Sylvester Levay
title: "Sylvester Levay" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["hungarians-in-vojvodina", "hungarian-film-score-composers", "serbian-film-score-composers", "hungarian-male-film-score-composers", "hungarian-musical-theatre-composers", "serbian-musical-theatre-composers", "musicians-from-subotica", "1945-births", "living-people", "grammy-award-winners", "varèse-sarabande-records-artists"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_Levay" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Sylvester Levay |
| image | Sylvester levay.jpg |
| landscape | |
| caption | Levay at 2012 Elisabeth Premiere |
| background | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Subotica, FS Serbia, DF Yugoslavia |
| death_date | |
| genre | Film score |
| occupation | Composer, musician |
| instrument | Keyboards |
| years_active | |
| associated_acts | Tangerine Dream |
| website | |
| :: |
| honorific_prefix = | name = Sylvester Levay | honorific_suffix = | image = Sylvester levay.jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = | alt = | caption = Levay at 2012 Elisabeth Premiere | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = Subotica, FS Serbia, DF Yugoslavia | origin = | death_date = | death_place = | genre = Film score | occupation = Composer, musician | instrument = Keyboards | years_active = | label = | associated_acts = Tangerine Dream | website =
| module = | module2 = | module3 =
Sylvester Levay (originally Lévay Szilveszter, Serbian: Силвестер Леваи, Silvester Levai) is a Hungarian recording artist and composer, born in Yugoslavia (now Serbia).
Life and career
Levay was born on 16 May 1945 in Subotica in the North Bačka District of Vojvodina, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). Sylvester Levay began his musical studies at the age of eight. Levay developed a taste for American music while growing up in Yugoslavia, eventually becoming a music arranger and lyricist. Upon his arrival in Munich in 1972, he met his writing partner, Michael Kunze, with whom he has created many successful theatrical works. From 1980 to 2000 he lived in Hollywood and concentrated on composing film music. He composed songs for notable artists like Elton John and Penny McLean. He was awarded a Grammy for his 1975 song "Fly Robin Fly".
In October 2010, Levay worked with Xiah Junsu of JYJ to prepare for a musical concert - "Kim Junsu Musical Concert, Levay with Friends" in South Korea to be held at Seoul's Olympic Gymnastics Arena.
He currently divides his time between homes in Munich, Vienna and Los Angeles. Married for twenty-five years, he and his wife Monika have a daughter, Alice, and a son, Sylvester Jr.
Compositions (selection)
- "Fly, Robin, Fly" (1975)
- Get Up and Boogie (1976)
- Scarface OST (as arranger) (1983)
- Flashdance soundtrack collaboration with Giorgio Moroder
- Where the Boys Are '84 (1984)
- Invitation to Hell (1984)
- Creator (1985)
- My Man Adam (1986)
- Airwolf (1984–1986)
- Cobra (1986)
- Mannequin (1987)
- Werewolf (TV series) (1987–88)
- Probe (TV series) (1988)
- Navy SEALs (1990)
- Stone Cold (1991)
- Hot Shots! (1991)
- Medicopter 117 (1998–2006)
- Hexen, Hexen (musical) (1990)
- Elisabeth (Musical) (1992)
- Mozart! (musical) (1999)
- Rebecca (musical) (2006)
- Marie Antoinette (musical) (2006)
- Beethoven Secret (musical) (2023)
Awards
- Grammy Award for Fly, Robin, Fly, words by Michael Kunze (1975)
- Goldene Stimmgabel (2002)
- Goldene Europa (2002)
References
References
- "Sylvester Lévay elégedett az Összefogás dalával". [[Duna TV]].
- Vickers, Tom. "Singles: Surprising Takeoff of 'Fly, Robin, Fly.'" ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' 203 (January 1, 1976), p. 18.
- (2012-08-13). "Interview mit Sylvester Levay: Wir suchen neue Wege". thatsmusical.de.
- (2006-10-04). "Poetin Ruth Weiss und Komponist Sylvester Levay ausgezeichnet". Magistrat der Stadt Wien.
- "Sylvester Levay". [[Allmusic]].
- "[http://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=201008301000391001 Xiah Junsu Musical Concert To Be Held]", 2010
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