Mario Grigorov is a Bulgarian composer for film and television and a concert pianist. He performs on the piano and improvises in the styles of jazz, classical and world music.

Mario Grigorov's father was a concert trumpeter and his mother a concert pianist.^[1] In 1968, the Sofia Conservatorium suspended its age requirement of seven years of age to allow a 5-year-old Grigorov to begin his classical studies.^[2] In 1969, Mario’s father took the opportunity to play in the Shah’s handpicked orchestra, and the family relocated for 6 years. Mario’s tutelage in classical piano continued, and he was exposed to the sounds of the new culture he found himself surrounded by. In 1976, again for Mr. Grigorov’s symphony career, the family relocated, this time to East Germany. While finishing out the 1970s with a classical regimen, Grigorov and family moved to Vienna where Mario studied under renowned 20th century composer Thomas Christian David at the Vienna Conservatorium. In the early 1980s Mario moved to Sydney, Australia where he took classes in electronic music and Jazz studies with Don Burrows. He worked with many Australian rock groups. He has lived in Iran, Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Germany and USA, now resides between Berlin and London.^[2]

Career

Grigorov began composing for television, commercials and film in Sydney, Australia. In 1992, Miles Goodman, a film composer, helped Mario relocate to the United States.^[3] Three days after Grigorov's move to Los Angeles, an A&R executive from Warner Brothers Records, Bob James, heard him improvising in a music store and signed him to his first major-label recording contract.^[4] Grigorov then recorded his debut album Rhymes with Orange.^[5] Grigorov toured the album in Europe and North America, supporting musicians such as Wynton Marsalis,^[6] Joshua Redman,^[6] Charlie Haden and Béla Fleck.^[7][8]

His second album, Aria, a collaboration with Paul Schwartz, was released on 14 October 1997 by Astor Place Records. Aria was a darker crossover with funk along with operatic themes from Carmen, The Magic Flute, Madame Butterfly and Dido and Aeneas. The album reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Classical Crossover chart.

In 2000, Grigorov began composing music for screen in United States. He is most recognized for his musical scores on films by director Lee Daniels. They worked together on Shadowboxer (2005), Tennessee (2008), Precious (2009) and The Paperboy (2012).^[9] In 2005, he opened his own commercial music company called Siblings Music, Inc. Siblings existed from 2005 - 2010, creating original music for the moving picture. For its duration, Mario has selected immensely talented musicians to compose on behalf of the company.^[10] In 2011, he wrote the score for Patang by Indian director Prashant Bhargava which premiered at that year's Berlin International Film Festival.^[11]

In 2013, he won 'Best Music Feature' at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival for his work on Susan Seidelman's Musical Chairs.^[12]

In 2014 Mario met with director David Yates and they worked together on Yates' film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.^[13][14] Mario Grigorov composed and co-wrote an original song, "Blind Pig", with J. K. Rowling, which was performed by Emmi.^[15][16]

As a television film composer he wrote the musical score for Lifetime’s 2014 made for television films, Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the Wind. He continued to work with Lifetime on several other television movies including Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance.^[17]

Mario also has provided the music several documentaries, including: Third Wave: A Volunteer Story presented by Sean Penn, the Anna Halprin biographical film Breath Made Visible by filmmaker Ruedi Gerber, and the war documentary Taxi to the Dark Side by Alex Gibney, which won a 2008 Academy Award for best Documentary.^[18][19]

As well as being a composer and performer, Mario Grigorov is also an artist and creates two-handed symmetrical drawings.^[2] He combined his drawing style to his piano playing to develop an experimental type of keyboard play known as Mirror Tones.^[8]

Filmography

Discography

• Squatters, 2019
• The Absence of Presence, 2019
• Hello Big Shot, 2019
• War Against the Weak, 2019
• Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance, 2018
• Ragtime to Shine, 2018
• The Presence of Absence, 2018
• Atomic Lounge, 2017
• Rhymes with Orange, 1994

Notable Concerts

• "Chamber Music in Historic Sights" Los Angeles, CA^[20]
• Stereophile Show Waldford Astoria New York, NY^[21]
• Clifford Brown Jazz Festival^[22]
• Quebec Jazz Festival^[23]
• Toronto Jazz Festival
• Edmonton Jazz festival, Shocton Theatre Edmonton, Alberta
• Victoria Jazz Festival Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
• Saskatoon Jazz Festival Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Saratoga Jazz Festival Saraoga, NY
• Montreal Jazz Festival Dy Maurier Hall Montreal, Quebec
• Newport Jazz Festival
• San Jose Jazz Festival San Jose Museum of Art San Jose, CA
• Santa FE Chamber Festival Santa FE, NM
• Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, LA
• Performing Arts Center Calgary, Alberta
• Hirshorn Museum Washington, Dc^[24]

References

• "MarioGrigorov | Film Music Reporter".
• Tesser, Neil (9 March 1995). "MarioGrigorov". Chicago Reader.
• "Mario Grigorov On Piano Jazz | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC.
• "Mario Grigorov | Album Discography". AllMusic.