An associate professor of music theory and composition at the College of Charleston was recognized internationally, as well as stateside, after scoring music for the acclaimed short film “Hamam.”
Yiorgos Vassilandonakis’ music from 2020 for the film gained traction for the independent film lovers and became officially selected for the Roma Short Film Festival, Seoul International Indie Film Festival and a featured film in the Tokyo Film Festival.
“Since I’m in the middle of this rich music community, I tailored the score to what I had available in terms of talent within the community,” Vassilandonakis told the College of Charleston’s The College Today. “It’s only natural to work with musicians who are close to you physically and geographically, as well as people you know how to work with. I also thought it would be a great opportunity and experience for them. None of them had done this before, and the high pressure of recording in a studio is (a) good experience to have.”
The score was recorded by College of Charleston music majors Eric Pickford (violin) and Maria Savelyeva (cello), artist certificate graduate Savannah Grace Cash (viola), adjunct faculty member Philip Lipton (clarinet), and music composition alumnus Matt Tuton ’15 (audio engineer and producer).
“This opportunity was one of my first times recording in a studio setting, regardless of the fact it was for a film,” Vassilandonakis told The College Today. “Although I have studied classical music since I was 7 years old, this was my first film score and my first ‘real’ recording for professional purposes. Additionally, at the time, I had very little experience premiering new compositions, so this was also unusual in that this was the first time this music had ever been played.”
“Hamam” is the story of a painting and its owners, their families and their desires and destinies throughout the history of modern Greece.
Vassilandonakis has extensive experience and advanced degrees in composition and scored several films in the 1990s.
“It was a great experience for all of us,” Vassilandonakis told The College Today. “I plan on getting back to doing professional film projects like this one with students and local musicians,” he says. “It’s high-pressure work, but having that experience and getting credit on a film: Every one of us wins.”
