Ella Spira - Sisters Grimm

Introducing

Sisters Grimm Composer, Painter and Theatre Producer

Ella Spira MBE is a Grammy nominated composer and painter who has dedicated her life to cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary, global collaborations spotlighting and celebrating different cultures through the arts which has seen the work and those cultures be celebrated by millions all over the world.

Recognised as an internationalist, she believes the impact that the arts can have on society should never be undervalued. Ella was honoured with an MBE in the 2021 New Years Honours List for services to International Trade and the Creative Industry.

Whilst working predominantly with classical music, she has an intimate knowledge of and regular engagement with, projects across the spectrum of contemporary popular culture.

With a few notable exceptions writing for film, adverts, animations and narrative shorts across a range of genres from horror to romantic drama, she has concentrated on writing specifically for Sisters Grimm productions.
Ella Spira’s compositions score all Sisters Grimm’s content and portfolio of Culturally themed shows that have played in 7 countries.

She has worked with companies as diverse as The Royal Ballet, BAFTA, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Ministry of Sound and on pop chart remixes with Steve Smart & Westfunk and her music has been used for Prince Harry’s Sentebale 2019 Annual film, UNICEF NYE Campaign, Hi5 new series Theme Song ‘Hi5 Dance Off’.

In 2008 Ella was one of the UK delegates to a European arts project sponsored by the British Council, where she co-wrote the score for an international music theatre production called Roots & Routes, and staged in Cologne. Also in 2008 she was nominated for the Channel 4 Talented Newcomers Award for Production Music.

That same year, she began writing music for dance and working with Pietra Mello-Pittman and members of The Royal Ballet, and Reves Au Chemin was performed as part of ‘Draft Works’ in the Clore Studio Upstairs at the Royal Opera House in December 2008.

Subsequently her association with Pietra Mello-Pittman has continued with the forming of the company Sisters Grimm in 2009, and its completion of the ballet film Rapunzel – The Final Chapter – a project part funded by the Royal Opera House. This short film, based on the well-known folk story, was created for screening, with live ensemble accompaniment.

During 2009, Ella worked as composer on a film project, Uncut, the first British feature to be shot as a single, continuous take. As BAFTA/Rocliffe New Writers Forum regional composer Ella has composed for the International Screenwriters’ Festival (2009) and the ScreenLit Festival (2010).

Also in 2010 she began her continuing association with Steve Smart & West Funk, working on remixes of track including Bruno Mars’ ‘Just The Way You Are’, McFly’s ‘Shine A Light’, Jay Sean’s (ft Nicki Minag) ‘2012’, Alicia Dixon’s (ft Jay Sean) ‘Every Little Part Of Me’ and Nelly’s ‘Just A Dream’, on labels including Universal. All five of these reached the top 20 in the UK charts.

Ella has received support and encouragement from Nik Powell, co-founder of Virgin Records, Palace Pictures and Producer of films such as Calendar Girls; Barry Wordsworth, Music Director of The Royal Ballet; Adrian Rhodes (Sound Designer on Wallace & Gromit, The Full Monty).

Ellas passion for cross cultural collaboration and musical composition prowess has seen her receive a Grammy nomination in 2016 for Best World Music Album for the Songs from INALA a Zulu ballet Sisters Grimm’s first major world show.

In 2017 Sisters Grimm premiered Voices of the Amazon, for which Ella wrote the score in collaboration with Brazilian song writers, and won Brazilian international Press Award Best Show.

Since 2018 Ella also worked in South East Asia and the Middle East on Sisters Grimm’s ever expanding portfolio of cultural shows tackling prejudice and climate change through each collaboration.

2020 – 2022 Ella co-wrote and released 6 new songs and music videos, these have now had over 10 million YouTube views, including over 4 million for Australia Art in Nature ‘Life’, UAE Art in Nature ‘Windows Of The Mind’ and over 1 million views for a piece produced for World Music Day, ‘Together Let Go’, a pan-global anthem.

In 2021 Ella completed 50 paintings with bespoke score co written with Muslim Arab Rapper DB Gad for Sisters Grimm immersive multimedia exhibition ’50 for 50′, exhibited at Dubai Opera.

October 2021 ‘Shala River’, Ella’s painting created in situ in the Albanian Alps, was gifted by the new British Ambassador of Albania, Alastair King-Smith to Prime Minister Edi Rama, marking 100 years of UK-Albania friendship; the artwork is included in Prof. Ferid Hudhri’s Albanians in World Art Encyclopaedia.