Michael Kamen (15/04/1948 - 18/11/2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician. Kamen was born in New York City, USA. He was the second of four sons of a left-wing Jewish dentist and his teacher wife and studied at the New York High School of Music & Art in New York, then at Juilliard's School for Music Dance and Drama in New York. While in high school, he met and became friends with Martin Fulterman, later known as "Mark Snow," who composed the theme music for The X-Files among other projects. He was also a classmate and friend of Janis Ian. While studying the oboe, he formed a rock classical fusion band called New York Rock & Roll Ensemble, together with classmates Snow and Dorian Rudnytsky. It was on the first of Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic. Martin Fulterman/Mark Snow was also a member. The group would perform rock music, dressed in tuxedos. In the middle of the concert, Martin and Michael would play on oboe duet. The group backed up Janis Ian in a concert at Alice Tully Hall in the Fall of 1967.