George Kallis
Encyclopedia
George Kallis is a highly regarded and prolific film composer
, renowned for his memorable lyrical melodies and ethnomusicological
traits to his scores. He has been described as “the new Jerry Goldsmith” (Motion Picture Records) during recent conducting sessions with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. He also orchestrates and conducts his compositions.
. Following up the musical success on his first feature, George won the admiration of film director
Brett Leonard
(Lawnmower Man, Virtuosity) and composed the score for Highlander - The Source (Lionsgate). For the recordings, he conducted the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. The score soundtrack has received very favourable reviews from soundtrack critics, and has been described as "a genuinely rare work of impressive grandness" (scorereviews.com). Other works include orchestrations for various MARVEL films, and music for WILL & GRACE (NBC), FARAH’S STORY (NBC/C4), AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (20th Century Fox) to name a few. His score for LOST BULLETS was nominated for the best music score at the Aubagne Int'l Film Festival.
Other notable work includes the music for the Danish blockbuster of 2009 THE CHRISTMAS PARTY (Julefrokosten), starring Thure Lindhardt (Angels & Demons) and supermodel Helena Christensen, as well as the music for MISSIONBUMSEN, which was part of the international award winning series, “Vores Krig” (“Our War”) as well as the opening titles music for the acclaimed BBC series HORIZON. . George is also committed to working with up and coming filmmakers, and amongst others he has scored the short Curiosity, starring Emily Blunt
, and the romantic comedy feature Right Hand Drive, starring Annabelle Wallis (The Tudors).
of Hollywood's golden age. Their beautifully thematic soundtracks left him a very strong musical impression, and soon enough composing for films became his passion. At 18 years old, George had already won several songwriting awards, and his first personal CD Where There is a Child earned him a gold record
by Galaxy Music. Following his two-year army service at the National Guard
as a second lieutenant
, Berklee College of Music in Boston recognized George’s exceptional talent and awarded him a scholarship to study for a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Film Scoring. During his studies, George represented Cyprus as a songwriter in THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST in Jerusalem (the European show seen yearly by more than 600 million people worldwide). Berklee College of Music also chose George to represent the college as the most promising talent in an NBC special on film music. Soon after graduating, George moved to London to follow up his studies with a Masters of Music in Composition at The Royal College of Music, studying with acclaimed veteran composer Joseph Horovitz
. With a solid foundation in both classical and contemporary music
, George began his career as a composer by working his way up from scoring documentaries and TV programmes, commercials and international multimedia installations. He is now working between London and Los Angeles.
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
, renowned for his memorable lyrical melodies and ethnomusicological
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
traits to his scores. He has been described as “the new Jerry Goldsmith” (Motion Picture Records) during recent conducting sessions with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. He also orchestrates and conducts his compositions.
Current work
George has just finished scoring the prison-thriller SCREWED (Lionsgate) starring James D'Arcy and Noel Clark, out in UK cinemas in June 2011. Right before he composed the music for DRY RUN, starring Diora Baird and Max Ryan, and he also worked with Emmy Award winning filmmaker Kerry Shaw Brown on THE RED KITE PROJECT documentary.Previous work
George got his first break into film by composing, orchestrating and conducting the music for the WWII feature Joy Division (Momentum Pictures) directed by Reg Traviss and starring Bernard HillBernard Hill
Bernard Hill is a British actor of film, stage and television. In a career spanning thirty years, he is best known for playing Yosser Hughes, the troubled 'hard man' whose life is falling apart in Alan Bleasdale's groundbreaking 1980s TV drama, Boys from the Blackstuff...
. Following up the musical success on his first feature, George won the admiration of film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Brett Leonard
Brett Leonard
Brett Leonard is an American film director, producer and music video director specializing in the science-fiction and horror genres. A few of his films such as The Lawnmower Man and Virtuosity feature groundbreaking computer animation and visual effects...
(Lawnmower Man, Virtuosity) and composed the score for Highlander - The Source (Lionsgate). For the recordings, he conducted the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. The score soundtrack has received very favourable reviews from soundtrack critics, and has been described as "a genuinely rare work of impressive grandness" (scorereviews.com). Other works include orchestrations for various MARVEL films, and music for WILL & GRACE (NBC), FARAH’S STORY (NBC/C4), AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (20th Century Fox) to name a few. His score for LOST BULLETS was nominated for the best music score at the Aubagne Int'l Film Festival.
Other notable work includes the music for the Danish blockbuster of 2009 THE CHRISTMAS PARTY (Julefrokosten), starring Thure Lindhardt (Angels & Demons) and supermodel Helena Christensen, as well as the music for MISSIONBUMSEN, which was part of the international award winning series, “Vores Krig” (“Our War”) as well as the opening titles music for the acclaimed BBC series HORIZON. . George is also committed to working with up and coming filmmakers, and amongst others he has scored the short Curiosity, starring Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Emily Olivia Leah Blunt is an English actress best known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada , The Young Victoria , and The Adjustment Bureau . She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two London Film Critics' Circle Awards, and one BAFTA Award...
, and the romantic comedy feature Right Hand Drive, starring Annabelle Wallis (The Tudors).
Background
George was born in 1974 on the island of Cyprus and grew up in a musical environment. He was fascinated by music at a very early age and studied classical piano and violin, played bass in heavy metal bands and became engrossed in classic moviesFilms that have been considered the greatest ever
While there is no general agreement upon the greatest film, many publications and organizations have tried to determine the films considered the best. The films mentioned in this article have all been mentioned in a notable survey – be it a popular poll or critics' poll...
of Hollywood's golden age. Their beautifully thematic soundtracks left him a very strong musical impression, and soon enough composing for films became his passion. At 18 years old, George had already won several songwriting awards, and his first personal CD Where There is a Child earned him a gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by Galaxy Music. Following his two-year army service at the National Guard
Cypriot National Guard
The Cypriot National Guard , also known as the "Greek Cypriot National Guard" or simply as "National Guard", is the combined arms military force of the Republic of Cyprus...
as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
, Berklee College of Music in Boston recognized George’s exceptional talent and awarded him a scholarship to study for a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Film Scoring. During his studies, George represented Cyprus as a songwriter in THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST in Jerusalem (the European show seen yearly by more than 600 million people worldwide). Berklee College of Music also chose George to represent the college as the most promising talent in an NBC special on film music. Soon after graduating, George moved to London to follow up his studies with a Masters of Music in Composition at The Royal College of Music, studying with acclaimed veteran composer Joseph Horovitz
Joseph Horovitz
Joseph Horovitz is a British composer and conductor. Horovitz's family emigrated to England in 1938. He studied music and modern languages at New College, Oxford, and later attended the Royal College of Music in London, studying composition with Gordon Jacob. He then undertook a year of further...
. With a solid foundation in both classical and contemporary music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
, George began his career as a composer by working his way up from scoring documentaries and TV programmes, commercials and international multimedia installations. He is now working between London and Los Angeles.