Semih Alar

Semih Alar (born November 29, 1996) is a Turkish game and film composer and music producer. Alar's work includes elements of electronic music, traditional orchestral arrangements, and ethnic sounds. Since the early 2010s, he has worked on over 20 films and documentaries, known for merging diverse musical elements into cohesive scores. Alar has received several awards, including the Jury Prize for Best Orchestral Music at the Film Scoring Academy of Europe (2023) for his work on Dota 2, the Best Original Music Award at the Paris Short Film Awards (2023), and the Best Short Film Score at the Music + Sound Awards (2023) for his work on Diaspora.
Alar's compositions often feature dark, atmospheric tones, commonly used in horror, fantasy, mysticism, and drama genres. His music blends orchestral, electronic, and ethnic elements, aiming to create an immersive sound. Alar's works include scores for Dota 2, In Your Head, Art Shop Simulator, Dead Too Dead, Diaspora, Weights, and Out With Her. His track "Laning 2" from the Dota 2 music pack features his own throat singing.
In the early stages of his career, Alar founded Seal Productions, a company through which he has collaborated with other composers and artists. His personal studio is equipped with a variety of computer and music equipment, allowing for the creation of demo versions of film scores and other compositions.
Alar's musical philosophy focuses on storytelling through sound, viewing music as a narrative element. His work is designed to convey emotion and support the visual story.
==Early Life==
Semih Alar was born in Ankara, Turkey. As a young child, he lived in Ankara, where he began playing the guitar at home. However, his formal musical education was brief; he took classical guitar lessons for only five weeks, as he found the structured approach stifling and lacking room for improvisation. Reflecting on this experience, Semih once remarked, "My formal training was just five weeks of classical guitar lessons. I've always taught myself and found music inside my head. Growing up with technology, computers became an essential tool in shaping my sound."
During his formative years, Semih was influenced by film scores, particularly those composed by Danny Elfman. He has cited Sleepy Hollow as the score that inspired him to pursue a career as a film composer. Semih's interest in music grew from his appreciation of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films, and his early exposure to film music influenced his artistic direction.
As a teenager, Semih moved to Eskişehir and attended Anadolu University. During this period, his interest in music continued to grow, and he began experimenting with various musical styles and instruments. Although he had no formal music education beyond initial guitar lessons, Semih's independent exploration of music and technology led to the development of a sound that characterized his later work.
Semih's musical journey involved a continual exploration of new sounds and influences. His early interest in the scores of composers like Bernard Herrmann and Franz Waxman, along with his exposure to contemporary electronic music and traditional ethnic sounds, influenced his compositional style.
==Influences and Style==
Semih Alar cites a diverse range of influences that have shaped his musical style. Among his key inspirations are film composers from the golden age of cinema, such as Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, alongside modern classical composers like Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, and Dmitri Shostakovich. He also draws from the traditions of world music, incorporating elements from various cultural sounds into his compositions.
Alar's work blends orchestral, electronic, and ethnic elements, creating atmospheric scores that often carry a dark, mystical undertone. His use of throat singing, which he performs himself, adds a distinctive layer to his compositions. This can be seen in his work for Dota 2, where he merges these influences into a cohesive soundscape.
Specific scores by Alar reflect his wide-ranging inspirations. For instance, his work on Diaspora is influenced by the minimalism of Philip Glass, while Out With Her draws from the music of Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich. Though not directly cited as influences, Alar has expressed admiration for composers like Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone, and Alexandre Desplat, whose approaches to film music have deeply resonated with him.
Alar often creates large-scale orchestral scores influenced by classic cinema, but his work spans various styles. His compositions have embraced various genres, from the electronic and ambient textures, rhythm-driven soundscapes. His style adapts to fit the narrative of each project, contributing to his work in both the film and gaming industries.
Drawing from various global music traditions, Alar frequently incorporates traditional instruments into his scores. Whether it's the use of the jaw harp in a thriller or the oud in a mystical fantasy, these elements add depth to his work. His approach to scoring is grounded in the story at hand, using music to complement the visuals.
In projects that have well-established musical identifiers, Alar combines his original themes with existing motifs. This can be seen in his reinterpretation of classic themes while scoring modern adaptations, where he introduces variations while honoring the original compositions..
==Selected Works==
Listen here
==Awards and Honours==
2023
* Call for Scores / Film Scoring Academy of Europe
** Winner: Jury Prize for Best Orchestral Music (Dota 2)
* Music + Sound Awards, International
** Winner: Best Short Film Score (Diaspora)
** Nominee: Best Sound Design for Short Film (Diaspora)
* Paris Short Film Awards
** Winner: Winter Season Award for Best Original Music (Diaspora)
* The British Short Film Awards
** Winner: Best Score (Diaspora)
** Winner: Best Sound (Diaspora)
* Munich Short Film Awards
** Nominee: MSF Award for Best Composer (Diaspora)
2022
* Apulia Soundtrack Awards
** Nominee: Emerging Composers Award (Out with Her)
== Film and Game Credits ==
2024
* Dead, Too Dead (In Development) Video Game Composer 
* Artshop Simulator (In Development) Video Game Composer 
* In Your Head Short Film Composer
2023
* Diaspora Short Film Composer, Foley Artist, Sound Designer, Sound Mixer, Producer
* Dota 2 Video Game Composer
* Out with Her Short Film Composer, Foley Artist, Sound Designer, Sound Mixer
* Weights Short Film Composer, Foley Artist, Sound Designer, Sound Mixer
2021
* EGO Film Composer, Sound Designer, Sound Mixer
2019
* Fairy Short Film Composer
* In The Pink Film Composer
* Old Way New Generation Documentary Composer
* The Night Film Composer
2018
* Visitors at the Door Documentary Composer, Sound Designer, Sound Mixer
Category:Composers by century and nationality
Category:Composers
Category:Composers by century