About this Artist

 Arranger-conductor DAVID CAMPBELL has guest-conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dallas, Melbourne, and Baltimore Symphony orchestras, Tokyo and Queensland Philharmonic orchestras, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Olympic Games. He conducted the orchestra at Hollywood Bowl for shows by The xx, Sheryl Crow, Death Cab for Cutie, Faith Hill, Ray LaMontagne, Willie Nelson, and Beck.

His arrangement work appears on more than 425 gold or platinum albums, including 23 Grammy Albums of the Year (nominees and winners). His film work has earned him two Oscar nominations and two Oscar Awards for music. 

Campbell grew up in Seattle, studying violin, viola, piano, orchestration, and conducting from an early age. After studying with iconic viola virtuoso William Primrose, he attended Manhattan School of Music and played several seasons with the American Symphony at Carnegie Hall under Leopold Stokowski. In his early days as a studio musician in L.A., he was fortunate to play on historic sessions such as Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me,” and Carole King’s “Tapestry.”

As an arranger, Campbell began a string of successes from the ’70s that has continued to the present day, with albums and songs including “Your Smiling Face” (James Taylor), “The Pretender” (Jackson Browne), “The Rose” (Bette Midler), “Don’t Know Much” (Linda Ronstadt), The Future (Leonard Cohen), “Iris” (Goo Goo Dolls), “Uninvited” (Alanis Morissette), “Good Riddance [Time of Your Life]” (Green Day), “Tal Vez” (Ricky Martin), “Jaded” (Aerosmith), Under My Skin (Avril Lavigne), “100 Years” (Five for Fighting), “Bring Me to Life” (Evanescence), “I Hope You Dance” (Lee Ann Womack), “Not Ready to Make Nice” (Dixie Chicks), “Breaking the Habit” (Linkin Park), Sea Change and Morning Phase (Beck), “Listen” (Beyoncé), “My Wish” (Rascal Flatts), “Because of You” (Kelly Clarkson),“Wrecking Ball” (Miley Cyrus), Red (Taylor Swift), All that Echoes (Josh Groban), and 21 (Adele) – as well as recent No. 1s  from P!nk (Beautiful Trauma) and Beck (Colors).

In 2010, he wrote the incidental music, arrangements, and orchestrations for the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which ran on Broadway for 3 years. Directed by Julie Taymor, it featured songs by Bono and The Edge.  

Recent film scores composed by Campbell include David O. Russell’s Joy (2015), Colombia: Magia Salvaje (2015), and In Search of Fellini (2017). In 2016, he co-composed and arranged Rules of the Game, a full-length ballet by Pharrell Williams, premiered by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, with Campbell conducting.

He arranged and conducted the scores for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Oliver Stone’s W, August: Osage County, Foxcatcher, Dead Man Walking, the Oscar-winning score for Brokeback Mountain, the Oscar-nominated songs from Pearl Harbor and Dreamgirls, and the Oscar-winning song “You’ll Be in My Heart” from Tarzan. He was the conductor/arranger for the movie musicals Dreamgirls, Rent, Rock of Ages, and Annie.

The official song of the London Olympics, “Survival,” featured a collaborative choir arrangement by Muse and Campbell. In 2013, he co-arranged and conducted the 167-member orchestra for Beck’s “Sound & Vision” 360-degree video project.