About Emilia
Emilia Takayama is a Askola-based cinematic composer and music producer whose musical path began in childhood with a life-changing televised concert — a symphonic performance in a vast cave that sparked her lifelong love for film music. That early spark evolved into a deep, genre-blending artistic voice rooted in storytelling, emotion, and cinematic sound.
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She began composing her own music on piano as a child and started performing in bands while studying at the Porvoo Pop & Jazz Conservatory. She graduated as a pianist from the Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory in 2006. Alongside touring as a keyboardist for over a decade (i.a. Chisu, Hevisaurus), Emilia also graduated as a piano tuner and composed with various bands, gradually shifting her focus fully to original composition.
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Her signature style fuses organic instrumentation and orchestration with an epic sense of evolving harmonic elements, ambient synths, and rich textures — ranging from intimate, atmospheric pieces to powerful, trailer-style compositions with grand, cinematic impact. Drawing inspiration from expansive visual landscapes and stories, Emilia realized in 2016 that her true compositional home lies in cinematic and media music. Since then, she has written and produced hybrid music for trailers, film, exhibitions, and immersive art projects, both independently and in collaboration with other creatives.
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Notably, Emilia’s sound artwork was featured at the Dubai World Expo (2021), Sustainable Design from Finland goes NYC event (2024), and her songs are included in the feature film Treasure (2024), starring Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham.
Projects & Testimonials
DUBAI WORLD EXPO
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"The marriage of Smart IP technology and Emilia Takayama’s sound art makes a particularly pleasing and natural combination, since The Land of Snow represents the Finnish seasons of the year, creating an immersive atmosphere through instrumentation, melody, and harmony - plus sound recordings of nature, which are embedded into the composition."
WINGS OF LOVE - HELSINKI
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"I first came across Emilia Takayama somewhat by chance while planning a new 5D experience cinema film. This 13-minute film takes viewers on a flight over Helsinki — and for that, I needed a powerful, immersive musical score.
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Emilia is not only an exceptionally talented composer, but also a warm and approachable person. From the very beginning, our collaboration flowed effortlessly. There was a strong sense of trust and connection right from our first meetings. Our working process was agile and creative — we were able to quickly bounce around ideas, refine them together, and shape musical solutions that perfectly served the film’s atmosphere and rhythm.
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The end result — a 13-minute musical journey for Wings of Love – Helsinki — is stunning. The music breathes with the visuals and the 5D technology in a way that far exceeded my expectations. Emilia’s composition adds depth and emotion to the film, becoming an essential part of the viewer’s overall experience.
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Emilia also composed a 40-second epic trailer track — and it was a delight to see that her very first version was exactly what we had hoped for.
I’m deeply grateful for this collaboration. If you’re looking for a reliable, creative, and wholehearted composer — someone who listens, understands, and builds the right musical world — I can wholeheartedly recommend Emilia Takayama."
Amir Ashour
Executive Producer
CEO, partner at Flying Cinema Tour of Helsinki / The Palm
A YEAR AT THE ISLAND PROJECT
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"Emilia composed the song "Beautiful Struggle" for my
short documentary.
The document is an audiovisual presentation about nature's delicate beauty.
Emilia's composition complements the video perfectly,
highlighting the desired mood and directing viewers attention to the most important parts. Collaboration went greatly, the song is very professionally composed and the finishing is spot on."
Pasi Markkanen
​Nature photographer
ANTAA UURTEIDEN TULLA
Key Song of the Album
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“Emilia is an incredible arranger and composer! When I sent my song to her to orchestrate, I knew it was going to be epic. Still I laughed out loud, when I heard her work for the first time. I was so enormously happy about the movie soundtrack like feel that she had created! It was beyond amazing!”
Oona Kapari
Music Producer
Mixing Engineer
Artist
TIRED OF MUSIC
Single
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"I sent a song with piano, hammond and vocal tracks to Emilia and in a week she made the orchestration with strings, horns, harp, woodwinds and percussions. It was as if she had read my mind.
Unbelievable."
J.Vakio
Artist
Producer
Multi Instrumentalist
NOTABLY
Her debut album carries also the name Unsaid and will be featured by numerous musicians. The intro song of the album, Awe, and the second single, Antithesis, can be found on every major streaming platforms.
Emilia worked with a music production part of a larger light and music installation art work for the premiere of the European Green Capital 2021-city in Lahti.
Emilia's songs are included in the feature film Treasure (2024 German-French film), starring Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham.
Emilia composed a custom ordered song "Dreams and Horizons" for the OMA project which used art-based methods to help people to participate. The project was funded by European Social fund.
In the spring 2022 Emilia composed music for the show Dreamer by Saarni sirkus and especially the opening piece Welcome was composed by using moving musical elements and samples recorded from an old pianola.
As a keyboardist, Emilia has been on stage with many bands and artists such as Chisu, Hevisaurus, Anssi Kela, Aiyekooto & Afrobeat International.
She has over half a thousand appearances in concerts, festivals and club gigs.
Takayama has composed music for the Otava Project´s "Seven Brothers" contemporary circus acts which were premiered on october 2020 as digital reflections.
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Otava-project was chosen to be one of the pitchers in Performing HEL 2021 Showcase. Otava Project’s short film, "Seven Brothers", was also selected as one of the Short - Performance 2021 Official Selections in the International Circus Film Festival.
Listen
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Trailer for the Short Film
WINGS OF LOVE - HELSINKI
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CREDITS (Trailer & Film)
CUSTOMER: Flying Cinema Tour of Helsinki
PRODUCER: Alan A. Sharif / BEKESfilms
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Amir Ashour / Flying Cinema Tour Of Helsinki
WRITING, CONCEPT & DIRECTION: Alan A. Sharif
CINEMATOGRAPHY, EDITING & VFX: Aleksi Hietanen / HIEKO films
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY: Antti Kunnari
COLOR GRADING: Mika Onnela / Post Control Helsinki
SOUND DESIGNER: Markus Hirvelä / White Cloud Oy
COMPOSER & MUSIC PRODUCTION: Emilia Takayama
TRUMPET: Leo Kylätasku
VOCALS: Sara Takala, Sointu Silo-Hämäläinen
Video by Takayama Productions
