Jonathan Alfred Clawson "J. A. C." Redford (born July 14, 1953) is an American composer, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor of concert, chamber, and choral music; film, television, and theater scores; and music for recordings. Redford is also the author of Welcome All Wonders: A Composer’s Journey, published by Baker Books. 　　A wide variety of musical influences marked Redford’s youth, ranging from symphonic music and nineteenth-century opera to The Beatles, Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, the scores of classic film composers such as Bernard Hermann, and jazz artists like Dave Brubeck. According to Image Journal, such a panoply of interests makes J.A.C. Redford "an equal opportunity composer. The music that flows from his mind and heart can take shape as a piano quartet, a Christmas oratorio, or a film score." 　　In his teens, Redford played in and arranged music for rock 'n' roll bands. In his early twenties, Redford began scoring documentaries and educational films, learning the craft of composing for the cinema. 　　After moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, Redford began to write scores for television, beginning as a co-composer for Starsky & Hutch. In the 1980s, when the American Federation of Musicians called a strike that caused a virtual shutdown of U.S. film and television recording, Redford used the opportunity to continue his musical education. He studied composition with Hal Johnson and conducting with Frederick Zweig, and he took a master class in film composition with Walter Scharf through the UCLA extension program. During this period, Redford wrote concert and chamber music as well. Some years later, Redford studied composition and counterpoint with operatic composer and film orchestrator Thomas Pasatieri.