Robert John Sedky Composer b. 1973

Born in Melbourne, Robert J. Sedky studied composition at Latrobe University, and has worked tirelessly and passionately since his graduation. He composed the score and sound design for Monster Media’s production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at the Melbourne Theatre Company (2017); he composed the score for the Academy Accredited Beast, winner of Best Australian Short Film at Flickerfest (2017); and he received his first international score nomination for the film 10 Grand at Cinefest (2018). Sedky was the recipient of Creative Victoria’s Artist in Schools program (2016).

What age did you get interested in Music?

I’ve always loved music, but if we wanted to time stamp it, I suppose a shift from vivid interest to unabashed love came about when I was 12 years old. I received a scholarship as choirboy at St Patricks Cathedral College in Melbourne, and it filled me with a respect, humility and passion that I hadn’t previously known. Singing in the great cathedral halls and discovering the works of 18th Century composers such as Bach and Händel had a profound and lasting influence on me.

What is your primary instrument?

I would say the guitar and the piano are my main instruments, but I write and produce songs whenever an opportunity arises. My love for singing has not diminished since I first set foot in St Patricks Cathedral. Over the last decade I have refined my craft as a session musician and arranger for national and international artists and record producers, like Charles Fisher (Savage Garden, ToR+ Saksit, The Celtic Tenors) and Jay Newland (Norah Jones, Eran James). I have performed on most of my own film scores, and this process has helped me uncover my own voice. You could say that over the years I have gone from passion to technique, and back to passion.

When did you get your first professional Film Scoring job?

Eran James and I were playing warm up gigs in lead up to a National tour supporting Sir Elton John. After the show I got chatting to a man who had seen me play. We had a lovely conversation that soon led to our shared love of cinema, and I told him I had just completed a few short film scores. It was at this point that he smiled and told me he was Martin Dingle Wall an actor producer looking to hire a composer for a feature film, The Nothing Men. This was the beginning of a new chapter and a whole new learning curve for me.

What inspired you to want to work in the Film business?

I was always curious about the craft of filmmaking: the art of the multi-layered storytelling. A visual craft so intrinsically linked with music. For me, a visit to the cinema was always a great form of education as well as escapism. I remember watching Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and being completely overwhelmed by its sheer beauty and expressive power. Hearing John Williams’ score for the first time inspired me to want work in film. The boldness, the playfulness and the simplicity of his score all spoke to me. All music has a place. And I have a place within it.