Jonathan Price

1. Jonathan Price Central Dewitt Hall of Fame Induction Class 2008

2. Inducted for Outstanding Contributions as a Distinguished Graduate of Central High School

3. Biography Jonathan Price is a 1986 graduate of Central High School.  Jonathan participated in athletics and fine arts during high school.  He participated in 2 years of FB, 4 years of TR, and 3 years of CC.  He was involved in Band, Jazz Band, Variety Shows, Choir, Chamber singers, and musicals throughout his high school career including writing, producing, and acting in his own play his Senior year.

4. Article from the Observer Jonathan Price probably accomplished enough while attending Central schools to earn himself a place as a distinguished graduate, even if he hadn’t gone on to do much more. After all, he participated in football, track, cross country, vocal music, instrumental music and drama. He won the Bill Riley talent show at the Iowa State Fair two years in a row, and he wrote and acted in his own three-act play his senior year of high school. But Price did go on to do more. After racking up more honors and achievements in drama and music at the University of Iowa, he began a career composing music for the screen and stage that led him to California, where he now lives and works. His music has been heard on television shows on the Disney Channel, the Discovery Channel, Showtime, TLC, PBS and Fox. He has composed the music for numerous films, including Cyber Wars, a sci-fi adventure released by New Line Home Entertainment in 2004, Dog Story, Dark Woods and Rustin, a 2001 movie starring Meat Loaf, Ashley Johnson and Zachery Ty Bryan that aired on Showtime and other networks. Price’s work as a soundtrack producer and synthesist can be heard in An Unfinished Life, The Grudge, Runaway Jury, Shade, The Core, The Country Bears, The Shipping News and Bandits.

5. The Observer (cont.) He also composed the music for Lao Jiu: The Musical. The musical version of this classic Singaporean play performed in Mandarin and Chinese dialects opened in Singapore in 2005 to rave reviews. Price gives credit to his teachers at Central, particularly those in the music department, for helping him get where he is today. Band director Ed McMahon and vocal music director Carolyn Eggleston “were both supportive of the stuff I was doing in high school,” Price said. The instructors let Price bring in pieces of his own to perform in choir and jazz band, and McMahon taught a music theory class that put Price far ahead of his peers when he arrived at college. “ My first year of theory was a breeze because we had covered all that in high school,” he said. The late Jana Witte, who taught choir for Price in junior high, also made an impact. Price still recalls the day Witte informed the class John Lennon had been killed. “She was very moved and affected. It led to me exploring the Beatles, which is a great thing for anybody. She was definitely an inspiration to me,” Price said.

6. The Observer (cont.) Price also gives thanks to Julie Doom, who directed drama productions for the high school and made it possible for Price to perform his three-act play, “The Fifth Season’s Moon,” as the school’s fall production his senior year. “She read it, liked it, and said, ‘Yeah, let’s do this,’” he said. In addition to his work for film and TV, Price was appointed music director for the Los Angeles’ No Shame Theater several years ago. No Shame, which was founded by student playwrights at the University of Iowa in 1986, allows writers and performers to put a production together in a single night each week on a “first-come, first-served” method of collaboration. Branches of No Shame have sprung up in major cities across the country since its founding. Comedian and performer John Leguizamo is one of the more well-known alumni of the No Shame theater in New York. Currently, Price is working on three major projects. He is composing the musical score for the film Necrosis, working on a musical called Cuban Nights and is working on the music for a full-length ballet that will be based on flowers.

7. The Observer (cont.) Price hadn’t yet focused on the film world while at Central, but the skills he learned built the foundation that allowed him to find his own direction and establish a career. As his mother, Jo, stated, “He took advantage of every opportunity Central gave him, honed his skills in college and went on to build a career on his passions. Jon is the fine person he is today because of the excellent work ethic and sense of responsibility his teachers and coaches taught him.”

8. MultiMedia Biography: Music, Film, Theater http://www.jonathanprice.com/biography.html