Natalya Aynsley – Pianist | Musical Director | Orchestrator

Natalya Aynsley is a highly sought-after pianist, orchestrator, and award-nominated musical director (The Hello Girls, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever). Born in Estonia under the former Soviet regime, she began studying classical piano at the age of five. After moving to Australia at 13, she studied at Mitchell Conservatorium on a scholarship for three consecutive years and went on to earn the prestigious L.Mus.A while still in high school.

A versatile and in-demand musician, Natalya regularly performs and records with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) and Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO). Her work with the SSO includes being a guest musician for Brooke Fraser’s concert at the Sydney Opera House and recording piano for the upcoming documentary Endangered Australia, composed by Jessica Wells and voiced by Eric Bana, showcasing her ability to bring cinematic storytelling to life through music. She was also featured as a soloist in the Emmy Award-winning Netflix film Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance.

She has extensive experience in musical theatre, working as an audition pianist, répétiteur, and orchestra pit musician for productions such as Hamilton, In the Heights, Guys and Dolls, and West Side Story. She also performs in Live in Concert film events with symphony orchestras, bringing soundtracks to life in productions such as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Love Actually, Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

As a pop culture pianist, Natalya has toured Europe, Asia, and Australia, performing Final Fantasy solo piano concerts. She has also produced and toured her own solo concerts across Australia, featuring music from video games and anime. Her debut concert, Worlds Connected: Music from Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts (2018), received rave reviews, with critics calling her “a unique artist to keep an eye out for.” She followed this with Natalya Plays: Studio Ghibli – Chopin Style, premiering in Sydney in 2019 before touring to Adelaide and Melbourne.

In 2020, Natalya premiered Anime ‘n’ Chill at Adelaide Fringe Festival, celebrating the most iconic anime soundtracks to sold-out audiences. She expanded her concert series with 8-bit ‘n’ Chill (later renamed Video Games ‘n’ Chill), showcasing legendary video game music from Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, Kingdom Hearts, Hollow Knight, The Elder Scrolls, and many more. Both shows have continued to tour, with successful returns in 2024.

Natalya was scouted by Candlelight Concerts by FEVER in 2021 after they saw her Adelaide Fringe show and became the first pianist to perform a solo anime Candlelight Concert, leading to a series of sold-out performances. Since then, she has been a featured soloist with the series, performing throughout 2024 in Sydney and Brisbane with programs including A Piano Tribute to Queen, Elton John, Ludovico Einaudi, Joe Hisaishi, and Hans Zimmer.

As an orchestrator and arranger, Natalya has worked on a range of projects, including multiple orchestrations for Hayao Miyazaki and the Japanese Anime Culture, a major concert event at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall in 2023. She also provides custom orchestrations, arrangements, and transcriptions for soloists, choirs, and full symphony orchestras.

As an educator and collaborative pianist, Natalya continues to work with prestigious arts institutions such as NIDA, Brent St, Talent Development Project (TDP), and ED5 International, helping shape the next generation of performers.

A full-time freelancer and creative entrepreneur, Natalya is known for her technical brilliance, expressive storytelling, and genre-defying versatility. Whether performing in concert halls, orchestra pits, intimate bookshops, or luxury private events, she continues to push artistic boundaries and bring pop culture, film, and gaming music to life.