Zara Ali (b. 1995, USA) is a composer and electronic sound artist based in Germany. Her art is positioned in the spheres of technology, philosophy, and speculative visions of the future. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Columbia University with studies in music composition, anthropology, and philosophy and Master’s degrees in Music Composition from the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main and Hochschule für Musik Detmold. 

She is the Gaudeamus Award winner 2023 and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Prize winner in 2021, as well as the Kulturkreis der Deutschen Wirtschaft Music Prize winner in 2025. She was the composer-in-residence for the International Ensemble Modern Academy 2022/23, a fellow at Künstlerdorf Schöppingen in 2024, and is an artist-in-residence at Theater Bielefeld for the 2024/25 season. In 2025, Zara was selected for Ricordilab, an international programme by Ricordi Berlin supporting emerging composers. Her work has been performed at Konzerthaus Berlin, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, impuls Festival, Tanglewood, and the Seoul International Computer Music Festival and has been commissioned by venues such as Deutsche Oper Berlin. 

Upcoming commissions include works for Festival d’Automne and Ensemble intercontemporain, Ensemble Mosaik, Bielefelder Philharmoniker and others. Her music exhibits a fine attention to electroacoustic tone color, hyper-imaginative dramaturgical programs, an expansive approach to harmonic writing, and a commitment to constant discovery of new sound using technology.

Selected Works

Baby Bot Builds A Music Box (2024)
for orchestra
2.2.2.2 - 4.2.3.1 - 2perc.timp - key.hp - str
10 min

Isolation Forest (2023)
for large ensemble and electronics
fl.ob.cl.tpt.trb.perc.key.vl.vla.vc.el
18 min

What Joy (2025)
chamber opera with libretto by Hannah Dübgen
Bar.T.2S - 1.1.1.1 - 1.1.1.0 - 2perc - key.hp - str
29 min


www.zaraali.de

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