Michael Yezerski

Yezerski at the 2024 WonderCon

Michael Yezerski is an Australian composer known for his scores for feature films such as The Waiting City, The Black Balloon (for which he won an APRA Award[1] and a Screen Music Award),[2] Newcastle, and Thursday's Fictions, as well as collaborations with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Gondwana Voices Children's Choir (such as an adaptation of Shaun Tan's book The Red Tree),[3] the National Museum of Canberra, Synergy Percussion and The Physical TV Company.

In an interview with Headliner Magazine, Yezerski discussed composing the score for 2019 horror film, The Vigil: "Why have there been so many horror films that have explored the various denominations of Christianity and demons and devils and everything associated with Christianity, but there has hardly ever been a film that explores the dark side of Jewish mysticism? I'm Jewish myself, so this is exactly the question that I've been asking. What I love about horror films, and dark, edgy films, in general – there's so much creative license to play with musical effects in non traditional ways. It's really fun as a composer."

Filmography as composer

Film

Title Year Note(s)
Ah Hu's Retreat 2001 Documentary short film
A Matter of Life Short film
The Other Son Short film
No Surrender 2002 Short film
Broken Beat 2005 Short film
Burma's Open Road: An Insight Into Myanymar 2007 Documentary
Skin Short film
La même nuit Short film
Cross Life
Thursday's Fictions
Reincarnating Thursday's Fictions 2008 Documentary
Night Train Short film
Sisters Documentary short film
The Last Mahout Documentary
The Black Balloon
Newcastle
Storm Surfers, Dangerous Banks Documentary
Echo 2009 Short film
The Waiting City
Seamstress 2010 Short film
Stay Awake Short film
Providence Park Short film
The Lost Thing Short film
Pop Short film
Little Hands 2011 Short film
The Gold Pen Short film
The Outback 2012
Boo! Short film; theme music composer
Storm Surfers 3D Documentary
Mental
Inhuman Resources
A Man Walks Into a Bar 2013 Short film
Drift
The Last Impresario Documentary
Baby Baby 2014 Short film
Flyboy Short film
Transformers: Age of Extinction additional music
The Little Death
Only the Dead 2015 Documentary
Talk to Someone Short film
The Devil's Candy
Shiny 2016 Short film
The Ravens Short film
We Don't Belong Here 2017
The Beehive Short film
Blindspotting 2018
The Vigil 2019

Television

Title Year Note(s)
Undercover Angels: Sex, Spies, and Surveillance 2005 Documentary
The Sun's Search for the Moon 2007 Mini-series
Lani's Story 2010 Documentary
Storm Surfers: New Zealand Television film
A Place to Call Home 2013–present
Carlotta 2014 Television film
Winter 2015
House of Hancock Miniseries
Catching Milat Miniseries
Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door Miniseries
Home and Away: An Eye for an Eye Television film
Wanted 2016–present
Hyde & Seek
The Secret Daughter
Confess 2017 1 episode: "They're All Confessions"
Blindspotting 2021–2023

Awards and nominations

APRA Music Awards

The APRA Music Awards are sets of annual awards to celebrate excellence in contemporary music, which honour the skills of member composers, songwriters and publishers who have achieved outstanding success in sales and airplay performance. They are presented by APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society), which commenced in 1982.[4] The APRA Awards include the Screen Music Awards, which were first presented in 2002 by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC).[5][6] The APRA Awards also include the Art Music Music Awards (formerly Classical Music Awards), which are distributed by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre (AMC) since 2001.[7]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2002 No Surrender (Michael Yezerski) Best Music for a Short Film Won [8]
2006 Cape of Storms (Yezerski, Richard Tognetti, Afro Moses, Chris Nelius) Best Music for a Documentary Nominated [9]
[10]
Thursday's Fictions (Yezerski) Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie Nominated
"Aria" (Yezerski) from Thursday's Fiction Best Original Song Composed for the Screen Won
Thursday's Fictions (Yezerski) Best Soundtrack Album Nominated
2008 "The Greatest Act in History" (Yezerski) from The Black Balloon Best Original Song Composed for the Screen Nominated [11]
[12]
"When We Get There" (Josh Pyke, Yezerski) from The Black Balloon Best Original Song Composed for the Screen Won
The Black Balloon (Yezerski) Best Soundtrack Album Won
2009 The Red Tree (Yezerski, Tognetti) Best Composition by an Australian Composer Nominated [13]
[14]
2010 The Waiting City (Yezerski) Best Feature Film Score Nominated [15]
[16]
The Lost Thing (Yezerski) Best Music for a Short Film Won
2011 SBS – "Films 2" (Yezerski) Best Music for an Advertisement Nominated [17]
[18]
[19]
The Lost Thing (Yezerski) Best Soundtrack Album Nominated
2012 Storms Surfers 3D (Tognetti, Yezerski) Feature Film Score of the Year Nominated [20]
[21]
2013 Storms Surfers 3D (Tognetti, Yezerski) Best Soundtrack Album Nominated [22]
[23]
2016 Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door (Yezerski, Ashley Irwin) Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie Nominated [24]
[25]
[26]
[27]
[28]
Ravens (Yezerski, Helen Grimley) Best Music for a Short Film Nominated
Wanted "Series 1 Episode 6" (Yezerski) Best Music for a Television Series or Serial Nominated
Only the Dead (Yezerski) Best Soundtrack Album Nominated
2019 Dead Lucky (Yezerski) Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie Won [29]
[30]
[31]
Dead Lucky (Yezerski) Best Television Theme Nominated
2020 The Vigil (Yezerski) Feature Film Score of the Year Nominated [32]
[33]
Yezerski Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas Nominated
2021 The Tax Collector (Yezerski) Feature Film Score of the Year Nominated [34]
[35]
The Vigil (Yezerski) Best Soundtrack Album Nominated
Yezerski Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas Nominated
2022 Blindspotting (Yezerski, Ambrose Akinmusire) Best Music for a Television Series or Serial Nominated [36]
[37]
2023 Ivy + Bean (Yezerski) Best Music for Children's Programming Won [38]
[39]
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: Episode 5: "Pickman's Model" (Yezerski) Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie Nominated
Ivy + Bean (Yezerski) Best Television Theme Won

References

  1. ^ "The Black Balloon and Underbelly claim music honours". The Age. Melbourne. 4 November 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  2. ^ Mengel, Noel (5 November 2008). "Stevie Wonder, Tim Finn bring tears of joy". Courier Mail. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  3. ^ Wilson, Ashleigh (4 July 2008). "Music completes the picture". The Australian. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  4. ^ "History". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Categories". APRA AMCOS. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Screen Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  7. ^ "Classical Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  8. ^ "2002 Winners - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  9. ^ "2006 Winners - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  10. ^ "2006 Nominations - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  11. ^ "2008 Winners - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  12. ^ "2008 Nominations - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  13. ^ "Winners – Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  14. ^ "Nominations – Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  15. ^ "2010 Winners - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  16. ^ "2010 Nominations - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  17. ^ "2011 Winners – Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  18. ^ "Nominations > Best Music for an Advertisement". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  19. ^ "Nominations > Best Soundtrack Album". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  20. ^ "2012 Winners – Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  21. ^ "Nominations > Feature Film Score of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  22. ^ "Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  23. ^ "Best Soundtrack Album". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  24. ^ "Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  25. ^ "Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  26. ^ "Best Music for a Short Film". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  27. ^ "Best Music for a Television Series or Serial". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  28. ^ "Best Soundtrack Album". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2016. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  29. ^ "Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  30. ^ "Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  31. ^ "Best Television Theme". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) | Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  32. ^ "Screen Music Awards: Full List of Winners & Nominees". APRA AMCOS Australia. 2020. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  33. ^ "2020 Screen Music Awards winners announced". APRA AMCOS Australia. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  34. ^ "Screen Music Awards: Full List of Winners & Nominees". APRA AMCOS Australia. 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  35. ^ "Congratulations to the 2021 Screen Music Awards winners". APRA AMCOS Australia. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  36. ^ "Screen Music Awards: Full List of Winners & Nominees". APRA AMCOS Australia. 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  37. ^ "2022 Screen Music Awards Winners Announced". APRA AMCOS Australia. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  38. ^ "2023 Screen Music Awards Nominees Revealed". APRA AMCOS. AGSC. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  39. ^ "2023 Screen Music Awards Winners Announced". APRA AMCOS. AGSC. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.