Quick Bio: Chicago born composer, arranger, pianist and vocalist Jonathan Shanes creates compelling musical content for feature films, television networks like Netflix and HBO, publishing companies like Sony Music Publishing and BMG and more.
Jonathan’s musical contributions can be heard with influential filmmakers like Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, artists like Billie Eilish (live @ The Grammy Awards) and Olivia Rodrigo (live @ The BRIT Awards), and cutting-edge music houses like Bleeding Fingers Music and Extreme Music.
Film and television featuring Jonathan’s original music include the Wachowskis’ Sense8 (Netflix), Gordon Ramsay’s Masterchef (FOX), Deadwood (HBO), Mars (Disney/National Geographic), Jett (Cinemax), Project Mc2 (Netflix), Leopard Skin (Carla Gugino), Breaking In (Gabrielle Union), Miles (Molly Shannon), Jungle (Daniel Radcliffe) and many more.
Jonathan is also composing for the new musical Rising In Love featured in The Emerging Artist’s Theatre’s New Work Series in New York City and The Cincinnati Fringe Festival.
Performance residencies have included Soho House in Malibu, The Drifter in Chicago, Chez Adel in Paris and more.
Extended Bio: Jonathan Levi Shanes was born at Michael Reese Hospital on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. He began his formal musical training at age seven with the piano, and two years later discovered his love for singing – at that moment setting his sights on joining the ranks of the professional musical arena. As the classical studies continued, from age nine to thirteen Jonathan studied and performed at Eileen Boevers’ Performing Arts Workshop at Apple Tree Theatre in Highland Park, IL. Concurrently, Jonathan was deeply involved in every aspect of the curricular and extra-curricular musical and theatrical activities available at Highland Park High School, as well as programs such as ISYM (Illinois Summer Youth Music at University of Illinois at Champaign, ’92), NHSMI (National High School Music Institute at Northwestern University, ’93), IMEA (Illinois Music Education Association, ’93, ’94, ’95), and more. In 1995 Jonathan graduated from Highland Park High School as an Illinois State Scholar.
In 1997 Chicago based band Family of Souls whisked him away from the music program at University of Illinois at Champaign, leading to a six year stint composing, producing and performing with the group, an adventure punctuated by many treasured highlights (spending a year living, recording, studying and performing in Paris, an extended live television performance on Chicago Bulls season opening night, thousands of live shows including Chicago’s legendary Metro, excellent reviews : “Family of Souls mix an early Stones groove with a Strokes or Hives like intensity…shift easily from reggae pop to soul ballad” – Richard Milne, WXRT Chicago).
After the group parted ways in 2003, Jonathan earned his B.A. in Composition with Honors from Columbia College of the Arts. During his studies, he took a year studying conflict resolution and gender studies at Göteborg University in Sweden while continuing session work, and recording an album with Swedish rock band “Supersloth.”
Since moving to Los Angeles, Jonathan has worked continuously as a composer, producer, arranger, orchestrator, programmer and performer.
Film and television projects include The Matrix Resurrections, Deadwood (HBO Original Series), the Wachowski’s Sense8 (Netflix Original Series), Breaking In (Gabrielle Union), Leopard Skin (Carla Gugino), Jett (Cinemax Original Series), 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, 2021 BRIT Awards, Jungle (Daniel Radcliffe), A Hologram for the King (Tom Hanks, Tom Tykwer), Killer Elite (Robert De Niro, Jason Statham, Clive Owen), The Darkness (Kevin Bacon), The International (Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Tom Tykwer), Miles (Molly Shannon), John From Cincinnati (HBO Original Series), Funny or Die Presents… (HBO Original Series), Drei (Tom Tykwer), Babylon Berlin (Tom Tykwer), Project Mc2 (Netflix Original Series), Affairs of State (Adrian Grenier), Tomorrow When The War Began (Stuart Beattie), Isolated Incident (Dane Cook), One Missed Call (Ed Burns), Because I Said So (Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore), The Two Mr. Kissels (John Stamos), Happiness Runs (Jesse Plemons), Blackout (Armie Hammer, Aidan Gillen), The Donner Party (Crispin Glover), Anamorph (Willem Dafoe), Frank TV (TBS Original Series) and more.
One of his many musical roles for The International included orchestrating the End Title co-composed by Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy.
As a composer with Bleeding Fingers Music, Jonathan crafted custom music for Gordon Ramsay’s Masterchef (FOX), Mars: One Day On The Red Planet (Disney/National Geographic), Lego Masters (FOX), Sharks of the Bermuda Triangle (National Geographic) and more.
Extreme Music houses a growing eclectic collection of Jonathan’s works available for licensing.
Other projects include producing legendary reggae artist Garth Dennis (Black Uhuru), recording with ska legends Save Ferris, producing prog-rock band With Our Arms To The Sun, composing for celebrated German children’s author Klaus Baumgart’s Lauras Stern music series, composing and producing the bilingual album Tocayo: Buena Gente, collaborations with music supervisor David Donohue, songwriter and vocalist Beth Hirsch, German singer and producer Nena, electronica producer iTOM LAB, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, iO West, the Nerdist, Daniel Pearl World Music Days, Los Angeles Irish Film Festival, and many, many more. Jonathan is an Apple Certified Logic Pro User.
Jonathan also served as editor and co-orchestrator for the live concert score to “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” (Tom Tykwer/Johnny Klimek/Reinhold Heil). Performances have included The Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, The Tenerife Film Orchestra and Choir, the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra and more.
Currently Jonathan is composing for the musical Rising In Love featured in The Emerging Artist’s Theatre’s New Work Series in New York City and The Cincinnati Fringe Festival.
Contact Jonathan HERE for more details today…
Film and TV Projects
Leopard Skin composer (2022)
The Matrix Resurrections music editor (2021)
2021 BRIT Awards Olivia Rodrigo – “Drivers License” harp arranger (2021)
2020 GRAMMY Awards Billie Eilish – “When The Party’s Over” choir orchestrator (2020)
Deadwood (HBO Original Series) composer: additional music / score arranger (2019)
Jett (Cinemax Original Series) composer: additional music / music programmer (2019)
Messiah (Netflix Original Series) score arranger (2019)
Breaking In songwriter and producer: “Sunday Morning” (2018)
Sense8 (Netflix Original Series) score arranger – 24 episodes / additional orchestrator – 24 episodes / composer: additional music – 2 episodes (2015-2018)
Extracurricular Activities composer (2018)
Affairs of State composer (2018)
My Daughter Was Stolen composer (2018)
Babylon Berlin (Netflix Original Series) score programmer – 16 episodes / additional orchestrator – 16 episodes (2017)
Jungle composer: additional music / score arranger / additional orchestrator (2017)
Miles composer / songwriter and performer: “Stop and Go” (2016)
A Hologram for the King additional score arranger / additional score programmer (2016)
The Darkness additional score arranger (2016)
Project Mc2 (Netflix Original Series) score arranger – 6 episodes / composer: additional music – 3 episodes (2016)
Lord of Shanghai composer: additional music / arranger / orchestrator (2016)
White Collar Stoners composer (2014)
Coveting Roses (short) composer (2012)
Killer Elite composer: additional music / music arranger / music programmer (2011)
Funny or Die Presents… (HBO Original Series) composer: additional music – 1 episode (2011)
Alien Exorcism composer: additional music / additional music arranger / additional music programmer (2011)
Tomorrow, When the War Began composer: additional music / music arranger / music programmer / orchestrator (2010)
Happiness Runs score arranger / score performer / score programmer (2010)
Devil’s Kickers composer:additional music / score arranger / score programmer (2010)
3 orchestrator / additional music arranger / music preparation (2010)
Stronger Than Blood additional score programmer (2010)
The Donner Party music programmer / additional music arranger (2009)
Dane Cook, 30 Premeditated Acts additional drum programming / sound recordist (2009)
The International synthesizer programmer / orchestrator / music preparation (2009)
Blood Moon Rising songwriter and producer: “Visions” (2009)
Frank TV (TBS Original Series) additional music programmer – 3 episodes (2008)
The Two Mr. Kissels composer: additional music / music arranger / music programmer (2008)
Blackout orchestrator / score arranger / score performer (2008)
One Missed Call orchestrator / score arranger / score performer (2008)
Highlights (short) composer (2008)
Copasetic (short) composer (2008)
John from Cincinnati (HBO Original Series) additional music programmer – 10 episodes (2007)
Anamorph music assistant (2007)
Because I Said So music preparation (2007)
With Bleeding Fingers Music
Masterchef composer: additional music (2021)
Masterchef Junior composer: additional music (2021)
Growing Up Animal composer: additional music (2021)
Mars: One Day On The Red Planet composer (2020)
Lego Masters composer: additional music (2020)
Sharks of the Bermuda Triangle composer: additional music (2020)
Additional Music Projects
Jonathan served as editor and co-orchestrator for the live concert score to “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” (Tom Tykwer/Johnny Klimek/Reinhold Heil). Performances have included The Tenerife Film Orchestra and Choir, the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra, The Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and more.
As well as producing, composing, and performing alongside these amazing artists:
- producing legendary reggae artist Garth Dennis (Black Uhuru/Wailing Souls)
- co-producing prog-rock band With Our Arms To The Sun
- co-producing rock artist TILLI
- recording with ska classics Save Ferris
- composing with electronica producer iTOM LAB
- orchestrating for German singer/producer Nena
- composing and producing the bilingual album Tocayo “Buena Gente”
- composing for celebrated German children’s author Klaus Baumgart’s “Lauras Stern” music series
- composing for Daniel Pearl World Music Days
- composing for the Los Angeles Irish Film Festival
- keyboardist at UCB (Upright Citizen’s Brigade)
- keyboardist at iO West
- keyboardist at the Nerdist
- as well as collaborations with author and music supervisor David Donohue, songwriter and vocalist Beth Hirsch, model and singer/songwriter Amanda Moore, and many, many more
