Alexander Janko is a renowned filmmaker with a diverse range of creative endeavors spanning the music, literary, stage, television, and film industries. Trained as a cellist, he initially gained recognition in 1991 with his single "Omniscient Woman," which won Billboard's Best Original Song competition.
After graduating from Princeton, Janko moved to Hollywood, where he contributed to over 65 major motion pictures. His breakthrough came when he collaborated with David Newman as the orchestrator on the 1995 film Tommy Boy, including Newman's Oscar-nominated score for Anastasia (1997).
Janko's subsequent projects include arranging and conducting the music for Man on the Moon (1999),featuring R.E.M.'s Grammy-nominated song "The Great Beyond," which was commissioned by Mike Mills of R.E.M.
A significant milestone in his career was scoring My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002),the highest-grossing romantic comedy in history, which earned him a RIAA-certified soundtrack and a BMI Film Music award.
As a musician, Janko has performed with prestigious orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Seattle Symphony, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sinfonia of London, and the London Metropolitan Orchestra. He has also recorded at renowned studios in Los Angeles and London, including Fox, Paramount, Sony, Todd A-O, Warner Bros, Village, Ocean Way, Capitol, Whitfield, CTS, Air Lindhurst, and Abbey Road.
Janko's stage musical "Crost" is based on the lost love letters of 12th-century icons Heloise and Abelard. As a writer, he has penned a one-act stage play and five film scripts, including "Home Town," which was based on Tracy Kidder's national bestseller and became a semifinalist in Final Draft's Big Break screenwriting competition.
Janko's directorial debut, Year by the Sea (2016),was based on Joan Anderson's NYT best-selling memoir and won 16 festival awards, including Best Film, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Music, and multiple Audience Choice awards before its national release.
