Draft:David Bertok

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  • Comment: Add secondary sources and avoid using interviews and primary sources as references. // GMH Melbourne (talk) 12:00, 29 March 2023 (UTC)
  • Comment: Too much of the content, incl. personal details like DOB, is unreferenced. Please ensure that every material statement is supported by a reliable source.
    Sources cited are insufficient to establish notability per GNG, and I cannot see anything in the draft to suggest MUSICBIO notability either. -- DoubleGrazing (talk) 08:13, 23 August 2022 (UTC)


David Bertok (born 1981).[1] is a composer of film and concert music.

In 2025, he won, together with Duncan Thum, a Primetime Emmy Award in the category "Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score)" for the composition on Netflix’s Chef’s Table.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Early life and education

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David Bertok is originally from Bratislava, Slovakia. At the age of six his family fled Czechoslovakia to start a new life in West Germany. He grew up in Munich where he also trained as a classical and jazz pianist.[8]

In 2012, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study with the Scoring for Motion Picture and Television Program at USC School of Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles.[9] He lives and works in Santa Monica.[10]

Subsignal and Dreamscape

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From 2008 to 2014, Bertok was a member of the German progressive rock band Subsignal. Subsignal reached the German album charts twice during his tenure as keyboarder, songwriter, lyricist and producer: with Touchstones in 2011[11] and with Paraiso in 2013[12]

The online progressive rock encyclopedia Babyblaue Seiten wrote about the Dreamscape album Everlight: "The secret star of the album is keyboardist David Bertok - otherwise also active in Subsignal - who with his imaginative, variable playing forms the ideal counterpart to the guitar escapades of Wolfgang Kerinnis. Bertok was also involved in the songwriting, so springs from his pen, among others, the ear-catching title track "Everlight", perhaps the heavy ballad of the year."[13]

Before moving to Los Angeles, Bertok toured Europe as a live musician with progressive rock bands opening for acts such as Scorpions and Saga.[14]

Work

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His neoclassical album One was released in 2024 and received a Hollywood Independent Music Award Nomination for the piece "Fontana dell'Anima".[15]

Among others, Bertok has written the score for the critically acclaimed film, Peace by Chocolate,[16] which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021.[17]

Bertok scored the documentary Botero, about the Columbian artist's life, which was the winner of the Best Documentary in Fine Art at the Master of Art Film Festival in 2020.[18]

More credits include: Emmy-winning "Chef's Table" for Netflix,[19] "For the Love of George" (starring Rosanna Arquette),[20] "Brittany Runs a Marathon", and the German film series "Fünf Freunde".

He has also written and orchestrated music for film and TV currently running on Disney +, HBO Max, HULU, Netflix and Amazon.

He orchestrated the desert symphony project for Stranger.[21] In October 2022, he conducted the symphony that he had arranged and orchestrated at its premiere.[22]

Discography

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Subsignal

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  • Beautiful & Monstrous (2009)
  • Touchstones (2011)
  • Out There Must Be Something (2012, Live DVD)
  • Paraíso (2013)

Dreamscape

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Everlight (2012)

David Bertok

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References

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  1. ^ Stories, Local. "Conversations with David Bertok - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  2. ^ "Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score) 2025 - Nominees & Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  3. ^ Licuria, Rob (2025-08-11). "'Chef's Table' composers Duncan Thum and David Bertok on the artistry and philosophy of 4 world‑renowned chefs". Gold Derby. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  4. ^ Lewis, McKinley Franklin,Hilary (2025-09-08). "Creative Arts Emmys, Night Two: Full List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-09-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Duncan Thum & David Bertok Win Emmy Award for 'Chef's Table: Legends' Episode 'José Andrés' | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  6. ^ "Emmy-Nominated 'Chef's Table: Legends' Composer David Bertok On the Music of Food | No Film School". nofilmschool.com. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  7. ^ Stillman, Cory (2025-06-15). "Interview: Composer David Bertok Took Inspiration from José Andrés for 'Chef's Table: Legends'". Awards Radar. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  8. ^ Stories, Local. "Conversations with David Bertok - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  9. ^ "David Bertok - USC Department of Screen Scoring". uscscoring.com. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  10. ^ Bohn, von Marc (2021-07-25). "Filmkomponist David Bertok aus L.A. im Interview". KEYBOARDS (in German). Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  11. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  12. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  13. ^ "Babyblaue Prog-Reviews: Dreamscape: Everlight: Review". www.babyblaue-seiten.de. Retrieved 2022-12-21Translated from German: "Geheimer Star des Albums ist Keyboarder David Bertok – sonst auch bei Subsignal aktiv -, der mit seinem einfallsreichen, variablen Spiel den idealen Gegenpart zu den Gitarreneskapaden von Wolfgang Kerinnis bildet. Bertok war auch am Songwriting beteiligt, so entspringt seiner Feder unter anderem der ohrwurmartige Titeltrack „Everlight", vielleicht die Heavy-Ballade des Jahres.".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  14. ^ "Meet David Bertok | Composer". SHOUTOUT LA. 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  15. ^ "2024 WINNERS and NOMINEES | Hollywood Independent Music Awards". Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  16. ^ "'Peace by Chocolate' Soundtrack Album Details | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  17. ^ "Peace by Chocolate | 2021 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  18. ^ "Master of Art | Film Festival". Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  19. ^ Lewis, McKinley Franklin,Hilary (2025-09-08). "Creative Arts Emmys, Night Two: Full List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-09-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "'For the Love of George' Soundtrack Released | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  21. ^ "The Sound in you: Orchestrator David Bertok - stranger.org". Stranger. 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  22. ^ Zirnstein, Michael (22 October 2022). "Wer ist der Münchner Pianist, der sich Stranger nennt?". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-21.
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