FRESNO — Jeff Atmajian, an accomplished composer, arranger, orchestrator and conductor will be inducted into Fresno’s Valley Music Hall of Fame on September 16. The class of new inductees was recently announced. The official installation ceremony will be held at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater on the corner of Olive Avenue and Wishon Avenue in the Tower District in Fresno.
Atmajian was born in Fresno in 1960 to Ron and Donna Atmajian. He began private classical piano lessons at the age of 8, and at age of 15 he began additional private study of traditional jazz piano then later added studies in progressive (modern) jazz piano (3 teachers simultaneously). At the age of 14, he began composing when he gained an interest in popular music. In addition to studies in mathematics and computers, Jeff received a composition degree at California State University, Fresno (CSUF) in 1984. It was at this point that his love for symphonic and chamber music began to flourish, and he played piano for vocal groups and ballet classes, local theatre productions and the University Jazz Band. He was also highly involved in the music department at Northwest Church during these years.
Atmajian has expressed great appreciation for Central Valley, where his mother, sister Carrie, her husband and two nephews currently reside. He said, “I’m grateful for this wonderful city which I still consider home because I come back so often to see family and friends here. It’s a true honor to be celebrated by the very city that gave me the foundation which has led to my success.”
Atmajian studied mechanical engineering at CSUF. In 1984, he moved to Los Angeles after being accepted into the special studies for film music program at USC. After graduating he supported himself by working as a music copyist, arranging, playing for dance classes and two churches in Orange County.
In 1986, he met English orchestrator Christopher Palmer at a film scoring session in Los Angeles, and that began the start of what would be a dual life of living and working in Los Angeles and London.
Jeff has worked on over 200 films as orchestrator and often conducts as well. As an orchestrator, Jeff worked on nearly all of the films of directors Rob Reiner and M. Night Shyamalan. He has been involved with many other projects through which he has worked for Elmer Bernstein, Andre Previn, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Christopher Plummer, Jose Carreras, Lord Richard Attenborough, Al Pacino, Nora Ephron, Geena Davis, Barbra Streisand and other noted names in the classical and film world.
