Georges Tomb is an award-winning composer and concert pianist of international fame. He studied composition & orchestration with Conrad Pope and Christopher Young in Vienna. His compositions were performed on many prestigious stages in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Tomb is the commissioned composer of the Italian ballet "Pinocchio", to be launched in 2023-2024, with Balletto del Sud and Choreographer Freddy Franzutti. He was introduced in Italy as " the Young Morricone " by Maestro Francesco Attardi with the San Remo Symphony and the " Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana ". He also wrote the music of the Australian film "Enough! Lebanon's Darkest Hour", which premiered in the Cannes Film Festival. At present, he is entrusted with many film scores in Hollywood, and works in parallel on Classical music projects for EU-countries.
How did you get into scoring music for films? Did you always know it's what you want to do?
GEORGES: Cinema has always been my passion next to Classical music & piano. I always had an interest in Music for Ballet, Opera, Circus; all kinds of music that portrays motion and animated pictures. I was moved by the music soundtracks of Steiner, Williams, Morricone, Barry, Horner, Hermann, Goldsmith, Silvestri, Newman. But I cannot forget that my father is a composer, whose music was my first inspiration. While growing up, I learned to love music in a film, and love the film with the music. Being a film composer was always one of my absolute dreams.
Can you tell us how your love for classical music began?
GEORGES: My love for music and the classical world started when I was a little boy, I started playing piano at the age of three. I come from a family of well-known artists, singers and painters including my father, composer/pianist Samir Tomb. Music and art have been invading my life forever. My curiosity on writing, composing and orchestrating music started at an early age, when I used to watch my father write. He was my first orchestration teacher. Since then, I have been drowned into the music composition world.
You studied composition & orchestration with Conrad Pope and Christopher Young in Vienna. How did you go from your education into the film industry?
GEORGES: I studied film scoring and composition with Conrad Pope who is the orchestrator of John Williams and a highly respected composer in Hollywood, and orchestration with Christopher Young whose music was the soundtrack of big Hollywood including “Spiderman”, the “Exorcism of Emily Rose”, “Ghost Rider”. After that, I started writing music for orchestras where my music was performed by many prestigious orchestras in Europe, the US, and the Middle East until I started writing music for movies in parallel to finishing the music of the Italian ballet " Pinocchio" and other classical projects.
Your compositions have been performed on many prestigious stages in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Can you tell us about that?
GEORGES: I had many orchestral performances and stations all around the world including le Petit Palais Paris, Salle Gaveau Paris, Norris Theater LA, James Armstrong Theater LA, Casino Baden Vienna, Casino di San Remo, Oman Opera House, the Royal Cultural Center Jordan, Basilica di San Marco Milano, Czech Brethren Evangelical Cathedral Prague, Palais des Congrès, Misericordia di Venezia, Prince Rainier III hall-Monte Carlo station, Theatre du Boulevard Beirut and recorded my music with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and the Kiev Philharmonic orchestra. It's such a great honor for me to have my music performed by all those orchestras and getting to meet amazing musicians, concert halls, new cultures, new operas; I feel humbled and blessed to be able to share my music with the world. I hope I can always add to people's lives with my music, inspiring them and giving a glimpse of hope and happiness.
You were the commissioned composer of the Italian ballet "Pinocchio", 2023-2024, with Balletto del Sud and Choreographer Freddy Franzutti. How did you get involved with that project?
GEORGES: After my music was performed by the San Remo Symphony and Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana in Italy, I met award-winning choreographer Maestro Freddy Franzutti, and after I shared my music with him, the project was there and we started working on the music, targeting 2023 which will be the 140th anniversary of the Italian Novel. I am very honored to work with amazing musicians, choreographers, and ballet dancers. I cannot wait till this ballet starts officially touring the world.
You were recently introduced in Italy as " the Young Morricone " by Maestro Francesco Attardi with the San Remo Symphony and the " Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana ". Can you tell us about that?
GEORGES: My musical piece " Serene Vienna” was performed and world premiered by the San Remo Symphony Orchestra at the Teatro Casino di San Remo. It was conducted by world renowned conductor, Maestro Francesco Attardi who believed in my music, and introduced me on stage as the Young Morricone. It was a huge honor for me to have this recognition, in Morricone's country Italy. I have to say that this station was the beginning of a breakthrough in my musical career.
You also score music for documentary films. In 2021 you wrote the music of the Australian film "Enough! Lebanon's Darkest Hour", which was primed in the Cannes Film Festival, which you won awards for. Can you speak about that experience?
GEORGE: I scored this amazing Australian movie that speaks the heart of Beirut and goes over many phases of Lebanon including its history, revolution, explosion, and leaves us with a hope that this country will rise again. This movie was directed & written by Daizy Gedeon, I have to say this its soundtrack was musically rich, exploring all kind of emotions including tragedies, hope, sadness, anger, happiness, culture. The music picked up many awards including the United States and was performed for the first time in Los Angeles with the orchestra in a concert with international conductor Maestra Joanna Nachef who I had many musical stations with, in Los Angeles, Beirut and will be together again next year in Carnegie Hall, on the 25th of May 2024 with a musical piece dedicated to the Memorial Day.
You performed live during the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival. Where did you perform and what was that like?
GEORGES: I had a very special performance at the 76th Cannes film festival edition. I inaugurated the night of "Better world fund", at the time of the reopening of the Carlton Hotel, alongside many artists including legendary Liz Mcomb with the presence of Leonardo Dicaprio who supported the evening.
Why is it important for industry professionals like yourself to attend markets and film festivals like Cannes?
GEORGES: I personally love to attend film festivals and awards events, especially ones as important as Venice, Cannes, and the Oscars. I have had concerts happening or movies selected that I was part of. What I love about these festivals is that it gathers all the cinema people, and you get to meet all different kinds of people, learn about their next projects, build new relationships, discover new movies, new filmmakers, and sometimes work with people you meet. That's what Cinema is all about, meeting people and creating art!
What will you be working on next?
GEORGES: I just finished recording with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, the soundtrack of the American Drama comedy "I want to be Neenja" written & directed by Jennifer Murphy. I will be working next on writing music for many productions including “Purple Gold”, “L'Homme des Signes”, “Bugatti, Kings of the Cross”, “Five Hours” and many more to come next Fall and 2024. In the classical world I will be touring Europe with many concerts, and the states next May in Carnegie Hall New York.
Interview by Vanessa McMahon