Jon Olmstead was born and raised in Vermont. He studied composition at Skidmore College from 2006-2008, before moving to Los Angeles in 2008 to finish his studies at the California Institute of the Arts. While at Cal Arts he studied composition under Vinny Golia, Barry Shrader, and Art Jarvinen. His music reflects influences from Jazz and Rock, traditional and experimental concert music, and film music, and his compositions features acoustic, electronic, as well as installation elements.
During his junior year at Cal Arts, Jon began working for film Composer Nathan Barr. He continued to work for Mr. Barr for several years doing music editing, audio engineering, and additional composing on projects including True Blood, 30 Minutes or Less, The Last Exorcism, The Ledge, and Hood to Coast. This sparked a passion for composing outside of the concert world and subsequently he began writing for dance, film, animated shorts, and commercials. Jon now works as a freelance film composer, and as a staff composer for Wojahn Brothers music, where he writes and produces music for television and radio commercials, and is a musical advisor and editor for American Idol. His music has been performed and recorded by ensembles including Ensemble ACJW, the Cal Arts Orchestra, members of the Formalist Quartet, the Skidmore Orchestra, and Bohemian Highway, among others.
