Composer
In the vibrant tableau of sound and story, Mahlon Berv emerges as an exceptional composer, his awards testifying to a mastery spanning the realms of film, television, video games, and the concert stage. Featured in Vogue and Forbes Magazine, Mahlon's symphonic brilliance has been recognized by the Los Angeles Film Awards, where he was chosen for Best Score. His elegantly crafted, vintage Hollywood orchestration underscored the heart and soul of the animated drama, Sacrifice.
Further testament to his versatility, the film Not(e) for a Dreamer resonates with his composition, a Baroque inspired offering that courted nomination for best score at the LA Fashion Festival. Together with the Berlin-based maestro, Henry Cheng, he lent his creative voice to the Running Learning Center in Seoul, honoring Olympic Gold Medalist Sohn Kee Chung with a stirring musical tribute.
A significant hand on the musical tiller of shows like RuPaul's Drag Race and Million Dollar Listing, (Composer’s assistant) his melodic imprints can be found echoing within the ABC/Disney series, The Great Christmas Light Fight, additional music. Contributing as a scoring assistant, he helped paint harmonic colors on the HBO Series Catch And Kill: The Podcast Tapes. His collaborative finesse is showcased in his orchestration of Eren Önsoy's music for the acclaimed documentary Naziha's Spring, and through his assistance on shows like Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow, interning under Bear McCreary, and mentored by John Mauceri.
Moving beyond the screen, Mahlon's creative spirit finds expression on the concert stage, where he writes operas, symphonies, and ballets. His music has graced the performances of such artists as Martin James Bartlett; the BBC Young Musician of the Year, renowned violinist Madalyn Parnas Möller, and the revolutionary Contemporaneous Ensemble. His solo violin composition Agni, a finalist for the American Prize, and his main theme for the Klangkraft Orchestra in Duisburg, reverberate with his unique tonal language. His orchestrations have also soared through Carnegie Hall, executed by the UN Chamber Music Society of The United Nations.
In 2016, a groundbreaking collaboration with Belgian composer Benjamien Lycke bore fruit: Puck, a full-length opera featuring an iPhone App as a character. This unique project premiered at the Royal College of Music, where Mahlon holds a Master of Composition for Screen degree, along with a Bachelor of Science in Composition and Philosophy from the Jacobs School of Music. Whilst in school, Mahlon studied composition with Sven-David Sandström, Howard Davidson, Don Freund, Philip Lasser, and Claude Baker
Mahlon’s love of music stems from his Juilliard-trained violinist mother, Spring and french horn-playing grandfather, Jack Berv, member of the NBC Symphony Orchestra with Arturo Toscanini and later the original Steve Allen Tonight Show Band. Skitch Henderson, the band's leader, composed the theme featuring Jack and his brothers. Mahlon’s great uncles Arthur and Harry, played horn in the iconic theme of the original Star Trek TV series. Mahlon’s uncle Sam played bugle at Belmont Stakes, and Sam’s brother Irv Grossman plays Jazz trumpet on Broadway in NYC. Mahlon’s brother Jake is an ornithologist, and his father Ken is a psychiatrist.
From a young age, Mahlon cultivated his piano skills under the tutelage of distinguished mentors like Oxana Yablonskaya and Luba Dubinsky from the Borodin Trio. While his early aspirations veered towards a career as a concert pianist, his infatuation with composition and entrancing melodies guided him towards the domain of film scoring.
Now residing in Los Angeles, Mahlon weaves his symphonic stories for film, TV, and the concert stage. A practicing Buddhist, with Ukrainian Jewish ancestry, he aspires to the Hindu principle of ahimsa—non-violence and kindness—as he navigates the world and its rich musical landscape.
Mahlon’s music was presented on Norman Lebrecht’s classical music blog, here, in 2020.
"Bravo on such a brilliant, effective, musical composition. It is one which, I am sure, many performers and audiences will find gratifying. You have an excellent feel for the instruments for which you are writing. There is much in your music that I am very taken with: its passion, large sweep, sense of drama." Shulamit Ran, Pulitzer Prize 1991