Stéphane Orlando Composer
Unlimited versatility between sound, image and movement.
Cinema, opera, orchestra, creations inspired by dance or literature, Stéphane Orlando develops narrative and immersive worlds where structure and spontaneity intertwine.
A builder of images for the ear
a craftsman of listening
In the dark rooms of the Royal Film Archives of Belgium, where he has been improvising on the piano on silent films for over 20 years, with more than 500 live improvised silent films, Stéphane Orlando has learned to listen to the world differently, to deal with breaths, tensions or gestures.
Explore key works
Compositions at the crossroads of cinema, opera and the performing arts.
With composer Stéphane Orlando, the Ataneres ensemble plunges us into this golden era of cinema. “Chaplin's Beginnings” features three short films from the beginning of Charlie Chaplin's career: The Vagabond, Kid Auto Races at Venice, and The Immigrant. For this production, Stéphane Orlando has composed a captivating original score, performed live to accompany the films, he directs himself.
For this masterpiece of Japanese silent cinema, Stéphane Orlando composed a score inspired by traditional Japanese music and the cinematographic repertoire of the early 20th century.
“Where were you Creon? ”. This heartbreaking cry of Antigone, addressed to King Creon shortly before ending her life walled up in a cave, still resonates today. In this striking opera that revisits a great drama of Antiquity, the soprano Rita Matos Alves shines in splendor surrounded by the Fractals Ensemble. This lyrical monodrama is the result of the meeting of the composer Stéphane Orlando with the writer Lorenzo Carola and the director Matthieu Collard.
Discover his creations
Stéphane Orlando
is a multifaceted composer whose musical universe embraces cinema, opera, scene and improvisation. Winner of numerous international awards, he is currently in residence at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège, where he explores innovative forms combining symphonic music, theater and image. Professor, president of artistic networks and pianist-improviser at CINEMATEK in Brussels, he cultivates a deeply eclectic approach to sound creation. His career, marked by a passion for dialogue between the arts, invites you to discover a singular work, at the crossroads of emotion, research and musical narration.
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Echoes from the Media
What strikes me about Stéphane Orlando's music is how it blends into the film, discreetly effacing itself in its service [...] Storck feared that a musical adaptation would detract from the message, which Orlando attempts to resolve with a structure devoid of superfluous details, a relative distance, and a wide range of timbres.
Crescendo Magazine
All of this is reworked in Stéphane Orlando's score: echoes of the Beatles, the footsteps of the Ku Klux Klan, Sylviane Hazard, producer of Musiq3, [a fragment of Bach], and then, as the minutes pass, a labyrinthine structure alluding to Mouhamed Mbougard Sarr's novel, La plus secrète mémoire des hommes (The Most Secret Memory of Men).
Musiq3
It's brand new. Made in Belgium. Opera that's easy to digest. We reassure everyone that this contemporary music goes down like a treat.
RTBF
His artistic position is as clear as it is inspiring: he builds bridges between different eras, arts, and audiences. He fits perfectly into programming dynamics that value cross-disciplinary approaches, sensitive storytelling, and rich hybridization. He is ideal for contemporary stages, innovative festivals, film libraries, and opera houses open to new forms.
Paraty
In a saturated cultural landscape, Stéphane Orlando is a valuable voice, a craftsman of meaning who offers deeply embodied music, imbued with a powerful imagination and a re-enchanted listening experience. His artistic approach is both timeless and resolutely contemporary. It deserves to be promoted, heard, and programmed.
Paraty
It's also a way to dust off the opera genre.
RTBF
It's brand new. Made in Belgium. Opera that's easy to digest. We reassure everyone that this contemporary music goes down like a treat.
RTBF
All of this is reworked in Stéphane Orlando's score: echoes of the Beatles, the footsteps of the Ku Klux Klan, Sylviane Hazard, producer of Musiq3, [a fragment of Bach], and then, as the minutes pass, a labyrinthine structure alluding to Mouhamed Mbougard Sarr's novel, La plus secrète mémoire des hommes (The Most Secret Memory of Men).
Musiq3
Introducing The Smile, a unique musical work by Belgian composer Stéphane Orlando, a mini-series film opera, a web opera. A score tailored to each of the four singers. He listened to the timbre, vibrato, and even the breath of the performers to tailor each voice.
RTBF
It's a scene from another era: a silent film is projected onto the screen and an orchestra plays original music by composer Stéphane Orlando, a fan of Chaplin. He wanted to work on his early films. With this project, Stéphane Orlando and the Ensemble Ataneres aim to reach a wide audience, and judging by the profile of the spectators in the stands of the Grand Manège, the goal has been achieved.
RTBF
A comfortable chair, headphones over your ears, eyes closed. A light press of the thumb, and a beam of infrared light launches Stéphane Orlando's “Seuls.” You are sucked into a calm vortex where two souls, one classical and one jazz, await each other, understand each other, reach each other, avoid each other, and come together. Don't interfere with their interplay; simply let the images generated by this ballet arise and fade away, like ectoplasms, preferably in black and white. And you will no longer be alone. There will be many voices in your head, pondering and dreaming.
Jazz Mania
Stéphane Orlando's music, although strange to our tonal ears and metrical calculations, can be enjoyed at leisure, without any laborious effort to adapt. His sounds are to music what flavors are to gastronomy. And as far as I'm concerned, this is a 3-star experience.
Jazz Mania
What strikes me about Stéphane Orlando's music is how it blends into the film, discreetly effacing itself in its service [...] Storck feared that a musical adaptation would detract from the message, which Orlando attempts to resolve with a structure devoid of superfluous details, a relative distance, and a wide range of timbres.
Crescendo Magazine
Fifty minutes out of time, of extraordinary intensity, […] where the science of writing always supports emotion.
La Libre
His creativity is so multifaceted and his career so atypical […] that this free-spirited and knowledgeable artist has always been recognized as one of the most gifted musicians of his generation.
RTBF
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CITIES & FESTIVALS
Berlin, Tübingen, Stuttgart, Antwerp, Brussels, Brussels, Brussels, Namur, Namur, Mons, Mons, Charleroi, Mons, Charleroi, Liège, Huy, Huy, Ghent, Heusden-Zolder, Rome, Geneva, Geneva, Geneva, Albertville, Chambéry, Albertville, Chambéry, Chambéry, Chambéry, Charleroi, Mons, Charleroi, Liège, Mons, Mons, Charleroi, Liège, Huy, Huy, Gand, Leuven, Tienen, Eeklo, Heusden-Zolder, Rome, Geneva, Geneva, Albertville, Chambéry, Albertville, Chambéry, Chambéry,
A Line, A Vibe
Are you a director, programmer, journalist... or simply curious about musical forms that touch differently? Every project is an opportunity to connect. Stéphane is here to listen.
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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.
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