David Metzger
American composer, arranger, and orchestrator (born 1960)
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David Metzger (born December 12, 1960) is an American composer, conductor, arranger, and orchestrator who has worked on many Disney Animation films, including Wish, Frozen, Frozen 2, Moana, Planes, Wreck-It Ralph, Tarzan, Brother Bear, and Mufasa: The Lion King.[1][2][3][4] In addition to his work for Disney, he has done orchestrations for over 50 major films, composed the musical scores for Tarzan 2, Brother Bear 2, and Tarzan & Jane,[2][3] and has numerous video game, theme park, television, and commercial credits, as well as co-arranging and orchestrating "When You Wish Upon a Star" for the 2006 Walt Disney Pictures logo with Mark Mancina, and co-composing the 2013 DisneyToon Studios logo with Mancina. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his producing work on Frozen 2.[citation needed]
David Metzger | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1960 Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. |
| Occupations | Film score composer, arranger, and orchestrator |
Metzger received a Tony and a Drama Desk nomination in 1998 for his orchestration of Broadway musical The Lion King.[citation needed] He won a DVDX award for best original score in a DVD premiere movie for Tarzan 2 in 2006.
He has orchestrated the Broadway musical Frozen[5] and is also orchestrating the musical August Rush.[6]
Career
Metzger was the arranger for jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in the late 1980s.[7] From 1992 to 1997, he was the arranger for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Metzger was a longtime collaborator with film composer Mark Mancina.[8] Beginning in 2008 he has also worked with other notable Hollywood and Broadway composers including Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, Alan Menken, John Powell, Alan Silvestri, Christophe Beck, and others.[9][10][11]
Personal life
Metzger grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from California State University, Long Beach.[12][13] He also did graduate work at UCLA. He began composing for choir and jazz band in junior high school. In his young adult years, he wrote many jazz band charts that are still played today.
Metzger currently lives in Oregon with his wife. He has two grown sons.
Discography
Film orchestrations
1990s
| Year | Title | Studio(s) | Composer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Lion King | Walt Disney Pictures | Hans Zimmer | |
| 1997 | Speed 2: Cruise Control | 20th Century Fox | Mark Mancina | |
| 1998 | Armageddon | Touchstone | Trevor Rabin | |
| Return to Paradise | Universal Pictures | Mark Mancina | ||
| 1999 | Tarzan | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Mark Mancina |
2000s
2010s
2020s
| Year | Title | Studio(s) | Composer(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile | Columbia Pictures Sony Pictures Releasing |
Matthew Margeson Benj Pasek and Justin Paul |
Song Arranger, Producer, and Orchestrator of "Take A Look At Us Now" |
| Spirited | Apple TV+ Apple Studios |
Dominic Lewis Benj Pasek and Justin Paul |
Song Arranger, Producer, and Orchestrator of all songs | |
| Disenchanted | Walt Disney Pictures | Alan Menken | Song Arranger and Orchestrator of all songs | |
| 2024 | Spellbound | Skydance Animation Netflix |
Song Orchestrator | |
| 2025 | Snow White | Walt Disney Pictures | Benj Pasek and Justin Paul | Song Arranger, Producer and Orchestrator of new songs |
| How to Train Your Dragon | Universal Pictures DreamWorks Animation |
John Powell | Legacy Orchestrator |
Broadway orchestrations
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Lion King | Nominated for Tony Award for Best Orchestrations Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Orchestrations |
| 2016 | Up Here | La Jolla Playhouse |
| 2018 | Frozen | |
| August Rush | Upcoming |
Film and TV composer
| Years | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992–1997 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | TV, NBC 23 episodes |
| 1998–2000 | The Magnificent Seven | TV, CBS 12 episodes |
| 2001–2003 | The Legend of Tarzan | TV, Disney 9 episodes |
| 2002 | Tarzan & Jane | Disney DVDX Nomination for Best Original Score in a DVD Premiere Movie Co-composed with Patrick Griffin and Don L. Harper |
| 2005 | Blood+ | Aniplex, Production I.G. Co-composed with Mark Mancina |
| Tarzan II | Disney DVDX Winner for Best Original Score in a DVD Premiere Movie Co-composed with Mark Mancina | |
| 2006 | Brother Bear 2 | Disney |
| 2023 | Once Upon a Studio | |
| Wish | ||
| 2024 | Mufasa: The Lion King |
Video games
- You Don't Know Jack (1999).
- Sorcery (2012). Arranger, additional music. Sony Computer Entertainment
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009). Additional music, 3 levels. Activision
Miscellaneous
Disney Castle Logo. Orchestrator and Arranger. Disney, 2006.
