Lydia Ainsworth – Film Composition Reel

FILM CLIPS AUDIO CLIPS BIO CV PRESS CONTACT

Film Clips

Music Reel

Lydia Ainsworth

Privacy. That’s iPhone. – Over Sharing

“Diamonds Cutting Diamonds” by Lydia Ainsworth

Stage: The Culinary Internship

Feature length documentary directed by Abigail Ainsworth for CBC Documentary Channel
Winner of ‘Best International Documentary’ at Galway Film Festival
Original score by Lydia Ainsworth

Stranger Things “Earth Song”
Season 3 Episode 8

Cue composed by Lydia Ainsworth, Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein
Vocals performed by Lydia Ainsworth

Songs from Lydia Ainsworth’s orchestral ablum ‘Sparkles & Debris Reimagined’ directed by Abby Ainsworth

Dior - 'Prestige'

Directed by Kevin Phillips
Music and vocals by Lydia Ainsworth

Motherland: Fort Salem, Season 1 Episode 5

“WLCM” by Lydia Ainsworth

Make A Friend "Michael"

Directed by Matthew Lessner for konbini.com
Original score by Lydia Ainsworth

'Island to Island'

Original score by Lydia Ainsworth

'Ex Voto'

Original score by Lydia Ainsworth

Food
Short film by Sara Cwynar
Music and sound by Lydia Ainsworth

Cineplex ‘Escape’

Directed by Arev Manoukian for Spy Films Production
Original music by Lydia Ainsworth

Scotiabank ‘Inspired by the Arts’

Original music by Lydia Ainsworth

Audio Clips

String Remixes 

BIO

Lydia Ainsworth is an internationally acclaimed singer, composer, and producer. In 2015 her debut album Right from Real was nominated for a Juno award for best electronic album and shortlisted for the Polaris Prize. In 2017 Lydia’s second LP, a still bolder set of electro art pop titled Darling of the Afterglow brought with it headlining tours of North America, Europe and Japan as well as support tours with Perfume Genius.  

Her 2019 third album, the self-released Phantom Forest, is a lush dream world of art and dance pop that she wrote, played, and produced largely on her own. Shortly after its release, she created string remixes of some of Phantom Forest’s tracks, further showcasing her compositional skills and knack for reinvention. That same year, "Earth Song," her collaboration with Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, appeared in the last episode of Season 3 of Stranger Things.

Lydia’s original scores for film and commercials have screened at festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, and Hot Docs. “Lydia Ainsworth’s pop experiments sound like they’re made for big screens. Close your eyes (… ) and let the considerable power of her orchestral strings, horns, and dense harmonies transport you to a dark cinema, where surreal images tumble like falling skies, and it’s not quite clear what comes next" - Jenn Pelly, Pitchfork

CV

ACADEMIC STUDY

Master of Music, Music Theory & Composition; Scoring for Film & Multimedia, NYU Steinhardt (Fall 2008 – Winter 2010)

B. Mus Honours Composition Cello performance, Schulich School of Music, McGill University (September 2004 – April 2008) 

FILM SCORES

• Gold Bars (2024) - Feature length documentary by Billie Mintz - release TBA

• Coronamania (2024) - Feature length documnetary by Vanessa Dylyn - release TBA

• Home Free (2023) - Feature lenth narrative film directed by Avi Federgreen - release TBA

• Debra (2023) - Comedy Short directed by Dani Kind / Written by Kimberly Manky

• Undocumented (2023) - Comedy Short directed by Michael Mazzuca / Written by Vincent Lui

• Naked (2022) - Documentary feature length film directed by Stephanie Weimar

• The Legend of Mexman (2022) - Documentary feature length film directed by Josh Polon

• Portrayal (2021) - Documentary feature length film directed by Billie Mintz for CBC Doc Channel - Official selection of Hot Docs 2021 and winner of best documnetary at FAFF Venice Film Fest

• Surf Girls (2021) - Documentary feature length film produced by Lalita Krishna - Official selection of Hot Docs 2021

• Glass Life (2021) - music composed and produced for large scale video art installation by Sara Cwynar at ICA LA

• Stage (2019) - Documentary feature length film directed by Abigail Ainsworth for CBC Doc Channel - Winner of ‘Best International Documentary’ at Galway Film Festival

• Fitzgerald Family Christmas (2012) original songs Directed by Edward Burns / 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

• Food (2012) music and sound for film by artist Sara Cwynar

• Flutter (2012) Directed by Dara Bratt for Real Ideas Studio Filmmaking Program / 2012 Cannes Film Festival

• Shiva (2012) Directed by Zachary Finkelstein for Bravo!FACT

• Make A Friend (2011) for konbini.com directed by Matthew Lessner

• The Woods (2011) Feature film directed by Matthew Lessner / 2011 Sundance Film Festival

• The First Day (2011) Created by Michael Tung for the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada as part of the @random documentary project by Saatchi & Saatchi Canada

• In The Uniform (2011) Created by Jesse Louttit/ Matt Shipp for the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada as part of the @random documentary project by Saatchi & Saatchi Canada

• Agua Bendita (2009) Directed by Tatiana Lamela Rabel, Palm Springs International Film Fest

• Fugue Nefesh (2007) Directed by Solomon Nagler, Festival des Cinémas Différents et Expérimentaux de Paris

SOLO ALBUMS

Sparkles & Debris Reimagined (Released May 2022- Zombie Cat Records)

Sparkles & Debris (Released May 2021- Zombie Cat Records)

Phantom Forest (Released May 2019 - Zombie Cat Records)

Darling of the Afterglow (Released March 2017 - Bella Union/ Arbutus Records) 

Right from Real (Released October 2014 - Arbutus Records)

LIVE PERFORMANCES

2017 - Headlined shows in Japan, Europe, UK and North America, supported Perfume Genius on European tour and in NYC, festivals including Way Out West in Gothenburg

2016 - Support tours with Chairlift, Purity Ring, Yeasayer, one-off festivals including FORM Arcosanti

2015 - Headlined tour in Europe and played festivals including Roskilde in Denmark, one-off support dates for Squarepusher, Daniel Lanois, among others.

SONG SYNCHS FOR TV AND FILM

Lydia Ainsworth “Diamonds Cutting Diamonds” - Privacy. That’s iPhone. – Over Sharing (2020)

Lydia Ainsworth, Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein “Earth Song” - Stranger Things Season 3 Episode 8 (2020)

Lydia Ainsworth “WLCM” - Motherland Fort Salem (2020)

Lydia Ainsworth “Into The Blue” in Young and Famous In Love Ep. 201 (ABC Family) Jan 2018

Lydia Ainsworth “Wicked Game” (Chris Isaak cover) in Good Behaviour (TNT) Dec 2017

Lydia Ainsworth “Wicked Game” (Chris Isaak cover) in A Rough Day ft Dave Franco for Vs Magazine 2015 directed by Guy Aroch

Lydia Ainsworth “White Shadows” in Paradise Waits - Film 2015

MUSIC FOR COMMERCIALS

Rogers for RMW Music (2014)
Scotiabank ‘Inspired by the Arts’ for RMW Music (2013)
Cineplex ‘Escape’ Directed by Arev Manoukian for Spy Films Production (2012)
Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada ‘@random’ for Saatchi and Saatchi Canada (2011)

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

2015 Juno nomination for Best Electronic Album for Right from Real
2015 Polaris Prize nomination for Right from Real
2011 Gold and Silver DMA’s (Digital Marketing Award) for music in the @random Saatchi and Saatchi campaign
2008 Named an Emerging Artist by the Canada Council for the Arts and awarded full artist grant to study at NYU 

PRESS

"Boldly trend-defying, pageantic pop music... Ainsworth's vocals work in tandem to catch light and color from new and exciting angles." - THE FADER

"Lydia Ainsworth doesn't so much subvert pop music, but skates around its edges... [She] blurs melodies and rote formats with a sense of mystery." - NPR

"Among pop music's experimental architects, Lydia Ainsworth has a unique knack for making grand sweeping gestures feel human." - PITCHFORK

"Effortlessly exquisite." - STEREOGUM

CONTACT

Lydia Ainsworth

lydia.ainsworth@gmail.com