Branislav Hronec

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Branislav Hronec (also Braňo Hronec) was a Slovak composer, pianist and conductor. He was born on 22 December 1940 in Hronsek, Slovakia, and died on 25 October 2022 at age 81. He started playing organ at 13 and studied piano, conducting and composition at the Bratislava Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts. In 1963 he formed the Braň Hronec Group, later known as the Braň Hronec Orchestra, which toured across Europe, Central Asia and Cuba.

The orchestra ended in 1981, and Hronec then focused on composing for television and theatre. In the late 1980s he served as music director at Slovak Radio and conducted the Dance Orchestra of the Czechoslovak Television. He wrote over 300 songs and pieces, including the first big beat, twist and disco songs in Czechoslovakia, often collaborating with lyricist Milan Lasica. He was a professor at the Academy of Performing Arts from 1990 to 1997. He married actress Judita Varga in 1980.