"His work is informed by a deep personal commitment
and understanding of art and contemporary culture."
- Matthew Nicholl, Berklee
"Oleg is an excellent collaborator and a true wizard
when it comes to scoring to picture"
- Nataliya Stoltidis, film director
Oleg Smirnov is Los Angeles-based music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer for film, TV and the new media, a voting member of the Recording Academy (Grammy Awards) and the Society for Composers and Lyricists. Among Oleg Smirnov's past clienteles are some major media outlets and brands such as Greenpeace, WWF, Berklee, TV Kultura, etc., as well as filmmakers and A-list music libraries.
A multi-instrumentalist and descendent of the Russian music tradition, Oleg is a versatile composer and music producer whose work combines stylistic diversity with deep insight, sensitivity, and attention to detail. His music was featured in film, TV, radio, theatre productions, media campaigns and was reviewed in major music media (Billboard, InRock, PLAY, etc.), as well as available in major digital stores (iTunes, Google Play, Spotify).
Oleg Smirnov's work was showcased at 22 national and international music festivals and was performed and recorded by most remarkable performing artists. In 2011 his arranging of John Zorn's piece "Meholalot" was welcomed by the New York avant-garde guru himself. Oleg was also featured on the British avant-pop icon Mark Almond's album "Orpheus In Exile" (2009); composed and produced several albums for the Russian premiere instrumental collective EXIT project, which were released on the Eastern European major record labels "CD Land" and "Soyuz Records", as well as pioneered the innovative digital publishing format "3plet". The overall circulation of the CDs featuring the band's work exceeds 1,000,000 copies. Oleg's 2012 collaboration with jazz and world music artist Kirill Parenchuk led to a multimedia project Son Cherished Most embracing music, visual arts, philosophy, and documentary film. The recent works include collaborations with an array of prominent American artists and acts such as Exale, Nathanael Pangrazio, IGM Orchestra, Diana Barash, Yan Perchuk, Slava Tolstoy, Sergey Chipenko, Alissa, and Gen Nady. Oleg Smirnov's 2021 album "Amrita", a collaboration with Indian traditional singer Kamini Natarajan was running for the 63rd Grammy Awards in the Best New Age Album category alongside Trent Reznor and Brian Eno. In 2021 Oleg composed a soundtrack for a theater production of Fish Don't Melt commissioned by the New Theater (Russia), and produced album Kindness featuring Dave Koz, Michael Lington, Sergey Chipenko and 23 other international musicians. Both works were submitted for Grammy Awards® in Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category.
In addition to the degree with honors in contemporary writing and production from Boston's Berklee College of Music Oleg's background highlights a master of arts in psychology.
Apart from being a voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammy Awards), Oleg Smirnov is a voting member of the Society of Composers and Lyricists, BMI, Academy of Scoring Arts (Los Angeles) as well as a music production expert and judge at the Collisium Music Convention (Europe)
INTERVIEWS:
Interview for Voyage LA (USA, 2019)
Interview for LNGFRM Magazine (USA, 2019)
Interview for Vents Magazine (USA, 2018)
Interview for Jazz Convention Magazine (Italy, 2015)
Interview for Radio Mediametrics (Russia, 2016)
AWARDS:
BERKLEE Outstanding Musicianship Award (2016)
by Berklee Professional Writing Division
FILM / THEATER
"ANCESTOR’S DAY" Natalia Stoltidis, dir.
Independent, 2017 Alexey Spaskov, prod.
Composer, sound designer
"FISH DON"T MELT" Jef Aertz, writer
The New Theater, 2021 Victoria Shalamova, dir.
Composer, music producer
"SON CHERISHED MOST" Zhenya Lutsenko, dir.
NOOM Films, 2012 Aslan Zavrumov, prod.
Composer, music producer
TELEVISION / NEW MEDIA:
"A TICKET TO THE BOLSHOY" Konstantin Kutz, dir.
Kultura Federal TV network Nikolay Sergeyev, prod.
"NATIONAL PARKS OF SIBERIA" Documentary series by Greenpeace
"EARTH HOUR" Advertisement campaign by WWF
"GREEN FINGER" Advertisement campaign by WWF
DISCOGRAPHY:
2021
- "KINDNESS" by Sergey Chipenko and various artists
- "FISH DON'T MELT" original theater soundtrack
2020
- “AMRITA” by Oleg Smirnov & Kamini Natarajan, EP
2015
- “COLOR SPLASHES” by EXIT project, (CD, Vykhod Records)
2012
- “SON CHERISHED MOST” by Oleg Smirnov & Kirill Parenchuk,
(CD, Tunguska EMS, 3plet publishing)
2011
- “LIVE AT GOLDEN MASK” by EXIT project feat. Sergey Letov (CD, Soyuz Records)
2011
- “LIVESPLASHES” by EXIT project (CD, Soyuz Records, 3plet Publishing)
2009
- “ORPHEUS IN EXILE” by Mark Almond (CD, Strike Force Entertainment UK)
2008
- “LIVE AT O2TV" by EXIT project (DVD, O2TV Publishing)
2008
- "ZHIVU LIVE" by Personal EXIT (CD, Sonic Space Records)
2007
- “A MYSTERY JOURNEY...” by EXIT project (CD, Digital, Free!Music Publishing)
PRESS CLIPPINGS:
"Oleg writes in a wide variety of styles authentically and with deep understanding. His writing and production are first rate. His Russian background, coupled with his deep study of a wide variety of music from around the world, makes him uniquely poised to deliver a highly personal yet universal artistic statement. "
- Matthew Nicholl, Berklee
“This artistic band sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before. Sephardic grooves and jazz based compositions mix the energy of a rock show with the subtlety of a performance recital...”
– Alex Brown, SplintersAndCandy.com
“EXIT project delivers cosmic musical harmony with an eclectic approach. Where else can you hear a funked out dub version of John Zorn’s “Meholalot” complete with heavy bass and screeching violins?”
– WVKR FM Poughkeepsie, NY Radio Review
“The genre-bending styles and musical exploits of the EXIT project traverse the world of nu- jazz, electronica, downtempo, fusion, and experimental realms. Tangerine Dream-like percussion displays and ambient washes combine with evocative club-beats and groovy melodies to provide an extremely engaging result; ...morsel-filled with scrumptious delights of ear candy for the heart, soul, and everything in-between.”
– Matthew Forss, World Music News Network
“The globally inflicted music, dubbed “art-fusion,” belongs to the underground scene happening in Moscow. Their extended live pieces take you on a journey, twisting and turning with violin, saxophones, flute, didgeridoo, guitar, keyboards, bass, drums and tabla, displaying a wide range of musical influences...”
– Review, WVKR FM, NY Radio
“...Russian art scene pops up and draws on all the international down tempo touchstones as well as an Art of Noise meets AEC vibe. Suppose Ibiza was closer to Siberia. This crew is an amalgam of hot players from other crews and the super jam yields a soundtrack for art chicks everywhere...”
– Midwest Records
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