Zoran Simjanović

Zoran Simjanović
Zoran Simjanović (right)
Background information
Born	(1946-05-11)11 May 1946 Belgrade, FPR Yugoslavia
Origin	Serbia
Died	11 April 2021(2021-04-11) (aged 74) Belgrade, Serbia
Occupation	Composer

Zoran Simjanović (pronounced [zǒran simjǎːnoʋitɕ]; 11 May 1946 – 11 April 2021) was a Serbian composer. Since 1961 he founded and played in some of the most popular rock bands in Yugoslavia and abroad (Siluete, Elipse). He also wrote songs for his friends who won prizes in festivals, although he never had a great interest for pop music in general.

Since 1975, he composed scores for the cinema, television and theatre, in Yugoslavia and abroad. He wrote the music for no less than 55 films, including a large amount for television. He was a teacher at the Faculty of Scenic Arts and the Faculty of Art of Music in Belgrade.

Biography

Zoran Simjanović was born in Belgrade. At the age of six he began playing piano, then he attended the music school "Mokranjac" and eventually graduated at the Belgrade Music Academy.

Since 1961 he founded and played in some of the most recognized rock bands (Siluete, Elipse), which have been awarded in Yugoslavia and abroad. He also wrote pop songs for his friends, singers who were winning prizes at festivals although he did not have much interest in pop music.

Since 1975, he has been dealing with scenic music and cooperating with TV, film and theatre productions in Yugoslavia and abroad. As a scenic composer he used all music styles although most of his work is electronic-based.

Until 2008 he has written music scores for 62 feature films, a large number of TV films, TV series and theatre plays, as well as cartoons and advertising films and clips.

He was awarded the Gold Arena for music twice at the film festival in Pula ("The Fragrance of Wild Flowers" in 1978 and "Balkan Express" in 1983). At the unofficial festival of film music, costume and production design in Mladenovac he has won the first prize for "When father was away on business" soundtrack in 1985.

He lived and worked in Belgrade. He was also making efforts in publishing film music in Yugoslavia and abroad (MILAN music - "When Father Was Away on Business" and "Guardian Angel")..

Feature films he wrote music for have been awarded at all important festivals worldwide (Cannes, Venice, Manila, San Sebastian, Valencia, Corse, Istanbul, etc.). He shared the Special Award of the City of Valencia with Yves Montand in 1983. For that occasion he wrote music for the opening of that year's Festival in Valencia.

He was also interested in composing music for theatre. He composed scores for over 20 theatre plays in all Belgrade theatres, as well as for the musical plays "Joys of Belgrade" and "The Fish in the Sea" and several cabarets. With Paolo Magelli he worked on the Paris version of Macchiavelli's "The Mandrake" and after its success he was engaged in another French play - "The Straitjacket"..

From 1993 until his death, he was a professor of applied music at the Faculty of Scenic Arts in Belgrade. From 1999 to 2002 he was giving lectures in the same field at the Academy of Music Art in Belgrade, and from 2000 to 2002 at the Faculty of Scenic Arts in Cetinje, Montenegro. He also lectured at Dunav Film School, Post-Secondary School of Electrical Engineering and Braća Karić Academy of Fine Arts.

He collaborated in making of pedagogical music books for children – "A Collection for Primary School" with Lela Aleksic and Branka Cvejic and "Music Primer" with Zora Vasiljevic. He published a book "Applied Music" for the students of Faculties of Scenic and Music Arts. He wrote articles for "Lexicon of Film and TV terms".

His first symphony had its premiere at Kalemegdan (Belgrade Fortress) on 14 July 2006. An interesting fact is that this was the first symphony to be written and performed in the independent Republic of Serbia.

He was a member of the European Film Academy and also a member of ASIFA (International animated film association) and SACEM (French Association of Music Composers). He was a Citizen of Honour of Valencia.

Awards

At the Festival of Film Direction in Herceg Novi he was awarded for the music score for Tito and Me in 1992. After splitting of former Yugoslavia it has remained the highest film award in the new country (now Serbia). At the first annual Yugoslav Film Academy Award he won a Crystal Prysm for the music score for Tango Argentino.

He was awarded for the score in In the Name of the Father and the Son at the Film Festival in Mojkovac.

At the Music Festival "Sunny Stairs" in Herceg Novi he was awarded for the best score for Goran Paskaljevic's movie The Powder Keg in 2000.

His music score for Srdjan Karanovic's Loving Glances won Platinum Award for the Best Music at Monte Carlo Film Festival in 2003.

He was awarded several times at the Festival of Short and Documentary Film in Belgrade. In 1993 he won the first prize for the score for the animated film Kazimir Malyevic’s Cross, Square and Circle. He repeated this success in 1994, when he was awarded for his annual production and 1998, when he got the award for the score in Belgrade Follies, a documentary film by Goran Marković. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the festival, he was given a special Shield of the Festival.

He was awarded for the best music score at the Festival of Animated Film in Cacak in 1995.

At the JRT festival of audio and video clips in Budva in 1988 he won the first prize for music in JAT audio/video campaign. He was given Honorary Mention in 2000 and Special Honorary Mention in 2006 by the Association of Serbian Advertisers for his contribution to the development of advertising.

In 2002 he was given the Award of the City of Belgrade for Radio, Television and Film Making, for the music score in the feature film "Cordon" by Goran Markovic and the CD box entitled "One Theme - One Film".

Filmography

Composer

• Balkan ekspres 3 (2009) (pre-production)
• Besa (2009) (post-production)
• Turneja (2008)
• Balkanska braća (2005)
• San zimske noći (English title: Midwinter Night's Dream) (2004)
• Pad u raj (Falling in the Paradise) (2004)
• Sjaj u očima (Loving Glances) (2003)
• Kordon [(The Cordon) (2002)
• Serbie, année zéro (Serbia, Year Zero) (2001)
• Harold i Mod (2001) (TV)
• Proleće u Limasolu (1999) (TV)
• U ime oca i sina (1999)
• Bure baruta (Cabaret Balkan) (1998)
• Poludeli ljudi (1997)
• Triptih o veličini (1997)
• Urnebesna tragedija (1995)
• Terasa na krovu (1995)
• Pare ili zivot (1995)
• Priča (1995)
• Sto godina jednog veka (1995)
• Memento mori 1 (1994)
• Rupa u duši (A Hole in the Soul) (1994)
• Kaži zasto me ostavi (Say Why Have You Left Me) (1993)
• Tito i ja (Tito and Me) (1992)
• Tango argentino (1992)
• Virdžina (Virgina) (1991)
• Stanica običnih vozova (1990)
• Balkanska perestrojka (1990)
• Sabirni centar (The Meeting Point) (1989)
• Masmediologija na Balkanu (1989)
• Švedski aranzman (1989)
• Vreme čuda (Time of Miracles) (1989)
• Rođaci iz Lazina (1989) TV series
• Balkan ekspres 2 (1988)
• Drugi čovek (1988)
• Tajna manastirske rakije (Cognac) (1988)
• El Camino del sur (Journey to the South) (1988)
• Za sada bez dobrog naslova (A Film with No Name) (1988)
• Anđeo čuvar (Guardian Angel) (1987)
• Život radnika (1987)
• Lager Niš (1987)
• Uvek spremne zene (1987)
• Već viđeno (Reflections) (1987)
• Griffon u Beogradu (1986) (TV)
• Lepota poroka ('The Beauty of Sin) (1986)
• Hey Babu Riba (1986)
• Otac na službenom putu (When Father Was Away on Business) (1985)
• Jagode u grlu (1985)
• I to će proći (1985)
• Tajvanska kanasta (Taiwan Canasta) (1985)
• Dvostruki udar (1985) (TV)
• Žikina dinastija (1985)
• Sloboda (1984)
• Šta je s tobom, Nina (1984)
• Šta se zgodi kad se ljubav rodi (1984)
• Kaleidoskop dvadesetog veka (1984) (TV)
• Romeo i Julija (1984)
• Uvek sa vama (1984) TV series
• Pazi šta radiš (1984)
• Moljac (1984)
• Opasni trag (1984)
• Ne tako davno (1984) TV mini-series
• Idi mi, dođi mi (1983)
• Malograđani (1983) (TV)
• Orao (1983)
• Balkan Express (1983)
• Mućak (1983)
• Trije prispevki k slovenski blaznosti (1983)
• Nesto između (1983)
• Variola Vera (1982)
• Četvrtak umesto petka (1982) (TV)
• Dvije polovine srca (1982)
• Jelena Gavanski (1982) (TV)
• Učiteljica (1982)
• Maratonci trce počasni krug (The Marathon Family) (1982)
• Sjećas li se Dolly Bell (Do You Remember Dolly Bell?) (1981)
• Sok od šljiva (1981)
• Neka druga zena (1981)
• Duel (1981)
• Gazija (1981)
• 'Samo za dvoje (1980) (TV)
• Ćorkan i Švabica (1980) (TV)
• Majstori, majstori! (All That Jack's) (1980)
• Petrijin venac (Petria's Wreath) (1980)
• Most (1979)
• Draga moja Iza (1979)
• Zemaljski dani teku (The Days on Earth Are Flowing) (1979)
• Bife 'Titanik' (Buffet Titanic) (1979) (TV)
• Nacionalna klasa (National Class Category Up to 785 ccm) (1979)
• Pucanj u šljiviku preko reke (1978) (TV)
• Boško Buha (1978)
• Nevjeste dolaze (The Brides Are Coming) (1978) (TV)
• Miris poljskog cveća (Fragrance of Wild Flowers) (1977)
• Specijalno vaspitanje (Special Education) (1977)
• Grlom u jagode (1976) TV series
• Sve što je bilo lepo (1976) (TV)
• Ljubičice (1975) (TV)
• Slike bez rama - iz dečijih knjiga (1973) TV series