical Something’s Got to Give about the life of Marilyn Monroe , film music for The Whimsical Mr. Cox (produced by Clint Eastwood ) and The Christmas Tree (produced by Sally Field ) and the music for the soap operas All My Children and Sisters .

Discography

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personal data
SURNAME Benoit, David
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz pianist, composer and conductor
DATE OF BIRTH May 9, 1953
PLACE OF BIRTH Bakersfield , California