MUSIC+SOUND AWARDS 2024 WINNER SPOTLIGHT
COMPOSER RISING STAR AWARD
2024’s Composer Rising Star: Aleksandra Vilcinska
Aleksandra (Sasha) is a Latvian composer, multi-award-winning singer-songwriter, and pianist. Influenced by her background as a vocalist, her music often incorporates voice into its instrumentation. Her compositions are frequently synth-based, hybrid, modern, and experimental.
Check out the reel above that won her 2024’s COMPOSER RISING STAR!
Here Aleksandra shares a little about what went into each project…
‘Snowbunny’ directed by Daniel Rands - the score for this film was recorded at the renowned Air Studios, using the NFTS orchestra. The music function of this film is to bring the viewer's attention into the protagonist’s head and to show the full palette of feelings he is experiencing towards his suddenly re-appeared love interest and towards his place in the society.
‘Us Four’ directed /animated by Alex Peake - For this animated documentary project, it was essential to reflect on and musically emphasize the playful, girly and fun relationship between the four sisters, as well as the cherished memories they share. The ‘Nanana’ song serves as a thematic anchor, with each sister's voice representing a distinct perspective, led by the main voice of the oldest sister. In a personal touch, the final credits of the film feature the voices of my two daughters, aged 4 and 5, lending an intimate and relatable quality to the film. By incorporating the voices of the next generation of sisters, I sought to highlight the universality of sibling relationships and the ever-changing nature of childhood memories. Just as the ‘Nanana’ song evolves with each stage of life, so too will the bonds between these sisters as they grow and mature.
‘Harvest’ directed by Sophia Seymour - award winning documentary short film exploring the theme of motherhood and societal pressure for women to have children. Conflicted about Motherhood, the director addresses the taboo subject of not wanting children with others at her local swimming pool. All, whilst undergoing the gruelling emotional process of freezing her eggs to insure against the risk of changing her mind. Being a mother myself, this score came naturally to me, as all the themes and questions I have experienced myself are reflected in my music. The score is primarily based on my own voice, synth and processed harmonica.
‘Tapeworm’ directed by Daniel Rands - this score was captured live at Air Studios in London, featuring the NFTS orchestra. Post-recording, the music underwent extensive processing and heavy distortion to authentically convey the visceral, gritty, and sinister atmosphere of the underground car park, where the brutal world of human gambling unfolds. A distinctive ‘rattling snake’ synth sound emerged as the thematic motif representing the inner turmoil of the main protagonist, Worm. She endeavours to escape her circumstances by secretly pocketing betting money but finds herself caught by her boss, compelling her to wager the stolen funds on a high-stakes game. When her player is gravely injured, she selflessly takes his place, exposing herself to danger once more, as underscored by the haunting cimbasso and trombone theme, plunging us back into darkness.
Dry Peaches - this is a film about a human-robot relationship and it was important for me to create a ‘human-robot’ music dance, whilst also developing the robot theme into a very emotional ending where we discover that the robot might actually be able to feel and is grieving the loss of the human race and her ‘owner’. The beginning of the film score is very heavily synth-based, but as soon as we start to ‘feel’ beautiful violin-voice theme cuts through, slowly revealing what this film is actually about.
This is what Snowbunny director, Daniel Rands, had to say about working together,
“Aleksandra is the definition of a true collaborator. She approaches projects without ego and is always able to convert my sometimes abstract direction into beautiful, moving and apt score. I am always impressed by how much of herself she gives to her work, and am yet to find anything she is unable to deliver on."
High praise, indeed. Great talent with a wonderful career ahead of her.
Visit Aleksandra’s site HERE
