Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres is a film composer and classical electronic artists. Her work lies between classical and electronic with her live sets being comprised of piano and electronic elements. Her recent film score work include the BAFTA and BIFA- nominated director, Douglas king’s ‘Do No Harm’ and recently completed her debut film score. She is a also a member of the alliance of women film composers. She also recently released her album ‘2 Years Stranger.’

Here are a few pieces of Alexandra’s work which she shared and talked to us about. I will be describing the aim and process behind each piece and offering my own critical response. 

2 Years Stranger

2 Years stranger is Alexandras most recent album, using electronic and classical elements Alexandra creates a very emotional and moving listening experience. The piano is at the centre of the sonic identity of this piece with electronic synthesis and effects intertwined with each song. I really enjoyed listening to this album as each song had its own individual motif that was built upon and repeated in different textures. One of my favourite tracks of the album was ‘Coma’ which has a simple pattern that moved and recontextualized itself in different ways, either by changing the pattern slightly of the timbral texture.

By The Water

By the Water is a short film about local communities in India who are struggling for survival due to new legislation that allows commercial enterprises to have access to the coastal waters, that local communities need to fish and live. Alexandras score for this film is subtle and primarily piano and string based. It’s a very emotive score that helps to make the film even more impactful and compliment what the viewer sees.