Rob Mathes is an American record producer, music arranger, composer, songwriter, and singer who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 10, 1970. Raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, by classical musician parents George and Joan Mathes, he studied at the Berklee College of Music under the Juilliard faculty jazz pianist John Mehegan before privately learning orchestration and counterpoint from Myron Fink. By high school, he performed regularly in New York City clubs, and toured with Chuck Mangione in his early twenties. Mathes then relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where he wrote songs for artists including Bonnie Raitt, Kathy Mattea, and Aaron Neville. He achieved prominent success as a producer, producing Sting's albums Symphonicities, Best of 25 Years, and The Last Ship, alongside albums for Panic! at the Disco and Carly Simon. His solo discography includes his debut album William the Angel, Evening Train, and Orchestral Songs, along with yearly Christmas concerts that produced two PBS television specials, including Christmas Is Coming: Rob Mathes and Friends. In 2012, Mathes won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for his work on The Kennedy Center Honors. He was also nominated for a Tony Award in 2014 for his orchestration work on the Broadway musical The Last Ship. In 2025, he arranged the strings for several songs on the soundtrack of the animated film KPop Demon Hunters, including “Golden” and “Takedown”.
