Nathan Wang is one of the most successful composers in Hollywood and Asian cinema. Prolific and versatile, he has written music for Jackie Chan movies, Steven Spielberg documentaries, animated cartoons, operas, musicals, symphonies, and more.

Wang’s musical journey began with classical music when he started playing piano at age 3 with his mother’s encouragement. His father soon introduced him to jazz artists, and he studied composition with famed composer Morten Lauridsen at the University of Southern California.

After graduating from Pomona College, Nathan received a Rotary Ambassadorial scholarship to pursue postgraduate work in England. Upon returning to the United States, he felt fortunate to collaborate with Hans Zimmer on the music for Steven Spielberg’s “The Last Days,” which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1999. He was also commissioned to write an opera for the Los Angeles Opera, spearheaded by Artistic Director Plácido Domingo in 2000. Nathan received an Emmy for “Best Arrangement of a Song” for the award-winning Showtime show called “Reefer Madness.” In 2011, he won another Emmy for the documentary film he wrote, “The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club.”

Nathan has also been heavily involved in the Chinese film industry, writing scores for various Jackie Chan movies: “Rumble in the Bronx,” “First Strike,” “Who Am I,” and “The Myth.” He has also worked with many other leading actors in Asia. He was asked to compose music for Wang Leehom’s movie “Love in Disguise,” Zhang Ziyi’s “Sophie’s Revenge,” and Aaron Kwok’s “Gen X Cops.” In addition, he was honored to write the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Music Festival.

In 2011, Nathan was invited by the Beijing DeTao Masters Academy to be a professor; he has given lectures, masterclasses, and interviews about film music that took place at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Watch & Listen

Nathan Wang's collaborating with Hans Zimmer on the music for Steven Spielberg’s “The Last Days,” which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1999.

Nathan received an Emmy for “Best Arrangement of a Song” for the award-winning Showtime show called “Reefer Madness.”

Nathan Wang has also been heavily involved in the Chinese film industry, writing scores for various Jackie Chan movies: “Rumble in the Bronx,” “First Strike,” “Who Am I,” and “The Myth.” He has also worked with many other leading actors in Asia. He was asked to compose music for Wang Leehom’s movie “Love in Disguise,” Zhang Ziyi’s “Sophie’s Revenge,” and Aaron Kwok’s “Gen X Cops.” In addition, he was honored to write the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Music Festival.

ISSUE 25 AVAILABLE

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