Ella Spira

Ella Spira MBE[1] is a composer, producer and painter based in London, England. Spira co-founded the production company Sisters Grimm alongside former Royal Ballet ballerina Pietra De Mello-Pittman.[2] Spira writes and composes music for ballet and film, and works as an arranger making dance remixes for popular UK artists, but her main focus remains Sisters Grimm productions. She was born in Gloucester, and was mentored by film composer David Arnold.

Ella Spira at the Grammy Awards 2016

Achievements

In 2008, Spira was nominated for the Channel 4 Talented Newcomers Award for production music, partly as a result of her achievements as a UK delegate for a European Arts Initiative sponsored by the British Council. A year later, she was commissioned to write a series of pieces for the BAFTA/Rocliffe New Writers’ Forum for the 2009 International Screenwriters' Festival.[3] In the same year, Spira co-founded dance production company Sisters Grimm with Royal Ballet dancer Pietra Mello-Pittman.[4]

Spira has created film scores, dance compositions for The Royal Ballet and made remixes for Bruno Mars, McFly, Jay Sean, Alesha Dixon and Nelly. Between 2010 and 2014, she has collaborated with South African choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo[5] and Mark Baldwin, artistic director of Rambert Dance Company, for the dance work Inala premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival on 10 August 2014 and at London's Sadler's Wells Theatre in September 2014. Spira was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 2016 for the album 'Songs from INALA' - a Zulu ballet.[6]

Following her previous success with Inala, Ella Spira has written the musical score of a new show called 'Voices of the Amazon', inspired by the Amazon rainforest, where her partner, and co-founder of Sisters Grimm, Pietra Mello-Pittman, was born. 'Voices of the Amazon' premiered in July 2017 at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London,[7] followed by Russia and Singapore. Spira has written the score in collaboration with other Brazilian songwriters and world-renowned percussionists Olodum. The dance musical was directed by Pietra Mello-Pittman, choreographed by Helen Pickett and performed by some exceptionally talented dancers, singers and musicians from Brazil. With Jeremy Irons as a narrator,[8] the show won the Brazilian International Press Award Best Show.

In 2020, Ella co-wrote and released 5 new music videos from Sisters Grimm new Arab World Show with over 8.5 million YouTube views, including over 1 million views for 'Together Let Go' and over 3 million views for the UAE National Day release 'United'. Spira co-wrote the song 'Together Let Go' with the help of rapper DB Gad and Papon,[9] featuring vocals of Madyan Hamza and Arqam Al Abri. The music video was directed by Shantanu Suri from UAE and was released on World Music Day on June 21, celebrating cultures and inclusivity. The song and music video 'United' was inspired by seven Emirates-wide travels of Sisters Grimm's founders. Spira composed the song with DB Gad and Don Abdullah, featuring vocals of Shamma Hamdan, Don Abdullah (Abdullah Andeezn), Maydan Hamza and DB Gad. One year later, marking World Wildlife Day 2021, the new song and music video 'Windows of the Mind' was released. Co-written and composed by Ella Spira MBE in collaboration with DB Gad and featuring the vocals of Madyan Hamza and DB Gad, the music video was produced by Sisters Grimm. The purpose of the project was to encourage the children from UAE to connect with nature, be environmentally conscious and giving them a chance to get involved in the 'Art in Nature' Initiative. With more than 1,000 artistic submissions used in the music video 'Windows of the Mind', the digital programme was supported by Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority.[10]

In the 2021 New Year Honours lists, Spira has been awarded an MBE for her services to International Trade and the Creative Industry as co-founder of the production company Sisters Grimm.[11][12]

In the same year, Sisters Grimm founder Ella Spira auctioned off a collection of 50 UAE landscape paintings, named '50 for 50',[13] marking the UAE's golden jubilee,[14] showcasing the paintings she created on her travels across the beautiful UAE.[15] The '50 for 50' UAE series was presented at Dubai Opera as a theatrical spectacle that featured music, live singing and dance.[16] The live spectacle, called ‘Daughters of the Wind Overture’,[17] was produced by Sisters Grimm and featured co-founder and former ballerina with The Royal Ballet Pietra Mello-Pittman as the performing protagonist. Singers DB Gad and Madyan Hamza joined the show with soaring vocals and creative lyrical writing.[18][19]

Works

Ballet and dance

Film music
  • The Fixer (2008). Co-composer with Bradley Kohn for the ITV drama series The Fixer. Music recorded at Home Farm Studios, Hertfordshire
  • Uncut (2009). Uncut is the first British feature film shot in one take and was screened at BAFTA. Music recorded at Dean Street Studios[21]
  • Jasmine (2011). A Film London short film. Screened at the 2011 BFI Film Festival[21]

Music videos
  • Together Let Go (2020). Composer and co-writer with DB Gad; Lead vocals of Madyan Hamza and Arqam Al Abri; Sisters Grimm production.
  • Been El Nogoom - Between The Stars (2020). Composer and co-writer with DB Gad; Sisters Grimm production.
  • The Way Home (2020). Composer and co-writer with DB Gad; Lead vocals of Arqam Al-Abri and Layla Kardan; Sisters Grimm production; Filmed at Dubai Opera.
  • United (2020). Composer and co-writer with DB Gad; Lead vocals of Shamma Hamdan, Don Abdullah (Abdullah Andeezn), Maydan Hamza and DB Gad; Sisters Grimm production.
  • Windows of the Mind (2021). Composer and co-writer with DB Gad; Lead vocals of Madyan Hamza singing in Arabic and DB Gad singing in English; Sisters Grimm production.

Remixes

In 2010, Spira began an association with Steve Smart and West Funk and worked as an arranger on club remixes for the following Top 20 UK hits:

References
  1. "GRAMMY-NOMINATED COMPOSER FROM GLOUCESTER RECEIVES MBE". Business & Innovation Magazine. 31 December 2020. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020.
  2. "These producers in British Honors List write music at the Burj Khalifa". fridaymagazine.ae. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  3. Jacobson, Susan (28 October 2009). "Rocliffe Blog October 2009 by Susan Jacobson". Bafta. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
  4. Awbi, Anita (8 July 2014). "Ella Spira". PRF for Music. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020.
  5. Suter, Billy (3 December 2010). "Three unique dance shows for Durban". The Mercury  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  6. "58TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS". Grammy. 2015. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021.
  7. Mackrell, Judith (5 July 2017). "Voices of the Amazon review – water sprite's belting ballet rocks the rainforest". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017.
  8. "Jeremy Irons at Sisters Grimm 10th Birthday Celebration". jeremyirons.net. 10 November 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  9. "Papon collaborates with Jeremy Irons, Ella Spira on peace anthem". www.outlookindia.com/. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  10. Gillett, Katy (4 March 2021). "'Windows of the Mind': Sisters Grimm launch new single and music video featuring artworks by UAE youth". The National News. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021.
  11. "British exporters recognised in New Year's Honours List 2021". GOV UK. 30 December 2020. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020.
  12. Rabinowitz, Chloe (30 December 2020). "Theatre/Dance Producers Sisters Grimm Receive MBEs for Services to International Trade and the Creative Industry". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021.
  13. "Dubai Opera, Sisters Grimm host multisensory show to mark 50 years". www.gulftoday.ae. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  14. "Sisters Grimm: 50 For 50 – magpie". Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  15. Bedirian, Razmig (25 March 2021). "Sisters Grimm to auction 50 artworks created in the UAE to mark the country's golden jubilee". The National News. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021.
  16. "Dubai Opera showcases Multisensory Exhibition by World Renowned Artist". Middle East News 247. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  17. ""50 FOR 50" FEATURING ELLA SPIRA MBE". Dubai Opera. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  18. Saundalkar, Aarti (9 June 2021). "Love ballet? A theatrical spectacle is coming to the UAE in autumn". What's On. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021.
  19. Mehta, Somya. "A multisensory art series is celebrating UAE's 50th anniversary at Dubai Opera". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  20. "Theatre review: Inala - A Zulu Ballet at Sadler's Wells Theatre". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  21. "Ella Spira". IMDb. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
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