Mikhaila Alyssa Smith

Mikhaila Alyssa Smith is a composer, orchestrator and pianist based in New York City. Her compositional voice embraces an array of musical styles and her experience in film scoring spans across several genres including drama, magical realism, fantasy and animation, amongst others. In addition to film, her creative work extends to the concert hall and interdisciplinary art where she enjoys experimenting with a variety of sonic palettes and the endless possibilities of harmony and orchestration. Her works have been performed and recorded by ensembles and orchestras in New York, Los Angeles, Prague and Cape Town.

Originally from South Africa, Mikhaila obtained a Bachelor's degree in concert composition from the University of Cape Town. During her studies, she was selected to spend a semester abroad at the University of California Los Angeles where she specialized in music theory, composition and orchestration with Ian Krouse and David Lefkowitz. She now holds a Master's degree in film scoring from New York University where she studied with composers Mark Suozzo, Chris Hajian, Rich Shemaria and Grammy Award-winning composer and orchestrator Michael Patterson.

Mikhaila's artistic world involves storytelling, collaborating with other artists and immersing herself in worlds beyond this one through the powerful and expressive medium of film music.