BIOGRAPHY
Jillian Aversa is a soundtrack vocalist, concert soloist, composer, and YouTube artist. Her shimmering voice has been featured in Hollywood film and blockbuster video game franchises Halo, Destiny, God of War, Civilization, Soulcalibur, Killer Instinct, Katamari Damacy, Assassin's Creed/Brawlhalla, Crimson Dragon, Honor of Kings, the Gran Turismo film and more. In addition to her soundtrack performances, she is widely known as a soloist with various symphonic game concerts across the globe – including the international concert tour Video Games Live. Her popular YouTube channel features music videos that have received millions of views, as well as coverage in Polygon, Wired, Game Informer, and Nerdist.
Jillian has performed as a soloist with the Boston Symphony, the National Symphony, the Melbourne Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, the Shanghai Orchestra, the City of Prague Philharmonic, and the National Symphony in Dubai, among many others. As the touring vocal soloist for Video Games Live, an immersive symphonic concert series, she has performed in 14 countries across 5 continents.
Notable concert events in which Jillian has been a featured vocalist include the San Diego Comic Con, E3 Expo, Tokyo Game Show, at several official Blizzard Entertainment concerts held in arenas across China, with the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony's Music of Inon Zur, with the Video Game Orchestra in Boston, in A Night in Fantasia with the Macau Symphony, and in Video Games Unplugged with the Melbourne Symphony, hosted by actor Wil Wheaton, and Scott Kurtz and Kris Straub of Penny Arcade TV.
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Jillian performed the ending theme to the Gran Turismo film, composed by Lorne Balfe and Andrew Kawczynski in conjunction with 14th Street Music - a music production company founded by Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe and Steven Kofsky. As a soloist on major video game soundtracks, she is often regarded as “the voice of Halo,” singing on four games in the popular franchise as well as on the TV mini series Halo: Fall of Reach - including the ending theme song, "Take This Life," which she co-composed with Tom Salta. On Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 2 Anniversary, her voice is used extensively throughout both cutscenes and gameplay alike, as well as in the iconic main theme, "Installation 04." Her haunting vocals can be heard in the "Prelude" to Halo: Spartan Assault, among many others, - and on Halo: Spartan Strike she continues to contribute to the series' signature sound with a vast range of tracks highlighting her singing.
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Jillian is the vocalist of the popular "Watchtower" theme in Destiny 2: Forsaken, composed by Wilbert Roget II. In both Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword and Civilization V: Gods and Kings, she sings the intro theme songs by composer Michael Curran. The soundtrack to God of War: Ghost of Sparta features Jillian's operatic singing and eerie whispers as the voice of Erinys, composed by Mike Reagan. In Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed-Brawlhalla crossover, she is the soloist of the classic "Ezio's Theme" composed by Jespyr Kid
and arranged by Chris Rickwood, among numerous other tracks. Her ethereal singing captivates in the massively popular Chinese MMO Honor of Kings with Tom Salta.
Jillian's versatile range spans distinctive solos to intricate harmonies, improvisation, and lush one-woman choirs. Her many recorded languages include English, Latin, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Gaelic, Russian, and Polish. She also enjoys singing in fictional languages - examples include her lyrics for the Soulcalibur V ending theme, "The Breeze At Dawn," a piece she co-composed with Cris Velasco - as well as the fantasy lyrics to "Esoterica" from the Indivisible soundtrack with Secret of Mana composer Hiroki Kikuta. She sings in Japanese for "Lonely Rolling Star" in the Katamari Damacy game "Tap My Katamari," arranged and produced by Andrew Aversa, and in Latin for the main theme to Civilization V: Gods and Kings.
Though she is a classically trained soprano with a degree in vocal performance from Peabody Conservatory of Music, Jillian is also accomplished in non-Western singing styles. In Mick Gordon's score to Killer Instinct (2013), her Mongolian
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vocal stylings can be heard in "Jago's Theme." Her Slavic inspired singing pierces in the main theme of Crimson Dragon with composers Saori Kobayashi and Jeremy Garren. She is also the featured vocalist of the sample library “Allura” by virtual instrument developer Impact Soundworks, used by thousands of composers around the world. There, her distinctive range is on display as both a soprano and in several World music vocal traditions.
Jillian also composes and performs original New Age music. Her solo albums Atlantis Awakening, Origins, and Through Sand and Snow have been streamed hundreds of thousands of times worldwide, landing international radio airplay and awards such as the $5,000 OurStage Music Grand Prize and JPF Best New Age Album.
Outside her soundtrack and solo work, Jillian also enjoys collaborating on original music with other artists – including her husband Andrew "zircon" Aversa, with whom she has co-written and performed on numerous popular EDM tracks. Her vocals can be heard on the two time Grammy-winning album Calling All Dawns by Christopher Tin, and the two musicians wrote an original song together for One Big Album, a charity release featuring an all-star roster of video game composers. Her voice can be heard on 5-time Grammy nominee David Arkenstone's album Music Inspired by Middle Earth vol . ll, and she has also collaborated with Grammy-nominated cellist and composer Tina Guo on numerous occasions.
With her silken voice and passionate vision, Jillian Aversa has become both a critical and popular favorite – commanding the stage, the studio, and redefining what we think of New Age music along the way.
“The soloist Jillian Aversa has an outstanding voice
and her performance left no doubt that music
written for games is no less an art form than
music for any other genre.”
FROM THE PRESS
CREDITS
Tom Salta
Halo series, Deathloop, Honor of Kings,
Killer Instinct Season 3
"I can’t say enough about Jillian. She has
a rare gift and skill and has been my go-to soprano for over a decade. I know very few vocalists that have the mastery she does
in combination with compositional artistry and textural beauty. Her voice has transformed many of my compositions
into timeless gems."
Wilbert Roget, II
Destiny 2, Call of Duty WWII,
Mortal Kombat 11
"I've hired Jillian for several of my scores and independent albums, including Destiny 2: Forsaken. She's a phenomenal vocalist with expertise in many different genres of both classical and pop, and sings fluently in several languages. She can record herself at top studio quality as well, which has been an invaluable asset for many productions. I
highly recommend Jillian's vocal and songwriting talents!"
Christopher Tin
Grammy Winning Composer, Calling All Dawns / Civilization IV, Old World
”Jillian does amazing work, and on a moment's notice as well. Her tone, diction and pitch are outstanding, and she really puts a lot of effort into researching the proper pronunciation of some very tricky foreign texts. Highly recommended.”
Geoff Knorr
Civilization series, Galactic Civilizations series, Ashes of the Singularity
"Jillian is a joy to work with. Her combination of being classically trained, while also composing and producing her own albums of new age/world music and having extensive soundtrack recording experience, gives her a real edge. I highly recommend her!"
Mike Reagan
God of War series, Angry Birds series, Spiderman: Friend or Foe
"Jillian Aversa is a top notch, inventive vocalist who did a superb job for me on
the God of War: Ghost of Sparta soundtrack. Even with miles between us, she is able to record vocals remotely and takes direction well. Thanks, Jillian, for making the tracks shine!"
Alexander Brandon
Deus Ex series, Battlestar Galactica, Bejeweled 3
"Jillian’s performance skill is nothing short of jaw dropping. She has the ability to go from operatic to Lisa Gerard in the snap of a finger and flawlessly execute both. I consider her a go to singer for my projects."
AWARDS
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Best Hybrid Remix (Winner) | Jillian Aversa feat. Harpsona - Zelda "Fairy Fountain" | Game Music Remix Awards 2022
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Best Game Music Cover/Remix (Nominated) | Jillian Aversa - Ori and the Will of the Wisps "Main Theme" | Game Audio Network Guild 2021
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Best Game Music Cover/Remix (Winner) | Jillian Aversa - The Witcher 3 "Sword of Destiny" | Game Audio Network Guild 2018
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Best Handheld Audio (Winner) | Halo: Spartan Strike | Game Audio Network Guild 2016
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Best Game Music Cover/Remix (Nominated) | Jillian Aversa - Destiny "Hope for the Future" | Game Audio Network Guild 2015
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Music of the Year (Nominated) | Halo 2 Anniversary | Game Audio Network Guild 2015
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Best Vocal Song (Nominated) | Halo: Spartan Assault - "Legacy" | Game Audio Network Guild 2013
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Best Soundtrack Album (Nominated) | Halo: Spartan Assault | Game Audio Network Guild 2013
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Outstanding Achievement - Vocal Theme (Winner) | Soulcalibur V - "The Breeze at Dawn" | Square Enix Music Online 2012
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Best Soundtrack Album (Nominated) | Halo CE: Anniversary | Game Audio Network Guild 2012
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Assassin's Creed Contest (1st Place) | Solo Submission | UJam 2011
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Best Handheld Audio (Nominated) | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | Game Audio Network Guild 2011
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Best New Age Album (2nd Place) | Origins | Just Plain Folks 2009
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Music Finals $5,000 Grand Prize (Winner) | Origins - "Hajime" | OurStage 2008
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Best New Artist (Nominated) | Jillian Aversa | New Age Reporter 2008
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#1 New Age Album (Winner) | Origins | NewAgeMusic.nu 2008
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Best World Music Song (3rd Place) | Origins - "Hajime" | Indie International Songwriting Contest 2008
Jillian is available to sing custom vocals on your project.
For more information on her remote vocal recording services, please see this page.