Hollywood film composer David Newman has written music for over 100 feature films, including movies as wide-ranging as Throw Momma from the Train, War of the Roses, American Beauty, Hoffa, and Ice Age. In addition, he has conducted major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic in concerts featuring a presentation of films such as Star Wars and West Side Story. He began his career as a violinist, and later switched to composing and conducting. His father was the legendary Hollywood composer Alfred Newman.

In Part 1 of our conversation, David tells how he went from being a violinist to a film composer and how that transition took place. He also describes his father, Alfred Newman, and how music was originally introduced into films. And finally, at the end of our conversation, we discuss recording sessions for three films: Throw Momma from the Train, Breaking Away, and Star Trek I.