is a classically trained composer, orchestrator and arranger
With a proven track record, working with some of the industry’s leading figures – Richard Bellis, John Ottman, Keith Lockhart, James Shearman, Matt Dunkley, Diego Navarro, Ludwig Wicki, James Fitzpatrick, Stephen Bell, Tim Burden, Chuhei Iwasaki, Norman Kim, Tina Guo, Kostas Christides, the Hollywood in Vienna Concert Series, Film Music Prague, Krakow & Fimucite film music festivals, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and Praga Sinfonietta to name but a few – Nikiforos is much in demand as orchestrator, arranger and composer for Film, TV, Theatre, Video Games, Concerts and Festivals.
Recent projects include a commission by the world leading Krakow FMF – in collaboration with PWM (Poland Music Publishing House) – arranging Wojciech Kilar’s music for Krzysztof Zanussi’s films, in celebration of the award-winning filmmaker’s work. The two concert Suites – consisting mostly of previously unreleased material – were world premiered at the 2019 Scoring4Polish Directors Gala concert, with Zanussi praising both the arrangements and AUKSO Chamber orchestra’s performances led by conductor Marek Moś.
Following the success of Krakow FMF, Nikiforos went on to orchestrate Zhiyi Wang’s music for the recently released anthology film, My People, My Country (2019), directed by internationally acclaimed director – and winner of the 1993 BAFTA & Palme d’Or awards for Farewell my Concubine – Kaige Chen.
Earlier in 2019, Nikiforos began a long-term collaboration with the Michael Kamen Estate. With several projects underway, their common goal is to revitalise the composer’s work, worldwide. In March 2019, his X-Men Suite world premiered in Nottingham, UK. The arrangement was commissioned – in collaboration with the Estate – and performed by the Hallé orchestra, conducted by Stephen Bell. Nikiforos is currently arranging the world premiere of the concert Suite of Michael Kamen’s music for Die Hard.
As of 2019, he is the chief arranger and music supervisor of the Film Music Prague Festival, a position offered to him following a 3-year fruitful collaboration. His latest project was arranging | orchestrating Alexandre Desplat’s music for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts I&II. The Suite world premiered at FMP’s 2019 The Musical World of Harry Potter concert. During the Festival’s 8th edition, in February 2019, his Alien 40th Anniversary concert Suite, specially arranged for Legends: Ridley Scott concert, was a festival highlight. A year earlier, April 2018, Nikiforos’ arrangement of the world premiere of the concert version of John Ottman’s music for the film Valkyrie, part of FMP’s True Stories concert, was highly praised by the composer, peers and audiences alike.
Summer of 2018 found Nikiforos orchestrating Bartosz Chajdecki’s music for Ziuk. Młody Piłsudski, a Polish TV Series about Polish Independence.
Same year also marked Nikiforos’ return to academia, this time as a lecturer, delivering an annual series of film music seminars at the Athens SAE Institute, part of the school’s Film & Sound course.
He made his Hollywood debut providing orchestrations to George Kallis’ music – The Black Prince (2017), Albion: The Enchanted Stallion (2016), 93 Days (2016) – for the historical drama Cliffs of Freedom (2019), starring Christopher Plummer, Tania Raymonde, Patti LuPone, Kevin Corrigan and Billy Zane. He recently finished orchestrating George Kallis’ latest score for the upcoming biopic Lev Yashin (2019).
In addition to his freelance work, Nikiforos is a member of the Vienna Music Angels music services team. Their projects include Netflix’s production of The Crown (2016) | music by Rupert Gregson-Williams & Hans Zimmer, and Ron Howard’s Inferno (2016) | music by Hans Zimmer.
His concert music has been performed in workshops & concerts by prominent European ensembles – (select) Ives Ensemble, Hebrides Ensemble, Allegri String Quartet, L’Anima String Quartet and Northern Sinfonia – instructed by leading figures in contemporary, film & jazz music scene, such as Prof. Richard Rijnvos, Prof. Rory Boyle, Mr. James Wishart, Dr. Colin Broom, Prof. Gordon McPherson, Prof. Mieko Kanno, Prof. Max Paddison, Prof. John Williamson, Prof. Miguel Mera, Mr. Ian Gardiner – all of whom were Nikiforos’ composition | orchestration | research tutors & supervisors at various stages of his academic career – Prof. Sam Hayden, Prof. Michael Finnisy, Pullitzer Prize winner David Lang and world famous jazz bassist John Pattitucci, among others.
Born in Athens, Greece, after 13 years of extensive musical studies, Nikiforos relocated to the UK in 2003 to further his education. Upon graduation – University of Liverpool | BA Hons Music, Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama (now Royal Conservatoire of Scotland | PgDip in Composition and Durham University | MA in Composition – he went on to pursue a career in music.
Past projects include midi transcriptions for the 2018 video game Zootopia: Dreaming People; score supervision | music preparation of Clint Mansell’s Symphonic Concert, world premiered at Film Music Prague 2018; score supervision | music preparation of Daniel Licht’s Silent Hill Suite, arranged by Norman Kim, premiered at Krakow FMF 2018 Video Games Music Gala concert; Score supervision | music preparation | midi mock-up of Michael Nyman’s Piano for Strings, performed at Krakow FMF 2018 Penderecki2Cinema concert; arrangements for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Symphonic Star Wars 2018 concert at the Royal Albert Hall; arranging Jerry Goldsmith’s The Landing from the composer’s iconic Alien (1979) score, premiered at Film Music Prague 2017 concert Alien | The Symphony; arranging the symphonic versions of Stand by Me | The Host of Seraphim | Who Made Who, copying | editing Richard Bellis’ Suite from Stephen King’s IT (1990), all of which were world premiered at Fimucité’s Stephen King’s Night Gallery 2017 concert; additional orchestrations for the Hollywood in Vienna 2015 & 2016 concert series and the 2016 Hollywood in Concert | Comedy and Fantasy.
