Olaf Taranczewski

Olaf Taranczewski is an accomplished composer, music producer, and pianist known for his versatile work across film, television, and experimental music. In 2015, he received the German Film Music Award (Deutscher Filmmusikpreis) in the category „Best Music in a Film“ for the score of Dissonance (directed by Till Nowak), which also earned him the award for best film music at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Dissonance premiered at the Berlinale and garnered over 40 international awards.

His recent and notable film credits include the score for the HBO feature Mi America, the ZDF drama Schweigeminute, and the award-winning documentary Anne Perry – Interiors, for which he won Best Film Score at the Lünen Film Festival. Since 2011, Taranczewski has been a regular composer for major German television programs, including the Grimme-Preis nominated Frontal 21 and Satirischer Jahresrückblick (ZDF).

An innovative collaborator, Taranczewski re-arranged the orchestral works Materials and Lost for Academy-Award winner Volker Bertelmann (Hauschka), featuring performances at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Volksbühne Berlin. His multidisciplinary work extends to large-scale visual installations, such as the facade projection Hommage Collage for the Genius Loci Festival, and theater productions ranging from the Theater Magdeburg to the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele.

As a jazz pianist and recording artist, he has released a series of acclaimed albums, including Interiors (2019), When I Was (2021), and LOM (2024) via Hey!blau Records. In his trio FOC, alongside Frank Zerban and Chris Ross (Wolfmother), he explores the intersection of prepared piano and electronic ambient music. His commercial portfolio includes international campaigns for brands like Polaroid and Panasonic, earning a Gold Questar Award in New York.

Olaf Taranczewski currently serves as Tenured Professor of Producing at the University of Music Trossingen, specializing in Jazz and Pop. He leads seminars on analog synthesis and film scoring, while overseeing international collaborations such as the short film project with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Press quotes

“Jazz, der zugleich absolut zeitlos ist und sehr modern.”
NDR, Play Jazz! (Ralf Dorschel)

“Ich kann mich kaum erinnern, wann ich das letzte Mal rein akustische Instrumente so fein abgemischt gehört habe.”
likehifi.de (Die besten Musik Alben des Jahres 2021, Thomas Kirsche)

“Das Debütalbum des Jazztrios TARANCZEWSKI beeindruckt mit musikalischer Leichtigkeit, Eleganz und Ausdruckstiefe. Das ist Jazz, der wohl tut.”
byte.fm (Kramladen, Volker Rebell)

“Wie kaum eine andere aktuelle Veröffentlichung atmet diese Produktion jenen Berliner Allzeitspirit, der sich nicht einfach weggentrifizieren lässt.”
Jazz thing 6/21 (Wolf Kampmann)

“Nicht nur der Pianist verfügt über eine herausragende Jazzkenntnis, die hier zu hören ist. Die Musik ist subtil, von raffinierter Eleganz und gleichzeitig nicht frei von Jazz-Feeling und Natürlichkeit.”
Jazz-Fun.de