Roman Kariolou (born 1983) is a Cypriot pianist and composer for TV and film. In addition to compositions for events in media and sport, he has written incidental and theme music for over fifty TV films and series as well as a number of documentaries since 2007.
Specialising in TV and documentary film music, he has composed for BBC, CBS, ZDF, ORF, Discovery Channel, Arte and RAI TV series. He has also been composed to write official songs and music for sport and media opening ceremonies, including the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and the official song for the EHF's Champions League.
Education
He received violin lessons from the age of three and was invited to the Yehudi Menuhin School by Menuhin himself aged five. He was considered a child prodigy and performed in Vienna, London, Prague and Athens during his childhood. Thanks to a Zakhar Bron grant he studied for a year at the Musikhochschule Lübeck before moving in 1991 to the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, where he was taught by Jewgenia Tschugajewa. He continued his studies at the Mozarteum and under Tibor Varga at the Musikhochschule Graz. In 2004 he took a course in film-music at the Film Music Institute Los Angeles.
Selected filmography
TV documentaries
2006–2017: Universum (18 episodes) 2015: Wüstenkönige – Die Löwen der Namib 2007: Die Gräfin und die russische Revolution 2007: Entdecker der Wellness (2 episodes) 2014: Wo sich Himmel und Erde begegnen – 900 Jahre Stift Klosterneuburg 2017: Universum History – Maria Theresia – Majestät und Mutter 2015–2018: Terra Mater (7 episodes)
TV drama series
2012: Tatort (1 episode, 'Kein Entkommen') 2013: Die Landärztin (1 episode, 'Vergissmeinnicht') 2014 onwards: Landkrimi 2014: Steirerblut 2018: Steirerkind 2019: Steirerkreuz 2016: Das Sacher (1 episode, 'In bester Gesellschaft') 2017: Tatort (1 episode, 'Virus') 2017–2019: Maria Theresia 2019: Vienna Blood
TV film
2008: Das Musikhotel am Wolfgangsee
2011: 2011: Die Abstauber 2013: Alles Schwindel 2013: Die verbotene Frau 2014: Die Kraft, die Du mir gibst 2015: Kleine große Stimme 2017: Für dich dreh ich die Zeit zurück 2019: Der beste Papa der Welt 2020: Schönes Schlamassel
Prizes, awards and nominations
2009: Wiener Filmmusik-Preis
2016: US International Film- and Video Festival Award, for Vanishing Kings
2017: Gold Camera Award;:US International Video Festival, for Europe's Last Nomads
Nominations
2013: Best Music, for The Empress and the Forest, Green Screen Festival, Eckernförde 2015:Africa's Wild West, National Geographic