Aija is a Latvian composer and sound designer currently residing in London. Her debut album 'domum' is being released in September 2017. She has previously written scores and worked on soundtracks for various genres of visual media, from film to fashion shows. She was one of the ten finalists in the prestigious Marvin Hamlisch Film Scoring Contest in 2016, and was invited back as a judge in 2017. 　　 　　Aija Alsina was born in Riga, Latvia, in a family of five, and it was at her grandparents’ farm where she would spend her summers and where she got acquainted with the piano at the age of six. This turned into a lifelong affection, and, while never receiving any formal music education, Aija has since partaken in many musical activities – singing in choirs, playing bass and keys in several indie and post-rock bands, organizing concerts and tours. 　　Music was always just a hobby, a mental retreat from everyday routine, until in 2013 Aija left Riga for Barcelona, leaving behind both her day job in finance and band mates in 'Gaserata', a Latvian post-rock collective. She reunited with her childhood instrument – the piano – and started working on her debut album. She moved again in 2015, this time to London where she is currently completing an MSc in Composition for Film and Media. 　　Aija’s music combines all of her diverse musical experiences and influences from the places where she has lived, from Riga and Copenhagen to Barcelona and London. Her instrument of choice is still the piano, but she creates music that is multi-layered, experimenting with timbres and sound effects and using brass and strings as accompaniment to create mesmerizing and unforgettable compositions. 　　 　　Aija’s debut album 'domum' is a set of 12 piano pieces, due to be released in September 2017. The album will feature work created over four years, and the title (Latin for 'homeward') expresses Aija’s return to her childhood instrument – the piano, but also implies the struggle of finding her own unique musical expression. The overall romantic and delicate compositions also have a distinctly melancholy hue, making this a highly emotionally charged album. The piano is accompanied by violin (Shannon Stott-Rigsbee), cello (Daniel Gonzalez), and French horn (John Stacy); the album cover features original artwork by Evija Saitere.