Emily Abdy is a critically acclaimed, award-winning composer and songwriter creating bold, narrative-driven music for screen, studio and stage. Described as “Epic” (The Guardian), “Striking” (The Wire) and “Haunting and Powerful” (Prxludes), her work blends contemporary-classical innovation with cinematic emotionality and a gritty, alternative edge.

Her music for screen won first place in the 2025 Sensoria Pro Scoring Contest, receiving high praise from industry professionals. Other media work includes the score for her own experimental short film SKIN (2019). Alongside composing, Emily is an experienced orchestrator and arranger, having produced large-scale arrangements for pop-oriented artists, including former Electric Light Orchestra musicians Richard Tandy and Dave Morgan. From orchestra-backed screams to intimate acoustic song sets, she often performs and produces her own work. In 2024, she was awarded the Saffron Music Production Bursary to further develop her recorded songwriting practice.

Emily’s work is grounded in a strong contemporary-classical background. Previous commissions include the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales violist Laura Sinnerton, Southbank Sinfonia, Orkest De Ereprijs and Contemporary Music For All, and releases on Nonclassical and NMC Recordings. She was appointed Artist in Residence with Nonclassical in 2021. Additional residencies include the International Young Composers Meeting (NL), Ruhrtriennale Festival of the Arts (DE) and Leeds Song Festival (UK).

Emily began her career as a gigging singer-songwriter and classical violinist before studying at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where she was awarded MMus and BMus (Hons) degrees in Composition and several composition prizes. Her studies were sponsored by Universal Music UK. She is a member of The Alliance of Women Film Composers, The Ivors Academy and PRS.