Podcast - David Benoit

David Fogel Interviews Multi-GRAMMY® Nominee Composer/Pianist David Benoit

GRAMMY®-nominated pianist/composer/arranger David Benoit’s career as a contemporary jazz pianist began in 1977 and includes 41 solo recordings over the past 40 years. Many of these, including his 1987 GRP Records debut “Freedom at Midnight” and its Grammy-nominated 1988 follow-up “Every Step Of The Way,” are considered influential classics in the genre. Among his other Grammy nominations are those for Best Instrumental Composition (for “Dad’s Room” and 1999’s Professional Dreamer), Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance (GRP All-Star Big Band). David’s latest release, Timeless (2024), was his first all big band recording featuring the London-based Spice Fusion big band. 

Benoit has also been a popular film and television composer. His most notable film scores are The Stars Fell on Henrietta, produced by Clint Eastwood and starring Robert Duvall; and The Christmas Tree, produced by Sally Field, voted Best Score of 1996 by Film Score Magazine. His association with Charles Schulz and the famed Peanuts realm led to over 10 years composing music for the Peanuts TV specials on CBS. In addition, he has written themes for the long-running soap opera All My Children (ABC) and Sisters (NBC) and scored the “Movies of the Week” Final Descent (with the late Robert Urich) and Cadillac Jack (Starring Clint Black). In collaboration with lyricist Mark Winkler, David completed his first Broadway musical, Something’s Got To Give, about the life and times of Marilyn Monroe.

He has served as conductor with a wide range of symphonies including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, London Symphony, Nuremberg Symphony, Philippine Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, New World Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony “Pops” Orchestra and of course, theAsia America Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. Piano performances have included Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute & Jazz Piano, Suite for Cello & Piano, Concerto for Guitar & Jazz Piano Trio with Angel Romero, guest soloist with Lalo Schifrin and his orchestra and as a tribute to Charles M. Schultz, performed the Peanuts Piano Concerto and the music of Vince Guaraldi in conjunction with his recording of Here’s To You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years

A long-time guest educator with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, he received that organization’s Excellence in Music Award in 2001. He also studied music theory and composition, and later studied orchestration with Donald Nelligan at El Camino Junior College and film scoring from Donald Ray at UCLA. He studied conducting from Heiichiro Ohyama, assistant conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic, and furthered his musical education with Jan Robertson, head of the conducting department at UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara symphony orchestra music director Jeffrey Schindler.

A career highlight of Benoit’s was the opportunity to conduct a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with The Asia America Symphony and a 200-piece chorus at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2008. He will conduct the world premiere of his cello concerto Resonance & Renewal at SOKA University in Aliso Viejo, CA, on September 26, 2026, featuring Cecilia Tsan on cello. For ticket information see: https://www.performingarts.soka.edu/calendar-events/david-benoit-resonance-and-renewal-world-premiere.

Please enjoy this long-format conversation between David Fogel (CEO, The Symphonina Foundation) and David.