Dave Metzger is a composer, arranger, and orchestrator with a long track record of success. Among his strengths are his versatility, his exquisite attention to detail, and his ultimate dedication to being a “team player”. He's as at home composing broad lyrical music for a 100 piece symphony orchestra as he is laying down synth grooves for contemporary urban tracks. In addition, he has earned a reputation in the industry for his craftsmanship and efficiency. He orchestrates all of his own scores, and was the sole orchestrator on films such as Training Day, August Rush, Tarzan, Shooter, Brother Bear, and others, for which he also contributed additional compositions. Dave has also worked on Broadway, receiving a Tony award nomination for his orchestration of Disney’s “The Lion King.”

Dave grew up in Corvallis, Oregon and began composing music in the 7th grade for his school choirs and jazz band. He received his degree in music from California State University at Long Beach, and did graduate work at UCLA. During this period he got his start in commercial music by working on promotional videos and the Ice Capades, as well as arranging for legendary jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. In 1992 he began a five year stint as an arranger for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” during which time he contributed over 200 arrangements and compositions to the show.

In 1997 Dave developed a close working relationship with Grammy award-winning film composer Mark Mancina, and has orchestrated all of Mancina’s projects ever since. Through his work with Mancina and Disney studios, among others, he has had the pleasure of arranging music for artists such as Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, John Legend, and more. 

Dave’s client list began expanding in 2008, and he now also regularly orchestrates for film composers John Powell and Alan Silvestri, as well as the occasional project for Hans Zimmer. Dave has always had a deep interest in music technology, and his state-of-the-art studio allows him to create high quality demos for directors and producers, as well as final recordings for lower budget projects.

Dave was recently interviewed for the film music blog “The Music Behind the Screen”, where he answered many commonly asked questions regarding film orchestration in todays world. If you are interested in checking it out, please click here.