Anthony Parnther has forged a conducting career that spans the world’s leading orchestras, Pulitzer Prize-winning composers, and the Hollywood recording stage. Described as “a conductor for the future” (The New York Times), “the quintessential L.A. musician of our day” (Los Angeles Times), and “Hollywood’s go-to conductor for epic projects” (Billboard), he serves as Music Director of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Parnther has led many of the world’s foremost orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In the 2026–27 season, he makes his London Symphony Orchestra debut with the world premiere of David Önaç’s Atlantic Requiem, featuring J’Nai Bridges, Orson Van Gay II, and the BBC Singers, as well as returning to the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Chineke!, which he leads at Germany’s Heidelberg Frühling Festival and London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
In 2025–26, Parnther led the New York Philharmonic’s Opening Night Gala concert, featuring Cécile McLorin Salvant; conducted The Philadelphia Orchestra’s New Year’s Eve concert; returned to The Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony; made debuts at the Cincinnati May Festival and with the Boston Pops at Tanglewood, in one of several collaborations with Cynthia Erivo; and served as the lead conductor for Ludwig Göransson’s Academy Award-, Golden Globe-, BAFTA-, and Grammy Award-winning score for Sinners.
Last season, Parnther led the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s world premiere performances of James Lee III’s Phenomenal Queen: Coretta Scott King. He also conducted the premieres of two major commissions commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence: Peter Boyer and Mark Campbell’s oratorio A Hundred Years On, with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Patricia Leonard’s Persistence of the Dream, in his debut with ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra).
Over the course of his career, Parnther has collaborated with artists including Jon Batiste, Joshua Bell, Julia Bullock, Cynthia Erivo, Randall Goosby, Lynn Harrell, Jennifer Holliday, Wynton Marsalis, Anthony McGill, Jessye Norman, Leslie Odom Jr., Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Frederica von Stade. He has premiered and recorded works by Pulitzer Prize laureates Anthony Davis, Michael Abels, Julia Wolfe, George Walker, and Lewis Spratlan
Parnther has earned the trust of the world’s leading media composers and has conducted recording sessions for many of the world’s most iconic entertainment franchises, including Disney, Star Wars, Avatar, Marvel, Ghostbusters, Black Panther, Transformers, Creed, Minions, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Ice Age, PAW Patrol, League of Legends, American Dad!, Looney Tunes, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. His recording credits also include the Academy Award-winning films Oppenheimer and Sinners, the Grammy Award-winning animated musical Encanto, and the Emmy Award-winning series The Mandalorian.
Beyond the podium, Parnther is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after recording bassoonists, collaborating closely with many of the industry’s most celebrated composers, including John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, John Powell, and Randy Newman. His bassoon playing has been featured on hundreds of film, television, and video game scores, including as the featured solo bassoonist on Only Murders in the Building, Looney Tunes, and Animaniacs.
He divides his time between Los Angeles and Palm Springs.
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Hailed by the Huffington Post as “the ultimate in tonal purity” and praised by the L.A. Times for his “effortless phrasing,” Anthony Parnther is a Los Angeles-based recording artist for motion picture, television, and video game scores. In addition to the bassoon and contrabassoon, Anthony performs on period instruments from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical eras as well as specializing in some not-so-common woodwind instruments like the sarrusophone and the heckelphone. It is not uncommon to see Anthony wielding a bass or baritone saxophone, a contrabass clarinet, or any array of gigantic woodwind instruments in addition to his bassoons on the scoring stages in Hollywood.
Anthony is an active bassoonist and contrabassoonist and has recorded an extensive list of film and television soundtracks by Hollywood’s preeminent composers, including John Williams, Terence Blanchard, Alexandre Desplat, Danny Elfman, Bruce Broughton, Michael Giacchino, Mychael Danna, Ludwig Goransson, David Newman, John Powell, Alan Silvestri, and Hans Zimmer.
Recent projects he has performed on include Star Wars: Episode IX -The Rise of Skywalker, The Simpsons, Animaniacs, Looney Tunes, Family Guy, Lion King, Coming 2 America, Mulan, Empire, The Kominsky Method, Only Murders in the Building, Moana, Suicide Squad, Star Trek Beyond, and countless more.
Anthony has performed with the Los Angeles Opera, San Diego Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Long Beach Symphony, MUSE/ique, Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, California Chamber Orchestra, Musica Angelica, Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, Jacaranda: Music on the Edge, Here/Now Music Festival, Long Beach Opera, Golden State Pops Orchestra, the Echo Society, and the McCallum Concert Band.
Anthony’s extensive discography includes recordings and live performances with artists spanning virtually every genre, including Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Rihanna, Jackie Evancho, Kanye West, Hanson, Snoop Dogg, Eels, Madonna, Kid Cudi, Il Volo, Elton John, Michael Bolton, Pete Townshend, Billy Idol, Evanescence, Vanessa Williams, Maynard Ferguson, Wynton Marsalis, Doc Severinsen, and Stevie Wonder.
He has appeared on the American Music Awards, the BET Awards, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Video Games Live, and the Video Game Awards.
He began bassoon lessons with Julia Miller in Lynchburg, Virginia, and went on to train professionally with Robert Barris, Burl Lane, Willard Elliot, and Tristan Willems.
Anthony is a W. Schreiber performing artist and has performed on his W. Schreiber S-91 Prestige bassoon since 1997.
