Jonathan Bartz (LSM 2002-2003) is an award-winning composer based in Los Angeles.  A graduate of St. Olaf College (’08), Jonathan studied under Dr. Timothy Mahr and Dr. Justin Merritt where he received a Bachelor of Music in Composition.  He attended the European American Music Alliance in Paris and studied film scoring at the acclaimed University of Southern California.

Jonathan has penned five works for Wind Ensemble.  His original symphonic concert band piece “The Valley of the Dry Bones” received honorable mention in the 2008 ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Competition and was performed live at 2013 CBDNA National Conference by the St. Olaf Band.  His work, “Tall Tales: Pecos Bill”, commissioned by the Arkansas State University Wind Ensemble (dir. Dr. Timothy Oliver) was premiered at the 2010 CBDNA Southwestern Conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  His most recent work “Ride The Wind” was commissioned by Dr. Timothy Mahr and had its world premiere at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis in May of 2023.  For his work “Concertino for Bassoon, Piano and Three Strings”, Jonathan won the 2010 BCMCC (Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition) as well as the Soli fan Tutti Composition Competition in Darmstadt Germany.

A life-long fan of filmmaking, Jonathan has a passion for collaborating with new and burgeoning film, television and other media-makers.  Described as “uniquely talented,” (Guillermo Díaz, director)”  “kind, genuine, shockingly intuitive” (Adam Sass, author) and “the preeminent collaborator” (Rob Matthews, director) Jonathan brings a fresh and singularly crafted sound to each project.  Whether it’s screen or stage, humanity, craftsmanship, exploration and hot coffee are at the heart of Jonathan’s soul and sound.

Recently, Jonathan has enjoyed working on such iconic films as the recent Star Wars Trilogy (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, LucasFilm) and Marvel’s Avengers series (Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame).   Other recent credits include Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (James Mangold - LucasFilm), The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg, Amblin), Lego Star Wars animated television series (Ken Cunningham - Disney+), and The Orville (Seth MacFarlane - Fuzzy Door Productions). He has worked with directors and artists from Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams to Cheyenne Jackson and Mariah Carey.  His music has been heard, recorded, and performed across the United States from Carnegie Hall in New York City to the scoring stages of Los Angeles.