Steve Bartek profile

Born on January 30, 1952 in Garfield Heights, Ohio. An American guitarist, film composer, conductor and orchestrator.

Steve Bartek started his musical career with the band Strawberry Alarm Clock, writing some music for the band with his childhood friend George Bunnell and playing flute on the first two albums. At the time he couldn't join the band because of school, but when the band reunited in 2007, Bartek was included in the line-up.

In 1976, Bartek joined the musical performance troupe The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, which in 1979 re-emerged simply as Oingo Boingo. In the early 1980's Bartek was also in a band called Speed Bumps with Bunnell, but Bartek had to make a choice between the two, and he chose Oingo Boingo.

In 1985, Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman was commissioned into scoring feature films by Tim Burton; and knowing Bartek's training in music composition, Elfman hired Bartek as orchestrator and music arranger for their first film score, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.

In 1990, Oingo Boingo took a hiatus, and Bartek and Elfman spent the next couple of years concentrating on their score and television music. During this time, Bartek got his first composing job with "Guilty as Charged" (1991). In 1993 Oingo Boingo returned, but only for two years. In 1995 Oingo Boingo announced a final farewell.

Along his own projects, Bartek is still working closely with Elfman. They have worked together on such scores as Planet of the Apes, Sleepy Hollow and Big Fish.