Ayda Akbal is a Turkish-Australian composer and artist born and raised in Melbourne, Australia – currently based in Los Angeles. Growing up travelling to visit family across the world in Türkiye, Ayda Akbal was exposed to the idea of existing in more than one space, culture, and identity from a young age. Through her use of a ‘strong methodology grounded in research’ whilst also ‘prioritising intuitive creativity and improvisation’, she aids in the telling of stories through her music
She scored, The Official Marvel Podcast, becoming the first Australian composer to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ayda is immensely proud of her artist album, Where Do I Belong? Here., which reflects on her experiences growing up as a second-generation immigrant.
Ayda was awarded 2025 Emerging Screen Composer of The Year at the Screen Music Awards, hosted by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers. She also received a nomination for the Composer Rising Star Award at the International Music+Sound Awards.
“Rising talent Ayda Akbal was named Emerging Screen Composer of the Year, recognised for her distinctive voice and growing body of work. Akbal’s recent accolades include the 2023 Global Professional Development Award from the American Australian Association and selection for APRA AMCOS’s 23% Mentorship Program, affirming her as one of the most exciting new voices in screen composition” (APRA AMCOS, 2025)
Her work has received national and international recognition, including Australian Government support to expand her composition practice overseas. As Orchestrator and Admin Executive at Joy Music House, Ayda is a vital member of the team behind scores for Netflix, Warner Bros., Sony, Amazon MGM, and more.
Ayda graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Spanish & Latin American Studies) and Bachelor of Music (Composition & Music Technology) with the Sir Zelman Cowen Composition Commission Prize. She is currently completing her Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced) Online at Monash University, whilst working full-time as a composer for screen.
Ayda is a guest speaker on screen composition at various institutions, including at Monash University and The Arts Centre Melbourne.
You can listen to more of her music here.
SELECTED PRESS
Emerging Screen Composer of The Year (Variety, 2025)
Music Australia Export Development Fund Recipient (Limelight, 2025)
APRA AMCOS 23% Mentorship (The Music, 2025)
Curation ‘Where Do I Belong? Here.’ (Blackbird Foundation, 2025)
APRA AMCOS Global Professional Development Award (2024)
Ian Potter Cultural Trust Recipients (2024)
American Australian Association Scholarship Recipients (2024)
Australian Music Centre: New Associate Artists Announced (2024)
Piano Project Angus Gray Piano Performance Recipient (2023)
South Australian Film Corporation: Screen Songhubs (2022)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Australian Guild Of Screen Composers
Alliance for Women Film Composers
The Society of Composers and Lyricists
Australian Music Centre
APRA AMCOS
Women in Film
MAESTRA
SUPPORTED BY:
AYDA AKBAL 