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Itamar Ben Zimra is a composer, arranger and a performing clarinetist in variety of styles.

His background in jazz and improvised music gives a spontaneous and fresh touch to his compositions and makes him a colorful storyteller with music.

He most recently wrote the score to "Tom & Jerry in New-York" by Warner Bros. Animation and his previous film scores were featured at Oscar qualifying festivals St. Louis, Cinequest, and Hollyshorts Film Festival as well as Burbank Film Festival, PTFF, Beaufort, and more worldwide.

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Influenced by the classical film composers that defined the cinematic musical language using the orchestra, Itamar was awarded the Georges Delerue award in 2017 by the Delerue fund for his composition skills and demonstrating the master composer’s picturesque ability of storytelling with music. Among his credits are the feature documentary "Unique" by Nachum Mochiach, short film "Now You See US" by Romina Schwedler and “Honor Among Thieves” among many other animation projects and short films. Itamar's composition and orchestration of a symphonic arrangement to "Shibolet Basade", commissioned by Carnegie Hall, was premiered in May 2023 at the main Stern/Perlman hall. He was also the arranger for the Israeli theater academy awards ceremony (2012) and served as an arranger and clarinetist at a military orchestra.

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As a clarinetist for 20 years, he has performed with jazz giants such as Phil Woods, Anat Cohen, Damian Draghici, and Tigran Hamasyan, as well as Yoni Rechter, one of Israel's main cultural assets and song writers. He has recorded clarinet for many film scores like the Hulu series "We Were The Lucky Ones" by Academy award winner composer Rachel Portman and Emmy nominated composer John Ehrlich, as well as works by composers such as Zach Robinson, Aska Matsumiya, Amit Cohen, Etiene Monsaingeon, Haim Mazar. He also worked with pop producer Leroy Clampitt (Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Madison Beer) and recorded as a soloist on the album "Rae" by Ashe (known for the song "Moral of the Story" and collaborating with Finneas)

 

The magic created when a group of musicians are sitting in a room together, sharing ideas and communicating in the most universal language we have, has always been an inspiration and keeps Itamar on the search for more ways of expression, as a performer, recording clarinetist and composer.

 

Itamar received a full scholarship to Berklee college of music and graduated with a degree in film scoring, after which he relocated to Los Angeles and worked as a composer, session clarinetist and music editor.

 

Mentored by clarinetists Eva Wasserman-Margolis who gave him his classical foundation, and by Albert Piamenta, who taught him the language of improvisation, Itamar understood the power of expression through the instrument. Born to an artistic family, a photographer and theater director mother, a graphic designer father and a filmmaker sister, Itamar developed passion for storytelling and cinema. The worlds have combined and merged in the field of music for films.

 

A guideline that led Itamar’s perception of music is a quote by one of his favorite authors:

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent” - Victor Hugo.