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Itamar Ben Zimra is a composer, arranger, and performing clarinetist whose background in jazz and improvisation infuses cinematic storytelling with vibrant spontaneity—bringing a fresh, imaginative touch to his compositions and making him an expressive storyteller through music.

Blending jazz sounds of the 40s with traditional scoring, he is best known for composing the score to Tom & Jerry in New York by Warner Bros. Animation, streaming on HBO. His credits also include the award-winning short film Now You See Us (dir. Romina Schwedler) and the feature documentary Unique (dir. Nachum Mochiach). His orchestral work has been featured in the concert hall as well, with his symphonic arrangement of Shibolet Basade—commissioned by Carnegie Hall and premiered in May 2023 at the main Stern/Perelman Hall.

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Itamar received a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where he earned his degree in Film Scoring and was awarded the prestigious George Delerue Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Composition for Film.

Influenced by the great classical film composers who shaped the cinematic orchestral language, Itamar is passionate about crafting narrative-driven music and exploring the expressive freedom that the animation medium uniquely allows.

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As a clarinetist for over two decades, he has performed with jazz luminaries such as Phil Woods, Anat Cohen, Damian Draghici, and Tigran Hamasyan, as well as with Yoni Rechter—one of Israel’s most beloved songwriters and cultural icons. He has recorded for numerous film scores, including the Hulu series We Were the Lucky Ones by Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman and Emmy-nominated composer John Ehrlich, as well as for projects by Zach Robinson, Aska Matsumiya, Amit Cohen, and Etienne Monsaingeon. He also collaborated with pop producer Leroy Clampitt (Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Madison Beer) and appeared as a clarinet soloist on the album Rae by the singer Ashe (known for her hit “Moral of the Story” and collaborations with Finneas).

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Mentored by clarinetists Eva Wasserman-Margolis, who built his classical foundation, and Albert Piamenta, who introduced him to the world of improvisation, Itamar discovered the profound power of musical expression. Born into an artistic family—a photographer and theater director mother, a graphic designer father, and a filmmaker sister—he developed a lifelong passion for storytelling and cinema, which naturally evolved into his path as a film composer.

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A guiding thought behind his musical philosophy comes from one of his favorite authors:
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” — Victor Hugo