James Newton Howard

James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American composer, conductor, and music producer. He has scored more than 100 films and has received a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine Academy Award nominations. Howard began studying music at a young age and later attended the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, before majoring in piano performance at the University of Southern California. After leaving college, he performed as a keyboardist with Elton John and Toto during the late 1970s and early 1980s.