Allan Zavod (16 October 1945 – 29 November 2016) was an Australian pianist, composer, jazz musician and occasional conductor whose career was mainly in America.
Zavod completed a music degree from the Melbourne Conservatorium, University of Melbourne in 1969. His talent as a pianist was recognised by Duke Ellington, who arranged for him to study at the Berklee College of Music, Boston – where Zavod was later a professor of music.
Zavod was based in the US for 20 years, where he played, toured and recorded. He scored more than 30 American and Australian films and television shows. His symphonic works have been performed by orchestras in Australia, Europe and the U.S. He composed the Environmental Symphony for orchestra, narrator and synchronized visuals which was performed at the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards and narrated by Sir Richard Branson.
The University of Melbourne awarded Zavod the Degree of Doctor of Music in recognition of his international achievements as a composer.
Biography
Zavod was classically trained at University of Melbourne Conservatorium after being awarded the prestigious full Ormond scholarship. In the late 1960s he was discovered by Duke Ellington, who arranged for him to further his jazz studies at famed Berklee College of Music, Boston, where Zavod taught.
He spent the following 30 years in the US performing. He performed before the Queen and years later Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and recently Prince and Princess Norodom of Cambodia, heads of country and state, foreign dignitaries, government bodies, universities and charitable organizations in many countries. Zavod was also a studio musician with such artist as Jean Luc-Ponty, toured in Frank Zappa's band in 1984, and provided studio work on Zappa's release "Guitar".
As a film composer he wrote scores for more than 40 films, documentaries, television and theatre, including: Six Concertos: (for Piano, Trumpet, Trombone, Violin, Guitar, Oboe) Concertato for Orchestra: Works for Choir, Brass Band, Classical and Jazz Ensembles The International Red Cross, celebrating the centennial of the first Nobel Peace Prize, United Nations Geneva Switzerland featuring Australian violinist Rupert Guenther Work for The Olympic Games I.O.C. Performance and recording Sydney, Australia Hurricane Katrina commemoration, New Orleans, Louisiana Australian archive of Jewish Music Bi Centennial Australia Day celebrations Televised Nationally Opera House Sydney. Orchestrations of Traditional Folk songs for Vietnamese National Symphony Orchestra, Hanoi, Vietnam 2015 Anzac Gallipoli commemoration Zavod performed on board ship at a dawn service in Anzac Cove Gallipoli with New Zealand Opera Singer Dame Malvina Major: ‘Australia Remembers’ WW11 Gala tribute (arrangements) 5-movement symphony ‘The Environmental Symphony for Orchestra, Narrator and Synchronized Visuals.’ Narration written by Scientist Dr Alan Finkel Chancellor of Monash University and narrated by Sir Richard Branson.
Awards
In 2009, he was awarded the Doctor of Music Degree by the University of Melbourne. Being one of only five recipients of an earned doctorate in composition over the history of the university, this higher doctorate is awarded to scholars who have “made an international contribution to music knowledge.”