Daniel Forro (civil name Karel Horky), born 19.2.1958 in Jihlava, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), M.A., Ph.D. He has been living in Jihlava for his first 15 years until 1973, then he continued his study and has been living in Brno for next 30 years until September 2003, when he moved to his dreamland Japan to follow his Japanese wife. Since April 2006 they are happy parents of a girl Karen (in Japanese language "Elegant Lotus Flower"), in September 2008 son Saimon (Gate of Knowledge) was born. To keep math of his life in the proper order he plans to live in Japan for the next 45 (15+30) or 60 (15x2=30x2=60) years.

Studies
He has studied piano, flute and music theory (1965-73) in Art School in Jihlava, continued with flute, pipe organ, music theory and composition at the Brno Conservatory (1973-79). He finished his studies with distinction by performing J. Zimmer's Concerto, J. S. Bach's Passacaglia C minor on pipe organ and writing dissertation work "Electronics & Sound".
1975-79 he has been studying composition privately with Alois Pinos, 1979-86 with the same professor at JAMU - Janacek's Academy of Music in Brno.
In 1982 during this study he got information about the rare possibility in those uneasy times behind iron curtain to take part in a Summer Composition Master Class at Academia Chigiana in Sienna, Italy, with Franco Donatoni - scholarships were offered by Italian Ministry of Education. To his big surprise he was selected by Czech authorities as an excellent student - rather unusual in those times when political activity was more important then gift, knowledge and ability. He or his parents didn't cooperate in any sense with official establishment (usual way how to show loyality was to be a member of Communist Party, they weren't). It was his the only journey to the West until 1994 (when his extensive travelling as Yamaha Product Specialist started). But expectations were not fulfilled - so after two days he stopped to visit the lessons finding that class was targeted to the music amateurs, beginners and rich diletants, that small scholarship allowed him to be only a passive visitor and that there was no chance to be in a direct contact to Mr. Donatoni as teaching was done by his students. Daniel then spent two beautiful months in Tuscany for culture and language study, making some money playing flute on the streets of Sienna, Florence and other cities he visited, and returned to the grey zone of Czechoslovakian totality of "real socialism" with traces of Italian sun on his skin and in his mind. Since this visit he hadn't visited "bellissima Italia" again but he hopes to return one day...
He finished Academy study with distinction with his "Concerto for synthesizers, computer and large orchestra" (25', he played the solo part himself at the concert) and thesis "Electronics & Music" (over 200 pages - later he used it as a base material for his expert books).
1999 he finished his postgradual study of "Theory of music composition" at JAMU and obtained Ph.D. He started another Ph.D. study of musicology at Department of Musicology of Masaryk University Brno (planned dissertation work "Chromaticism in European Music 1000-2000") but study was not finished because of moving to Japan.

Composition
Daniel Forro started to compose music about his ten, has been regularly composing since his 14 and has created more thousand works in the most different music genres (right now he tries to figure out the exact number) - he can write music in any style. He writes autonome New Music, where he often combines acoustic and electronic instruments. In each work he tries to use different principles and ideas, very often based on extra-musical material, complex mathematical structures or totally opposite on improvisation. He considers polystylistic electroacoustic, computer and microtonal music to be his main stream - not always and necessarily experimental but very often it is so. Since 1985 he has been a pioneer in the use of MIDI and computers in the New music in former Czechoslovakia.
He did a pretty great deal of functional music - chansons, theatre, cabaret, pop, rock, folk, jazz and other songs (over 550 pieces), 19 musicals and over 200 items of incidental music for theatre and ballet performances, TV and radio artistic or documentary programs, film, video and many other. Each item consists usually from many musical sequences, so real number of works is much higher. He has authored Brno municipal fanfares. He writes jazz, jazz-rock and fusion works, music for sports, for groups of historical dancing and fencing, happenings etc. He is able to write music in the style of composers of the past centuries as well as jazz, rock, pop, ethnic, fusion, microtonal, electronic, minimal and other music. He believes that only a composer of such wide and deep knowledge and ability deserves to be called "composer". He is both experimental and synthetic type of composer - on one side he did extremely experimental and unusual music, on the other side he is able to write in eclectic historical or ethnical styles. All his creative life he tries to find some balance between these two totally different approaches, to use his knowledge and to make an organic synthesis by connecting the elements of the European music since the ancient times until now (time domain) with music from all the world (be it artificial or ethnic, space domain) - in full accordance with his own term "musical cosmopolitanism". Being admirer of Zen Buddhism he believes time and space are united (even science has nothing against this opinion), so for him is not difficult to connect the most distant things. He considers many composers of past to be his living colleagues and friends like any other recently living persons.

Concert performing
Among D. Forro's other musical activities should be mentioned giving concerts on keyboards and other instruments since his 9 in the field of classical music and since about his 17 in the other musical styles (pop, rock, jazz, ethnic music, electronic music). As a keyboard player he was a member of top Czech rock groups PROGRES 2 (compositional and arranging cooperation on the very first Czech rock opera "Dialogue with Space") and BRONZ - 1977-84, since 1983 he performed solo as FORROTRONICS, since 1997 also sometimes with Brno percussion ensemble DAMA DAMA. During his concert carrier in Czechoslovakia (1967-2003) he cooperated with many other artists, groups and orchestras. He is well known as an excellent creative improviser in any music style and incredible prima-vista player able to play without any problem even rather difficult classical or contemporary music pieces in standard music notation or some unusual graphical notation on the first sight as well as Baroque numbered bass or jazz leadsheets full of chord signs. Big help here is for him a deep knowledge of music theory and history, excellent playing skills and long-year experience in many styles, and perfect pitch.
After moving to Japan in 2003 he continues successfully in concert carrier performing on different instruments and in many music styles. Besides his solo performing on piano, pipe organ, reed organ, Hammond organ and synthesizers he cooperated with the other artists: classical violinist Liu Wei, Natsuko Katoh and Stephen Brivati, shakuhachi player Gakuzinzan, German saxophonist Kai Wittel, Latin music pianist Shiho Hino, French chanson singer Nobuko Endo, koto virtuoso Maki Shikano, classical singers - Junko Kanemitsu, Kayoko Nishibori, Ondes Martenot player Wakana Ichihashi and others. He performs in concert halls, churches, temples, shrines, castles, restaurants, hotels, clubs, ceremonial halls, hospitals, old people homes, at open air concerts, festivals, wedding parties... He likes to do educational and seasonal concerts in the schools and kindergartens. He is always open to any cooperation. Thanks to his life in Japan he started to study and play shakuhachi and koto and to perform Japanese music, be it traditional, folklore, pop, jazz or contemporary New Music.

Under the name FORROTRONICS (connecting Forro + Electronics) Daniel Forro has been performing since 1983. Concerts with use of audio playback or computer assisted automated performing (when sequencer or MIDI player control electronic musical instruments in real time) represent new type of music presentation. They allow to omit human performers, often unable to perform New Music precisely in its intonation (microtones) or rhythmic complexity (difficult rhythms, polytempo, high tempo, unusual synchronization of instruments or layers). Thanks to the digital technology a maximalistic composer can hear his/her music written for common acoustic instruments without any deformation or artistic compromises which are obvious when working with traditionally educated human performers and their instruments with limited possibilities. Recently one person only can simulate all acoustic instruments satisfactorily and convincingly thanks to the physical modeling technology and produce complete orchestral scores, besides electronic instruments offer incomparably more rich and more interesting sound spectrum (experimental electronic timbres unheard until now) and a possibility to work with artificial space and microtones. Electronics opens a new world of immense possibilities, gives to the composer absolute creative freedom concerning tuning systems, rhythms, timbres and expression, where the only limitation is composer's fantasy.

Forro combines at FORROTRONICS concerts music recorded as audio or MIDI with live improvisation on keyboards, wind controller, guitar controller, six stringed bassguitars (fretted one is midified), flutes and less usual MIDI controllers (Kurzweil ExpressionMate, Buchla Lightning, KORG KaosPad and similar). He wants to include also shakuhachi and koto in the future. He likes to use voice transformed in audioprocessors (echo, reverb and other FX, harmonizer, vocoders). Creative improvisation is often present in accompaniment layer and many of his works were created only by means of improvisation. Thanks to this approach and to the using of polystylistics (elements of many music styles in organic synthesis) these concerts have a human factor - Forro as a composer is not afraid to work with "old-fashioned" emotions and thanks to the live improvisation even the same composition has always different shape.

Forro is an exceptional and outstanding synthesizer virtuoso, he always tried to use synthesizer as a real and expressive instrument with its own distinct character and identity. Besides his unique ability to imitate any acoustic instrument with all its nuances, articulation, voicing, expression and stylistic aspect Forro as a player or composer and arranger can use creatively any electronic sound, be it simple old analog or very complex experimental digital one. He has a rare ability and sense to use all sounds properly in their best sounding form. Great advantage here is his deep knowledge of music theory and programming the synthesizers as well as many years of practical performing experience in many music styles. He is extraordinary and charismatic player performing with astonishing power and drive, in narrow connection and symbiosis with his composing and arranging activities. He did a lot for recognizing synthesizer as an expressive musical instrument of its own, not as an anonymous cool sound chameleon able only to imitate the other sounds without soul and heart.
In this connection it should be mentioned that thanks to his cooperation with Yamaha as a Product Specialist (1992-2002) Daniel Forro was among the first musicians in the world using physical modeling resynthesizers Yamaha VL1 (since 1994 until now - he is a proud owner of 3 pieces) and polyphonic VP1 - with a latter one he recorded a double CD of his improvisations in 1997 (VP1 Impressions), probably as the only musician in the world as this very special instrument exists only in few pieces.

Author's performing is well known since the times of bards, Middle Age troubadours or folk music singers (usually with guitar, accordeon or piano). Recently this approach returned in technologically improved form - electronic instruments. Unity of creator and performer is ideal for maximal authenticity, but this method has its limitations as well - electronic and computer music works of Daniel Forro could be hardly performed by the other performers with different level of skills and different equipment exactly as they were intended, deformations in the sound and expression would be unavoidable and it will be too far from original (possibility to use just audio or MIDI playback is not considered of course). Nevertheless synergic connection of human being and machine seems to be an ideal and powerful mean of artistic expression in the beginning of 21st century. Besides many advantages for composer (perfect realization of all creative ideas non-playable by human performers) and performer (digital orchestra controlled by the only one artist can sound like many performers), such concerts of live electronic music are attractive for public as well. FORROTRONICS concerts done in 1983-2003 in his native Czechoslovakia (since 1993 Czech Republic) were always real artistic event, spiritual experience exceeding traditional ways of music performing and despite they were not so often and offered rather unusual music, they were visited well (if organizer did at least some promotion) and reactions on compositional and performing mastership of protagonist were more than positive.
Since 2003 Daniel Forro transfered his activities to Japan and started new career from zero, which means to some degree a temporary return to his classical roots - recently he is asked to play more classical historical music or jazz on piano or organ then his experimental electronic music. But his carrier in Japan just started, for sure there are circles of electronic music afficionados which will enjoy Daniel's music.

Recording artist and arranger
Daniel Forro really loves to work in his computerised studio, which he has been building since 1982 and where he recorded over 500 of his own pieces besides arranging and producing many other works of contemporary and historical composers. Despite the fact he had to sell a lot of rare instruments from his huge collection before moving to Japan to get some money still there's a significant number of equipment for creative work (actual list of gear you can find somewhere on these pages). In the last two years Daniel managed to connect the most important synthesizers in his studio audio- and MIDI-wise, so finally he can use all of them together as never before. But due to the limited space in his traditional Japanese wooden house with tatami floors still about 25 instruments relax waiting for their time coming one day in the future...

Other activities
- Teaching work (private teaching since many years, courses at his own private school FORROTRONICS since 1990, teaching at Janacek's Academy of Music 1990-2003, where he was a head of EA and Computer Music Department 1993-2003, post-gradual classes for music teachers 1993-1995, Summer Master Classes at JAMU 1996-2002, teacher at Summer Rock Academy 1998-2003). What he taught: all music theory, history, harmony, counterpoint, forms, analysis, solfeggio, composition, instrumentation, arranging, music styles, jazz, pop, rock, ethnic, minimal, microtonal music, creative improvisation, electronic and computer music theory, history, composition and production, computers in music - software, hardware, MIDI system, sound design, programming synthesizers, samplers and rhythmers, work in recording studio, playing all keyboard instruments, performing stylistics and many others...
It's a pity that after moving to Japan he couldn't find similar teaching position as before - his deep knowledge and experience in many music styles is not fully used...

- Research work in the border field of music and connecting music with mathematics.

- Expert and consulting work (1992-2002 narrow cooperation with Yamaha Europe as Product Specialist for synthesizers, keyboards, digital pianos, organs and other EMI, for studio, PA and music software for 22 countries, 2002-03 for KORG CZ and Technics). He did more hundreds public expert lectures, seminars, clinics, concerts, demonstrations at music fairs, in the shops, schools in about 10 European countries... He helped to many people to solve their problems with computers and equipment thanks to numerous private consultations.

- Writer's activities (editor and main contributor of Czech music magazine Muzikus 1991-2002, where he wrote more hundreds of educational articles and expert series on synthesizers, MIDI, music software, studio work, music stylistics, new gear tests and reviews - thus he became "Doctor MIDI" by nickname, main guru and pope of MIDI and synthesizers in his language region - Czech countries and Slovakia. He published expert books in his own series "Musitronica" in GRADA Publishing Praha - on MIDI, recording studio, computers and music, another books he published at JAMU - series about electronic musical instruments, and he prepared radio educational programs on the same theme.

- Interpreting, translating and teaching work in more languages (his native Czech, Slovak, Russian, Polish, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Esperanto, Ido...)... Linguistics and comparative filology belongs to his biggest hobbies.

- Organisational work (founder and chairman of Society for Microtonal Music in 1995-2003, organizer of Festival of Microtonal Music, founder and owner of the private Museum of Electro-acoustic Instruments 1989-2003, founder and chairman of Society for Creative Music Improvisation 2001-2003, co-owner of the firm MUSITRONICA selling musical instruments 1997-2000).

Daniel Forro represents with his incredible wide range of interests, knowledge, experience and versatility a real musician of 21st century. His tolerant, kind and all-embracing attitude to the life, people and music is rather unusual and difficult to understand to many narrow-minded and conservative people or to the average musicians - he can compose and arrange music, perform on more instruments, improvise, record, program synthesizers, do scientific research, teach, write and talk about music... this all in many music styles, on more instruments (and in more languages). Such ability is not so often to see in one person. But he really considers only such wide, deep and serious attitude has sense and is always honest to himself, to the music art and to the public with his perfectionist's approach.