Today we’d like to introduce you to George Kallis.
Hi George, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born on the other side of the world, in Cyprus, a small island in the Mediterranean where West meets East and the music influences stem from all parts of the world. I was fortunate to have been raised in a very creative household. My grandfather played the violin and my mother sings opera and plays wonderful piano. From a young age, I was always very intrigued about writing music and songwriting. I took piano, violin, and saxophone lessons growing up, and at the same time entered in a few songwriting competitions, earned a few awards, and also represented my country in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1999. My interest in film scoring came a little later during my studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston and straight after I completed my Master’s Degree in composition at the Royal College of Music.
My first job in the industry came three days after graduating – I worked as composer’s assistant and music tutor with a company called Thinkspace in London. A couple of years later, I met renowned music producer Graham Walker who gave me my first opportunity to demo some of my music for an upcoming World War II film called Joy Division. This was my first ever professional commission as a composer and having to stand in front of a live orchestra conducting my score was really a dream come true. And I knew from that moment on I would always be in gratitude for these opportunities.
Thirty films later, I am now completing a fantasy film trilogy for Walt Disney Pictures CIS called ‘The Last Warrior’, and scoring two sequels for a very successful film franchise which is too early to announce! In the past have also scored films such as ‘Highlander The Source’ (Lionsgate) academy award-winning TV shows such as Horizon (BBC) and ‘My Life’ (CBBC), many commercials for brands such as McDonalds and Mitsubishi, and trailer music for films such as 47 Ronin, Mandela Long Walk to Freedom and The Visit.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The challenge was particularly evident in the beginning of my career as I was trying to earn a steady flow of business as a freelance composer. Starting out, I never really thought of myself as a ‘brand’ or a ‘business’ until a few years into it. Like most artists, you just want to create and stay in your own music bubble-world, rather than promoting yourself, and somehow you hope that people discover you magically. However, it really clicked when my first daughter was born that I needed to be in a good place financially to support a larger family. Time, commitment, luck and perseverance is key and eventually things will come your way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Recently I’ve been working a lot on period and fantasy films which required an orchestral sound palette. Throughout all this, I’ve been told a few times that my scores have classical color which is portrayed with a distinct modern sensibility. I’ve always been inspired by the music of the golden age of Hollywood – Miklós Rózsa, Basil Poledouris and Bernard Herrmann.
Having said that, right now I am working on a contemporary drama film which requires an alternative approach to scoring. I’m using solely using synthesizers and electronic sound design, which I am mixing with piano to help support the main themes. This is exactly what I enjoy about film music, the variety and musical diversity that each project brings. It challenges you to research new directions in composition. No matter what the style is, I try to find the right moments in a film where I can place focus on melody. I think this also brings memorability to the compositions as well as supporting the arc of a story and hopefully be perceived as another character on its own.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I believe good luck comes by being prepared when a great opportunity arises. A good example is – prior to meeting Graham Walker, the music supervisor I mentioned earlier, I had spent a lot of months composing music in the evenings after my full-time job. This helped me polish my skills and enabled me to have a very strong demo reel. Had I not done that, my meeting with Graham Walker perhaps may not have been as successful. Mentally I had prepared myself for months getting ready to create the best music I could. I was so grateful that my hard work paid off when the director hired me on the spot. Opportunities will always be there in life if we look for them by having a positive mind, be nice and kind and trust the universe. Things will happen if you put in the work to be the best person you can be and as an artist as well. Sometimes opportunities come to you organically and that’s just the nature of the business. My motto is to always be in gratitude as this is a career I’ve wanted ever since I can remember.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.georgekallis.com
- Instagram: musicbygeorgekallis
- Facebook: https://fb.me/musicbygeorgekallis
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/georgekallis
