Alexis Dyan Marsh was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Between scoring the TNT television series, Animal Kingdom, or composing for feature films (Jazzy, The Unknown Country, NextGen), Marsh started writing songs to fill in where directors wanted music with lyrics. Her first album released under the name DYAN, Looking For Knives, was the result of producing songs that made it into cuts and some that didn't. The effort showed Marsh a different way to release music, apart from the screen, but still aiming to create sound that evokes imagery. Midwest is Marsh’s second album of songs, written while moving back and forth between Los Angeles and Cincinnati, eventually settling in the midwest with her partner and son. It was there where Marsh was able to build a studio of her own to write, produce, and mix Dyan songs while she continued to compose for film. Her latest film score was written for Morrisa Maltz’s second feature film, Jazzy, which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. The film has gone on to screen at SXSW Sydney, the Rome Film Festival and was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award as part of the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Artist Statement
My work is an expression of how I think about my place in the world: my experience as a woman who travelled to pursue an education and career in music, the setbacks and successes of that endeavor, the happy interruption of that work to become a mother, the longing for my family and hometown in Canada, and the challenge of continuing artistic pursuit amidst great uncertainty. I am drawn to orchestral textures that oscillate between dissonance/distortion and consonant harmony, but also perform as a singer, guitar player, and saxophonist. Words are useful ways to convey meaning, but I also value the spectrum of interpretations available to a concert work without lyrics. In all aspects of creating music, I strive to remind myself and the audience of our shared humanity, our ability to sit and listen to each other.
