Alan Hankers
Alan Hankers is an award-winning composer, sound designer, and keyboardist with a passion for sonic storytelling and collaboration. His work spans concert halls, films, video games, commercials, and studio albums. Blending styles from his background as a classical, metal, and electronic musician, his music explores the intersection between composition, sound design, interactive technology, and performance.
Alan regularly collaborates with filmmakers, game developers, and other creatives to explore how music and sound can enhance emotional impact and create immersive experiences. His work has received international acclaim, including Best Original Score from the Independent Shorts Awards for the animated short film Blue (Preymaker, dir. Robert Petrie). His music has been featured on major streaming platforms like Amazon, at the Game Awards, and in commercials for brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Google. Currently, he is working on the upcoming video game Heroes Sucks (Dawning Light Studios), where he is composing the orchestral score, sound design, and implementing audio systems to enhance adaptive gameplay.
Alan's concert music has been performed throughout the US, Europe, and Asia by ensembles such as the Pacific Chamber Orchestra, Nodus Ensemble, the South Carolina Philharmonic, and others. Upcoming projects include commissions by Ensemble Edge to be premiered in Denmark in 2025.
As a keyboardist, Alan has toured across North America and recorded with several artists. He is a member of the progressive American-Canadian metal band JIA, which released its first singles in 2020 featuring Matt Garstka (Animals as Leaders), Michael Lessard (The Contortionist), and Casey Sabol (ex-Periphery). Since then, the band has formed a new full-time lineup and released its debut album, Elapse, in 2024. Alan was also the founding pianist and keyboardist of the new music ensemble Pathos Trio, recording their debut album, which was released on New Focus Recordings.
Alan is an Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator of Music Composition at West Virginia University and a mentor in the Mentorship Program at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. He previously taught at Montclair State University and Stony Brook University. Alan is also the Founder and CEO of Ethos Audio, a company dedicated to crafting highly detailed and expressive virtual instrument libraries. Ethos Audio's first library, Spectral Cello, is set to launch in summer of 2025 and will be compatible with Native Instruments' Kontakt Player. He earned his Ph.D in Music Composition from Stony Brook University in 2021.