Anthony R. Parnther

Anthony Parnther is an American conductor, bassoonist, and educator, prominently known for his work conducting and playing on critically acclaimed film scores.

In 2019 he was appointed music director and conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra in San Bernardino, California and concurrently serves as the music director of the Southeast Symphony in Los Angeles, California, a position he has held since 2010.

Early life and family Anthony Parnther was born in Norfolk, Virginia, to Samalauluoloitefu (née Paese), an economist and professor, and George Parnther, an engineer.

Around 1949, George Parnther emigrated to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica and enlisted in the U.S. Navy before serving in the Korean War. George eventually matriculated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with degrees in engineering and mathematics. Samalaulu (abbreviated) emigrated from Samoa in 1960 and studied economics at Columbia University. The Parnther family settled in Norfolk, Virginia in the late 1960s.

Anthony graduated from E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he played the cello, bassoon, and tuba in the instrumental music department.

Education Anthony attended East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. He studied conducting at Yale University and music performance at Northwestern University. At Yale University, he studied conducting with Lawrence Leighton Smith. and again in September 2023 at the BBC Proms.

Film scores Parnther is a conductor and bassoons of scoring sessions for motion picture, television, album, and video game scores with the Hollywood Studio Symphony.

He has led the recording sessions for such projects as Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Encanto, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Nope, League of Legends, Creed III, Devotion, Tenet, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, American Dad, Arcane, The Adam Project, Slumberland, Star Trek Beyond, The Way Back, Cheaper By The Dozen, Lost City, Little, The Hunt, Turning Red, Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Fargo, The Night Of, 4400, The Lamplighters League, Guild Wars, Oppenheimer, Zootopia 2, and many more.

Teaching Anthony directed the Symphonic Band and directed and designed for the Marching Buccaneers and the Men and Women's Basketball Pep Bands at East Tennessee State University from 2004 to 2007. He taught applied double reeds at Fullerton College from 2008 to 2010 and served as director of the YMP/YMCO program under the Department of Equity and Inclusion at University of California, Berkeley from 2010 to 2015. He was Artist-in-residence at the Oakwood School in North Hollywood from 2015 to 2017.

Collaborations He has collaborated with music composers such as Ludwig Göransson, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Danny Elfman, Michael Giacchino, John Powell, Germaine Franco, Simon Franglen, Pinar Toprak, John Paesano, Steve Jablonsky, Mark Mancina, Mark Mothersbaugh, Heitor Pereira, Henry Jackman, Dominic Lewis, Rob Simonsen, Marco Beltrami, Chanda Dancy, and Rupert Gregson-Williams.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Director (s) Composer (s) Notes 2015 Goosebumps Bassoon Rob Letterman Danny Elfman First collaboration with Elfman The Good Dinosaur Peter Sohn First collaboration with Danna 2016 X-Men: Apocalypse Bryan Singer John Ottman The Conjuring 2 James Wan Joseph Bishara Ghostbusters Paul Feig Theodore Shapiro Star Trek Beyond Justin Lin Michael Giacchino First collaboration with Giacchino Moana Mark Mancina First collaboration with Mancina Rogue One Gareth Edwards Michael Giacchino Second Collaboration with Giacchino2017 Lady Bird Greta Gerwig Jon Brion Ferdinand Carlos Saldanha John Powell First collaboration with Powell2018 BlacKkKlansman Spike Lee Terrence Blanchard First collaboration with Blanchard Under the Silver Lake David Robert Mitchell Disasterpeace The Nun Corin Hardy Abel Korzeniowski Aquaman James Wan Rupert Gregson-Williams2019 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part Mike Mitchell Mark Mothersbaugh First collaboration with Mothersbaugh Little Conductor Tina Gordon Germaine Franco First collaboration with Franco The Lion King Bassoon Jon Favreau Hans Zimmer First collaboration with Zimmer The Addams Family Second collaboration with Danna Doctor Sleep Mike Flanagan The Newton Brothers Togo Ericson Core Mark Isham First collaboration with Isham 2020 A Quiet Place Part II John Krasinski Marco Beltrami First collaboration with Beltrami Da 5 Bloods Spike Lee Terrence Blanchard Second collaboration with Blanchard Tenet Conductor Christopher Nolan Ludwig Göransson First Collaboration with Göransson Mulan Bassoon Niki Caro Harry Gregson-Williams Mank David Fincher The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run Tim Hill Hans Zimmer Second collaboration with Zimmer 2021 Coming 2 America Craig Brewer Jermaine Stegall The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It Michael Chaves Joseph Bishara Space Jam: A New Legacy Malcolm D. Lee Kris Bowers The Suicide Squad James Gunn John Murphy First collaboration with Murphy Venom: Let There Be Carnage Andy Serkis Marco Beltrami Second collaboration with Beltrami Ghostbusters: Afterlife Conductor / Bassoon Jason Reitman Rob Simonsen First collaboration with Simonsen Red Notice Bassoon Rawson Marshall Thurber Steve Jablonsky First collaboration with Jablonsky Encanto Conductor Germaine Franco Second collaboration with Franco 2022 iMordecai Musician Marvin Samel Matthew Kajcienski The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild Conductor John C. Donkin Batu Sener The Adam Project Shawn Levy Rob Simonsen Second collaboration with Simonsen. Turning Red Domee Shi Ludwig Göransson Second collaboration with Göransson The Lost City Aaron NeeAdam Nee Pinar Toprak First collaboration with Toprak The Bubble Orchestra Judd Apatow Full of Grace Fagot Roberto Bueso Vicente Ortiz Gimeno Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Bassoon Jeff Fowler Tom Holkenborg Lightyear Angus MacLane Michael Giacchino Third collaboration with Giacchino Minions: The Rise of Gru Kyle Balda Heitor Pereira First collaboration with Pereira Nope Conductor Jordan Peele Michael Abels DC League of Super-PetsBassoon Jared Stern Steve Jablonsky Second collaboration with Jablonsky Prey Dan Trachtenberg Sarah Schachner Bullet Train David Leitch Dominic Lewis First collaboration with Lewis Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Conductor Ryan Coogler Ludwig Göransson Third collaboration with Göransson Disenchanted Bassoon Adam Shankman Alan Menken Devotion Conductor J. D. Dillard Chanda Dancy Strange World Additional Conductor / Bassoon Don Hall Henry Jackman First collaboration with Jackman Violent Night Conductor Tommy Wirkola Dominic Lewis Second collaboration with Lewis Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Luke Cormican John Paesano First and second collaborations with Paesano Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again Matt Danner Avatar: The Way of Water James Cameron Simon Franglen First collaboration with Franglen Shotgun Wedding Jason Moore Pinar Toprak Second collaboration with Toprak 2023 Creed III Michael B. Jordan Joseph Shirley Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Bassoon Lorne Balfe The Super Mario Bros. Movie Brian Tyler Peter Pan & Wendy Conductor David Lowery Daniel Hart Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 James Gunn John Murphy Second collaboration with Murphy Shooting Stars Bassoon Chris Robinson Mark Isham Second collaboration with Isham Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Conductor Steven Caple Jr. Jongnic Bontemps Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Bassoon James Mangold John Williams First collaboration with Williams Oppenheimer Conductor Christopher Nolan Ludwig Göransson Fourth collaboration with Göransson Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie Cal Brunker Pinar Toprak Third collaboration with Toprak Under the Boardwalk Bassoon David Soren Quiz Lady Conductor Jessica Yu Nick Urata Wish Woodwinds Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever Conductor Luke Cormican John Paesano Third collaboration with Paesano Leave the World Behind Sam Esmail Mac Quayle 2024 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Bassoon Gil Kenan Dario Marianelli Despicable Me 4 Chris Renaud Heitor Pereira Second collaboration with Pereira Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Tim Burton Danny Elfman Second collaboration with Elfman Joker: Folie À Deux Todd Phillips Hildur Guðnadóttir Moana 2 Mark Mancina Second collaboration with Mancina Dear Santa Bobby Farrelly Rupert Gregson-Williams Second collaboration with Williams 2025 Love Hurts Conductor Jonathan Eusebio Dominic Lewis Third collaboration with Lewis The Day the Earth Blew Up Peter Browngardt Joshua Moshier Sinners Ryan Coogler Ludwig Göransson Fifth collaboration with Göransson Elio Rob Simonsen Third collaboration with Simonsen Smurfs Bassoon Chris Miller Henry Jackman Second collaboration with Jackman I Know What You Did Last Summer Conductor Jennifer Kaytin Robinson Chanda Dancy First and second collaborations with Dancy Swiped Rachel Lee Goldenberg Wicked: For Good Bass Vocals Jon M. Chu John Powell Second collaboration with Powell Zootopia 2 Bassoon Michael Giacchino Fourth collaboration with Giacchino Ella McCay Conductor James L. Brooks Hans Zimmer Third collaboration with Zimmer Avatar: Fire and Ash James Cameron Simon Franglen Second collaboration with Franglen 2026 People We Meet on Vacation Woodwinds Brett Haley Keegan DeWitt The Mandalorian and Grogu Conductor Jon Favreau Ludwig Göransson Sixth collaboraiton with Göransson Disclosure Day Bassoon Steven Spielberg John Williams Second collaboration with Williams Toy Story 5 Andrew Stanton Randy Newman Minions & Monsters Conductor Pierre Coffin John Powell Third collaboration with Powell Moana Bassoon Thomas Kail Mark Mancina Third collaboration with Mancina