Aaron Zigman

Aaron Zigman is a prolific American composer, producer, and songwriter born on January 6, 1963, in San Diego, California. A classically trained pianist since age five, he studied orchestration under his cousin George Bassman and eventually transitioned from a successful career as a studio musician and pop songwriter—working with legends like Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, and Christina Aguilera—into film scoring. He achieved major cinematic success with the award-winning score for The Notebook (2004) and has since composed for over 70 films, including Bridge to Terabithia (2007), Sex and the City (2008), and The Proposal (2009). Beyond Hollywood, Zigman is highly active in the classical world, recently gaining critical acclaim for his Pulitzer-finalist piano concerto, Tango Manos, and his oratorio, Émigré, which premiered in Shanghai in 2023.