Jeff Rona

Biography

Culver City, California-born Rona is a contemporary film composer, recording artist, and performer. The son of European immigrants, he studied music, art and photography, but left school to pursue music as his life’s work. Early on he composed for dance, theater, galleries and contemporary concert venues around the world using both traditional musicians and cutting-edge digital technologies. Eventually he became an in-demand studio musician, arranger, ethnic woodwind player, sound designer, synthesist and music programmer in Los Angeles & New York.

He worked on numerous films & records before landing his first solo composing project, scoring the acclaimed television series Homicide: Life On The Street for director Barry Levinson. Since then he has scored a number of other films and television projects with directors such as Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Wong Kar-wai, Robert Altman, Steven Soderbergh, Mark Pellington, Stephen Hopkins, Jonathan Demme, Frank Darabont and many others. His projects have received numerous awards including Oscar, Peabody & Emmy awards, and countless film festival awards around the world. He is a two time recipient of the ASCAP film and television music award. He was commissioned to compose a concert for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which toured China.

Among his album projects, Rona recorded and performed as a member of Jon Hassell’s highly regarded group, during which he co-composed and produced the acclaimed City-Works Of Fiction record for Opal Records (now on Rykodisc). The group toured and performed with legendary producer/composer Brian Eno. Rona has performed with the Eastern fusion ensemble Axiom of Choice, and appears on their Narada records. His music is on the Transplanet series on Triloka Records, the electronica compilation "Leaves From The Tree", and "Elysium For the Brave" (by Persian singer Azam Ali).

Rona has been chronicling his experiences in the film music world over the past several years in his column in Keyboard Magazine's "The Reel World". The column, which is also the basis of his major book on film music, is read worldwide.

Film and game scores

Television shows

Interviews