Rob Simonsen

Rob Simonsen is an American composer and conductor. He is best known for his scores in films such as 500 Days of Summer, The Age of Adaline (2015), Gifted (2017), The Only Living Boy in New York (2017), Tully (2018), Love, Simon (2018), The Front Runner (2018), The Way Back (2020), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), The Adam Project (2022), The Whale (2022), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), It Ends with Us (2024) and Elio (2025), and the television series Life in Pieces (2015–2019). He is also known for collaborating with directors Marc Webb, Julia Hart, Jason Reitman, Shawn Levy, Darren Aronofsky, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.

Early life Simonsen began playing the piano by ear at an early age. His grandmother was a voice teacher and music was around him in his family home. He later studied music at Southern Oregon University, the University of Oregon and Portland State University.

Career Rob's first break into film composing was the independent feature Westender in 2003. In 2004 he teamed up with composer Mychael Danna and has provided additional music and arrangements on Surf's Up, Fracture, Moneyball, and the Oscar-winning Life of Pi. Simonsen and Danna co-wrote the score of (500) Days of Summer, and Joss Whedon's television series Dollhouse. Also among Simonsen's work includes the Sundance Film Festival features The Way, Way Back and The Spectacular Now, The Age of Adaline, Love, Simon, The Way Back, and Stargirl.

In 2009 he opened his own studio, and The Hollywood Reporter named him one of the "15 Composers Primed to Take Their Place on the A List."

Simonsen's music can be heard in nearly all iPhone 5 ads, and he appears in them as the conductor. "Red", one of his tracks for iPhone 5, has gained wide recognition. His music was featured in Coca-Cola's 2018 Super Bowl TV spot, "The Wonder of Us".

On September 6, 2019, Simonsen released his first solo album, Rêveries, on Sony Masterworks.

Awards World Soundtrack Award (nomination): Discovery of the Year for The Spectacular Now, The Way, Way Back (2013) International Film Music Critics Award (nomination): Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film for Nerve (2016) Hollywood Music in Media Award (nomination): Best Original Score in an Independent Film for The Whale (2022) Indiana Film Journalists Award (nomination): Best Musical Score for The Whale (2022)

Filmography Films Year Title Director(s) Studio(s) Notes 2003 Westender Brock Morse M.O.B Productions 2004 Two Fisted Todd E. Freeman York Entertainment 2005 Eve and the Fire Horse Julia Kwan Mongrel Media Composed with Mychael Danna 2006 Lonely Hearts Todd Robinson Roadside AttractionsSamuel Goldwyn Films Additional musicScore by Mychael Danna 2007 Surf's Up Ash BrannonChris Buck Sony Pictures ReleasingColumbia Pictures 2008 Stone of Destiny Charles Martin Smith Alliance Films Additional music Management Stephen Belber Samuel Goldwyn Films Co-composed with Mychael Danna 2009 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Terry Gilliam Lionsgate UK Additional musicScore by Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna (500) Days of Summer Marc Webb Fox Searchlight Pictures Co-composed with Mychael Danna 2010 All Good Things Andrew Jarecki Magnolia Pictures 2011 The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best Ryan O'Nan Oscilloscope Moneyball Bennett Miller Sony Pictures ReleasingColumbia Pictures Additional musicScore by Mychael Danna 2012 The English Teacher Craig Zisk Cinedigm Entertainment LOL Lisa Azuelos Lionsgate The Final Member Zach MathJonah Bekhor Drafthouse Films Documentary Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Lorene Scafaria Focus Features Composed with Jonathan Sadoff Girl Most Likely Shari Springer BermanRobert Pulcini LionsgateRoadside Attractions Life of Pi Ang Lee 20th Century Fox Additional musicScore by Mychael Danna 2013 The Spectacular Now James Ponsoldt A24 The Way, Way Back Nat FaxonJim Rash Fox Searchlight Pictures 2014 Wish I Was Here Zach Braff Focus Features Chu and Blossom Charles ChuGavin Kelly TideRock MediaCharacter BrigadeFilms 5 ProductionsSoaring Flight ProductionsBaked Industries Foxcatcher Bennett Miller Sony Pictures Classics Additional music by Mychael Danna and West Dylan Thordson 2015 The Age of Adaline Lee Toland Krieger Lionsgate Additional music by Duncan Blickenstaff Burnt John Wells The Weinstein Company Stonewall Roland Emmerich Roadside Attractions Replaced Harald Kloser and Thomas Wander 2016 Nerve Henry JoostAriel Schulman Lionsgate Viral Dimension FilmsRADiUS-TWC Miss Stevens Julia Hart The Orchard Two Is a Family Hugo Gélin Mars Films The Cleanse Bobby Miller Vertical Entertainment Composed with Eskmo 2017 Going in Style Zach Braff Warner Bros. PicturesNew Line Cinema Gifted Marc Webb Fox Searchlight Pictures Additional music by Duncan Blickenstaff The House of Tomorrow Peter Livolsi Shout! Studios The Only Living Boy in New York Marc Webb Roadside AttractionsAmazon Studios Additional music by Duncan Blickenstaff The Upside Neil Burger STXfilmsLantern Entertainment Father Figures Lawrence Sher Warner Bros. Pictures Additional music by Duncan Blickenstaff 2018 Love, Simon Greg Berlanti 20th Century Fox Tully Jason Reitman Focus Features The Front Runner Sony Pictures ReleasingColumbia PicturesStage 6 Films 2019 Captive State Rupert Wyatt Focus Features Fast Color Julia Hart LionsgateCodeblack Films Our Friend Gabriela Cowperthwaite Gravitas Ventures 2020 The Way Back Gavin O'Connor Warner Bros. Pictures Stargirl Julia Hart Disney+Walt Disney Pictures 2021 Ghostbusters: Afterlife Jason Reitman Sony Pictures ReleasingColumbia Pictures Additional music by Duncan Blickenstaff 2022 The Adam Project Shawn Levy Netflix Additional music by Taylor Lipari-Hassett Hollywood Stargirl Julia Hart Walt Disney PicturesDisney+ Composed with Duncan Blickenstaff The Whale Darren Aronofsky A24 2023 Good Grief Dan Levy Netflix 2024 Deadpool & Wolverine Shawn Levy Marvel Studios Additional music by Taylor Lipari-Hassett It Ends with Us Justin Baldoni Sony Pictures ReleasingColumbia Pictures Replaced Brian TylerComposed with Duncan Blickenstaff 2025 Elio Madeline SharafianDomee ShiAdrian Molina Walt Disney Studios Additional music by Duncan Blickenstaff and Taylor Lipari-Hassett First score for an animated film Caught Stealing Darren Aronofsky Sony Pictures ReleasingColumbia Pictures Composed with the Idles

Television Year Title Creator(s) Studio(s) Notes 2009 Dollhouse Joss Whedon Fox 2 seasonsComposed with Mychael Danna 2010 Blue Bloods Robin GreenMitchell Burgess CBS Theme music composerScore by Mark Snow 2012 Battleground J. D. Walsh Hulu Season 1 2015 Life in Pieces Justin Adler CBS 2 seasons 2022 Stranger Things The Duffer Brothers Netflix Orchestral arrangementsScore by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein

Discography Studio albums

Rêveries (2019)