Rob Mathes

Rob Mathes (born September 10, 1970) is an American record producer, music arranger, composer, songwriter, and performer. He also writes bluesy spiritual-pop music.

Early life Mathes was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to classical musicians and music instructors Joan and George Mathes. The family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, where his parents taught music with the local schools and privately. Rob Mathes showed interest and skill in music at a very early age. In his youth, Mathes attended Berklee College of Music where he studied under John Mehegan, a jazz pianist who was a Juilliard faculty member at the time, and later he left Berklee College of Music to study orchestration and counterpoint, privately, under Myron Fink.

Early career By high school, Mathes was already working regularly as a professional writer and performer in the clubs of nearby New York City. He toured with Chuck Mangione in his early 20s. Mathes then began to focus on writing and arranging in Nashville, and soon was writing songs for Bonnie Raitt, Kathy Mattea, Aaron Neville, Wynonna Judd, Faith Hill, Oleta Adams, Alabama, and Randy Travis.

Producing Mathes works frequently as a record producer in a wide range of genres. He has produced the last three Sting albums: Symphonicities, Best of 25 Years, and The Last Ship. Mathes has also produced for many other artists, including Panic! at the Disco, The Young Veins, Beth Hart, Bettye LaVette, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Vanessa L. Williams, Michael Cavanaugh, and Melissa Errico.

Solo work Mathes has also released his own albums, including Evening Train (a cult favorite among artists such as Phil Ramone, Jimmy Webb and Warren Zevon), William the Angel (a Christmas album), Orchestral Songs, Rob Mathes: Beyond the Music (a live broadcast and accompanying sound track),

In 2012 Mathes arranged a cover of "Stairway to Heaven" for the Kennedy Center event honoring Led Zeppelin, with vocals by Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart, backed by an orchestra and two choirs, drummer Jason Bonham (son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham), and guitarist Shane Fontayne, a performance that garnered tears and a standing ovation from the surviving members of the band.

Mathes arranged Renée Fleming's 2014 Super Bowl performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner", recorded by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

He served as Musical Director and orchestrator for the Broadway production of The Last Ship.

He was nominated for a Tony Award for his orchestration work on the 2014 musical The Last Ship.