CORNEL WILCZEK

(Orchestration, Conductor of the Fraternity Symphonic Orchestra, ‘Seeds for Life’)

“As we humans evolve as a species, our technology and ambitions are our key motivators that propel us into the future. Unfortunately, along the way, these leave behind a trail of destruction. It begins as unintentional – the depletion of our resources was an unforeseen outcome when we wired up homes to electrical power grids, and the slight rise in global temperature was never considered when we first manufactured the automobile.

But in recent years, the same advancements of technology have been used to study its own impact on the environment and the truth is now indisputable. But it doesn’t mean technology and ambition for our species is bad. It’s a matter of changing. Developing smarter and cleaner practices. This can only be done once there is mass awareness and we are still at the stage where spreading the word to all corners of the world is necessary. And what better way to communicate this truth than music, the greatest communicator? Music is the language I speak best and the clearest way I can help.”

ABOUT

Cornel Wilczek is an Australian award winning screen composer and music producer. He is driven by experimentation and the desire to find something new in music. Working with colour and contrast, he combines lush, acoustic sources with home-made electronics to take listeners to new places and help create unique worlds for his projects.

His feature film work includes ‘Cut Snake’, ‘These Final Hours’ (Best Score at Festival International Du Film Fantastique de Gérardmer), ‘The Mule’ and Academy Award winner, Eva Orner’s upcoming ‘Chasing Asylum’. His TV work includes Glitch (AACTA Award for best music score in television), Offspring (TV Series),  and the international award winning children’s show ‘Nowhere Boys’. His music production work includes 2015’s (AMP Awards nominee) ‘Severe’ by My Disco, Wagon’s ‘Rumble, Shake and Tumble’ and his own electronic music under the moniker ‘Qua’.

Cornel runs and owns Electric Dreams Studio (opened 2009), in South Melbourne, Australia. It is a high-end, acoustically designed space that facilitates creative development, broadcast composition and mixing, surround for TV and film, as well as album production. The studio houses 9 employees, including producers, composers, sound-designers and engineers. He has an MA (2007) in Sound Art, RMIT.

HISTORY

Cornel’s love for music and film began in Adelaide as he obsessively studied his favourite films and played in many bands. He studied guitar through most of his childhood and teen years, beginning with classical guitar and eventually spending a lot of time in the metal scene, where he enjoyed the camaraderie and musical extremism.

He moved to Melbourne in 2000 to study Music/Sound-Art, with mentors Philip Brophy and Philip Samartzis at Media Arts, RMIT. During this time he formed the moniker Qua and released 4 albums of experimental electronic music that led to national and international touring.

After his BA, he went on to complete his Masters, majoring in composition in surround. After many years working from a home studio, writing for short film and producing bands, Cornel built his commercial studio and business, Electric Dreams Studio, in South Melbourne. During the first 4 years of Electric Dreams, Cornel scored over 150 TV Commercials and won many Awards including Gold and Silver at the London International Awards.

2014 saw an AACTA Nomination for his first TV show, the teenage, mystery/drama “Nowhere Boys” (Matchbox Pictures) and in 2015 he won Best Original Score for the feature “These Final Hours” at the Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer (France) and later that year went on to win an AACTA Award for BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE IN TELEVISION for GLITCH – 6-part Supernatural/Drama “Glitch” (dir. Emma Freeman In 2016, Cornel is scoring season 6 of Offspringand season 3 of Nowhere Boys.).

MUSIC TO FILM AND TV

In 2012 Cornel completed his first feature film soundtrack for the Australian film “Save Your Legs” (released Feb 2013). Later in 2013, he worked and completed two other films, Zak Hilditch’s apocalyptic thriller”These Final Hours” and Angus Sampson’s drug smuggling, intestinal thriller “The Mule”. In 2014 he composed the thriller/romance “Cut Snake” (released 2015) for Tony Ayres and contributed to the Award winning Feature Documentary “That Sugar Film”. 2015 he scored the film “Nowhere Boys – The Book of Shadows”. 2016 saw the release of his latest Soundtrack to Academy Award Winner – Eva Orner’s film”Chasing Asylum”.

In 2013 he also began his TV career with the music for Nowhere Boys, Matchbox Pictures (first screened in Australia Nov 2013), in which he received his first AACTA nomination for best Australian Original Music Score for TV. In 2014/15 he completed season 2 of Nowhere Boys. In 2015 he won an AACTA Award for BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE IN TELEVISION for GLITCH – 6-part Supernatural/Drama “Glitch” (dir. Emma Freeman). In 2016, Cornel scored season 6 of Offspring and season 3 of Nowhere Boys.

Other soundtrack work includes internationally award-winning animations “The Luminary” (Nick Kallincos) and “Kings of Power” (Paul Robertson).

Cornel is also renowned as one of Australia’s most in demand composers for the advertising industry, having scored over 150 TV commercials both locally and internationally. His work in this sector has been recognised with multiple awards. More info on current projects and copies of viewing material can be delivered in person or by email.

ELECTRIC DREAMS STUDIOS

In January 2009 Cornel opened his commercial sound and music studio in South Melbourne to accommodate and consolidate all his sound production. Electric Dreams Studios is a high-end, acoustically designed space (engineered by Chris Morton) that facilitates creative development, broadcast composition and mixing, surround for TV and film, as well as album production. The studio houses 9 employees, including producers, composers, sound-designers and engineers. It has a unique combination of analogue and digital equipment. From large ensemble string
recordings, to electronic scores, the facility can accommodate just about any production.

SOLO MUSIC ARTIST

Cornel has released four albums under the alias Qua on labels in USA, Japan and Australia. Touring internationally as a live performer since 2002, Qua performance highlights include two of Australia’s biggest Music Festivals – “Golden Plains” and “Laneway Festival” in 2007 and 2008. He has also played at Liquid Architecture (National 2003), O’Nest (Japan 2005), Sydney International Arts Festival 2009 and Perth Arts Festival 2010. Cornel’s work has also been exhibited in sound installations at international galleries such as San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, ACMI & CCP.

RECORD PRODUCTION

As a Record Producer Cornel has produced and engineered over thirty albums for local and international artists including two award-winning albums for The Wagons: “The Rise and Fall of Goodtown” and“Rumble Shake and Tumble”. In 2015 he produced My Disco’s “Severe”. He has also produced for Clare Bowditch, Architecture in Helsinki, Miaou, World’s End Press, Mountains in the Sky and PVT.