Dimitri Tiomkin Composer, It’s a Wnderful Life Composer Dimitri Zinovich Tiomkin was born in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, in 1894. His mother, Marie (née Tartakovsky), was a music teacher and his father, Zinovie, a physician. As a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Dimitri excelled as a solo pianist under the tutelage of Felix Blumenfeld and Isabelle Vengerova, and also studied with composer Alexander Glazunov, the conservatory’s director. Tiomkin’s professional debut in film music came in St. Petersburg’s cinemas, where he accompanied Russian and French silent films. He also provided piano accompaniment for the ballerina Thamar Karsavina on tours of army posts and improvised on the piano during performances by comedian Max Linder. In 1931, Tiomkin was hired by Universal Studios to score the Russian-themed Resurrection, his first effort at a non-musical film, but it was Paramount’s Alice in Wonderland that offered Tiomkin his first chance at composing and arranging the underscore and songs for a major motion picture. Film music assignments continued sporadically until he met director Frank Capra. The two first worked together on Lost Horizon (1937). That score helped make Tiomkin’s reputation as a creator of music on a grand scale, with the score nominated for an Academy Award. The Capra-Tiomkin partnership continued with You Can’t Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), and It’s a Wonderful Life (1947). He died in 1979.
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CineConcerts is one of the leading producers of live music experiences performed with visual media, and is continuously working to redefine live entertainment in the 21st century. Founded by Justin Freer and Brady Beaubien, CineConcerts has engaged over 1.3 million people worldwide in concert presentations involving over 900 performances in 48 countries — performed and presented in collaboration with some of the best orchestras and venues in the world, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic and Philhamonica, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and many more. Recent and current live concert experiences include: Rudy in Concert, The Harry Potter Film Concert Series, Gladiator Live, The Godfather Live, It’s a Wonderful Life in Concert, DreamWorks Animation In Concert, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert Tour, Breakfast at Tiffany’s in Concert, and A Christmas Dream Live. Justin Freer, President, Founder, and Producer Brady Beaubien, Co-Founder and Producer Jeffery Sells, Managing Director Andrew Alderete, Head of Publicity and Communications Mike Ranger, Director of Visual Media Ma’ayan Kaplan, Special Products Director Brittany Fonseca, Senior Marketing Manager Si Peng, Senior Social Media Manager Gabe Cheng, Project Manager Worldwide Representation: WME Entertainment Music Preparation: JoAnn Kane Music Service Music Editing: Ed Kalnins Playback Operation and Synthesizer Production: iMusicImage Sound Remixing: Justin Moshkevich, Igloo Music Studios Merchandise: Firebrand
It’s A Wonderful Life
The Cleveland Orchestra