| Sylvester Levay | |
| Background: | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| Birth Date: | 16 May 1945 |
| Birth Place: | Subotica, FS Serbia, DF Yugoslavia |
| Genre: | Film score |
| Occupation: | Composer, musician |
| Instrument: | Keyboards |
| Associated Acts: | Tangerine Dream |
Sylvester Levay (originally Lévay Szilveszter, Serbian: Силвестер Леваи, Silvester Levai) is a Hungarian recording artist and composer, born in Yugoslavia (now Serbia).
Levay was born on 16 May 1945 in Subotica[1] 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.[2] Upon his arrival in Munich in 1972, he met his writing partner, Michael Kunze, with whom he has created many successful theatrical works.[3] [4] 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.[5] He was awarded with 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.[6]
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.