Life Member. Orchestrator
5/14/1928 – 2/18/2022
Robert G. (Bob) Bornstein, the legendary music arranger and orchestrator, died peacefully in his sleep at home with his wife and loving caregivers by his side on February 18, 2022, after living with dementia for seven years. Bob was renowned in the entertainment industry, having worked on more than 600 films, countless television shows and the Academy Awards for 32 years. He worked with some of the industry’s top composers including Bill Conti, James Horner, Danny Elfman, Marvin Hamlisch, Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini, Randy Newman, Nelson Riddle, John Williams and Hans Zimmer.
Born in New Jersey in 1928, Bob developed an early talent for playing the violin and was the youngest member of the New Jersey Youth Orchestra, and taught himself to orchestrate, transpose and arrange. The day after high school graduation he boarded a train for Los Angeles where he joined the L.A. musicians union, Local 47. He freelanced and played in orchestras in Los Angeles and Las Vegas and during this time, had the good fortune of meeting Jimmy Durante who was so impressed with his arrangements he hired him as chief arranger to work on all of his performances, television and his publishing.
In 1951, Bob was drafted into the army for the Korean War. He spent those four years as the Chief Arranger to the USMA Band while stationed at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, receiving a special commendation from commanding officer Lt. Col. Francis E. Resta.
After his military service, Bob returned to Los Angeles and developed a successful career as a music arranger in the entertainment industry. He supervised music preparation for Lorimar Television for 21 years and oversaw music preparation at Universal Studios for 25 years and Paramount Studios for 40 years. Bob authored the book “Range, Transposition & Tuning: A Guide for Over 500 Musical Instruments” (2015), considered the bible for music arranging.
Bob is survived by his wife of 35 years, Audrey Lowell Bornstein, his son David Bornstein and stepson Mark Copeland, daughter-in-law Stacey and grandsons Oliver, Samuel and Bennett Copeland.
