Meet Yulia Protasova

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yulia Protasova.

Hi Yulia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in a small town in Ukraine, and from a very young age I dreamed of learning to play the piano, so my parents enrolled me in a music school when I was seven. From there, music and the piano became a huge part of my life.
I followed the whole path of a classical pianist, studying piano performance at the conservatory in Ukraine before moving to Valencia, Spain, where I continued and completed my studies at the Conservatory of Music. I moved to Valencia hoping to build a better life and find new opportunities, and it eventually became home.
For many years, I focused mainly on performing other people’s music, but towards the end of my studies, I realized that I wanted to create my own. I started composing and exploring different sides of music, and then I discovered film scoring, which completely changed the direction of my career.
I took an international film-scoring course in Madrid with Hollywood composers Christopher Young, Garry Schyman, and Pete Anthony, and that experience really encouraged me to pursue this path. During this course, I also had the opportunity to record my first original composition, Missouri Sky, with the Mad4Strings Orchestra, which was a very special experience for me as a composer. I later moved to Barcelona to study a Master’s Degree in Film Scoring and Music for Visual Media, and since then I’ve been working on short films, animation, documentaries, video games and other audiovisual projects.
Since then, I have won four different awards for my music, which has been incredibly motivating. Looking back, I think the piano gave me the foundation, but composition and film scoring helped me find my own voice.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I think one of the hardest parts is the beginning, when not many people know you yet and you’re still trying to find your way into the industry. At first, it can feel like there are a lot of projects and opportunities, but then you realize that building a career takes time and that the flow of projects isn’t always consistent. You find yourself constantly looking for the next opportunity, sending emails, reaching out to people, but sometimes you don’t get any response. I think these ups and downs really test you. There are moments when you wonder whether you should keep going or choose a more stable path, especially because there is so much uncertainty. But I have a voice inside me that keeps telling me to continue, because this is something I genuinely love doing. Giving up would probably be the easier option, but I don’t think it’s the one I want to take. I’m still in that process, and I think that’s part of the journey – learning to keep going even when you don’t know exactly what’s coming next.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a composer and pianist, mainly working in film and audiovisual music. I write music for films, documentaries, animation, video games and other visual projects, as well as for theme parks. My background is in classical piano, so orchestral music has always been a big part of my musical language, but I also love electronic music and experimenting with sound. I really enjoy bringing these two worlds together and finding the right sound for each project.
What I love most about composing for film is that every project is different. I don’t want to have one particular sound that I use for everything; I enjoy discovering what each project needs and working closely with the director to find it. Sometimes that means a full orchestral score, sometimes something very electronic and experimental, and sometimes a combination of both.
I’m especially proud of some of the films I’ve worked on and the recognition they’ve received, including winning the SGAE Award for Best Original Score at the Sitges Film Festival for *De-Sastre*. But beyond the awards, I’m most proud of having built a path where I can create my own music and make a living doing something I genuinely love.
I think what sets me apart is the combination of my classical background, my love for both orchestral and electronic music, and the way I approach each project as a collaboration. I also really value collaborating with other composers and musicians, because I believe that sharing different perspectives is one of the best ways to learn and grow. For me, the goal is not just to write music that sounds good, but to find the music that belongs to that particular story.

What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is being able to work on something I genuinely love – composing. There’s something very special about seeing music that I created become part of a project and knowing that the director is happy with it. I love that music can help tell a story and create emotions. That feeling of creating something meaningful together is what makes me really happy.
And, outside of music, I also find happiness in simple things, spending time with the people I love, being with my cat, being by the sea, and doing sports, which is very important to me. Sport helps me clear my mind and keep a good balance in my life. I think those moments keep me grounded and give me the space to keep creating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yuliaprotasova.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yulia.protasova_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julia.protasova.7/?locale=es_ES
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yulia-protasova-a8b500295/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yuliyaprotasova1597
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-535768061

Image Credits
Photo 1: Yegor Honcharov
Photos 2 & 3: Marta Pich
Photo 4: Yegor Honcharov