Alan Hankers
Alan Hankers is an award-winning composer, sound designer, and keyboardist with a passion for sonic storytelling and collaboration. His work can be heard in concert halls, films, video games, commercials, and studio albums. His music often includes elements that blend styles, drawing on his experience as a classical, metal, and electronic musician.
Alan regularly collaborates with filmmakers, game developers, and 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], and has appeared in commercials for Mercedes-Benz, Google, and others. Alan is currently working on the upcoming video game, Heroes Sucks [Dawning Light Studios]. For this project, Alan is creating the orchestral score and sound design, and implementing systems that leverage the audio 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 throughout North America and recorded with several artists. He's a member of the progressive American-Canadian metal band JIA. JIA released their first singles in 2020, which featured 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 their debut album, Elapse, in 2024. Alan was also the founding pianist/keyboardist of the new music ensemble Pathos Trio and recorded their first album, released on New Focus Recordings.
Alan is currently an Assistant Professor of Music Composition at West Virginia University and has previously taught at Montclair State University and Stony Brook University. He received his Ph.D. from Stony Brook University in 2021. He is also the Founder and CEO of Ethos Audio, a company focused on creating highly detailed and expressive virtual instrument libraries. Ethos Audio will release its first library, Spectral Cello, in late 2024, and it will be playable in Native Instruments' Kontakt Player.