Cliff Eidelman

Born: December 5, 1964 in Los Angeles

Education: began studying violin at eight and soon took up guitar and piano, later joining a number of bands; pursued jazz guitar at the Guitar Institute of Technology and later graduated from USC with a degree in music composition

Career:  A veteran composer of orchestral scores, Eidelman made his entrée into the world of film composition at age 22 when director Monica Touber discovered an early symphonic ballet piece he’d written — she then commissioned his first score, for Magdalene (starring Nastassja Kinski). He’s since composed score for some 29 films and has also been highly active as a conductor.

Compositions include the intensely personal score to Triumph of the Spirit and scores for such dramatic films as Untamed Heart, Leap of Faith, and One True Thing, as well as epics like Star Trek VI-The Undiscovered Country. Recent film scores include The Lizzie McGuire Movie and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (to be released this year). In addition to Wedding in the Night Garden, Eidelman has pursued other projects aside from his film music career, notably his symphonic tone poem to Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Praise: “Cliff Eidelman is the best possible composer for the future: his style is rich in themes and remains orchestral; his ideas stay new and melodic and his attractive style will dazzle people to come.” — Jerry Goldsmith