David Kollar | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 25, 1983 Prešov, Slovakia |
| Genres | Experimental music, Jazz, Ambient music, Avant-garde music |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, Composer, Film score composer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Website | www |
David Kollar (born 25 October 1983) is a Slovak experimental guitarist, composer, and film score composer. He has received multiple awards, including the Slovak National Film Award for Best Film Score, the Radio_Head Award for Contribution to Slovak Music, and the Esprit Award for Best Jazz Album.
David Kollar was born on October 25, 1983, in Prešov, then part of communist Czechoslovakia. He comes from a musical family—his father, Miroslav Kollar, was a bass guitarist in the local rock band Fest Classic Rock Band, and his grandfather, Jozef Tkáč, was a trumpeter in a brass band in Fričovce.
During his childhood, Kollar took lessons in acoustic guitar and later studied for two years at a jazz school in Prešov. He was a student of Andrej Šeban, one of Slovakia’s most influential guitarists, whose mentorship significantly shaped his artistic direction.
As he developed his craft, Kollar started collaborating with renowned musicians from around the world, particularly with pioneering and innovative artists such as Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn from King Crimson, Rick Cox (guitarist for Jon Hassell and Thomas Newman), Christian Fennesz, Arve Henriksen, Steven Wilson, Marco Minnemann, Gergo Borlai, Nad Sylvan, and Erik Truffaz, Nils Petter Molvaer, Eivind Aarset, among others.
Kollar is known for his highly experimental and forward-thinking approach to the guitar and sound design. His work expands beyond performance and recording, as he also writes about art and culture. He regularly publishes articles on his blog at davidkollar.substack.com and produces two podcasts: **David Kollar Podcast Sk**, which is in Slovak, and **David Kollar Podcast En**, which is in English.
His work has received significant critical recognition, and at a young age, he was honored with the Radio_Head Award for Contribution to Slovak Music, alongside numerous other awards and accolades for his contribution to experimental music and film scoring.