Stéphane Orlando
It appeals to an intergenerational, cultivated or neophyte audience, who seeks to leave conventional formats in order to live an embodied experience. It is for those who want to feel slowly, intensely, and consciously. For those who still believe in the power of sound to tell, awaken, transform.
Journey
Stéphane Orlando is an experienced composer for film, opera and performance. Between 2022 and 2025, he is Composer in Residence at the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, where he explored a wide range of symphonic works from musical theater to a show combining film and dance, via a symphony or a bassoon concerto.
In 2023, his talent in composing was globally recognized when he received the Best Original Score at several film festivals, including the San Francisco and Tokyo Shorts Festival, St Louis Film Festival, and Toronto Experimental, Dance and Music Film Festival for his work in Night Falls and The Smile.
In 2020, Stéphane Orlando's contributions to contemporary music — with his opera Antigone in the Dark in particular — were celebrated with the prestigious SABAM for Culture Prize.
Orlando's expertise extends to the cinematic realm as well. Since 2001, he has been a distinguished pianist and improviser at CINEMATEK, where he has brought over 500 silent films to life with his live performances, demonstrating his exceptional ability to blend music with visual storytelling. This also led him to collaborate with several directors to design the musical universe of their films.
His commitment to music education is equally noteworthy. In 2023, he took on the role of co-chair for the International Media Music and Sound Arts Network in Education (IMMSANE) Europe, alongside André Bellmont, promoting innovative approaches in music and sound arts education. Additionally, he has been imparting his extensive knowledge and experience in musical improvisation as an Improvisation Professor at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève, in Switzerland.
His leadership has also been prominent in various musical societies. From 2015 to 2023, as the President of the Forum de la Création Musicale, he played an essential role in the development of many projects linked to creation. Earlier, from 2009 to 2016, he led the Belgian Society for Musical Analysis as President, significantly contributing to the study and appreciation of composition and musical theory.
Stéphane Orlando's academic journey enabled him to attain a Master's degree in Musicology from the Free University of Brussels, specializing in film music, and a Master in Musical Writings from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, focusing on counterpoint and fugue. His foundational training was at the Royal Conservatory of Mons, where he earned first prizes in music theory, piano, harmony, and a superior diploma in music theory.
CONCERT PHOTOS
Photos @ Richard DN @ William SUNFOR @ Eric VAUTHIER @ Eric ANTHIERENS
An award-winning voice on the international scene.
Compose as you film: with care, rhythm and depth.
Formats for each scene: film-concerts, operas, hybrid creations.
