Oleta Haffner, a mixed-race female composer based in London, UK, channels her deep passion for storytelling into her musical compositions. Her collaborative spirit has led her to work with directors across a spectrum of mediums, including films, animations, and theater productions. She has also composed classical music for the concert hall.

During her Film Music Composition studies at the London College of Music, Oleta forged a partnership with Questors Theatre in Ealing. Together, they brought to life a series of memorable productions, including an adaptation of George Orwell’s “1984” (2019), “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (2023), “Things I Know to be True” (2020), “The Children” (2021), and “Not About Heroes” (2018).

Following her graduation, Oleta’s creative journey expanded to encompass a wide range of projects. She contributed her musical talents to a variety of animated shorts featured on Mashed, a Channel 4 YouTube channel. Her portfolio also includes music for Oscar and Bafta qualifying short documentary, “Note of Defiance”, as well as the short film, “Dear Mum”. More recently, Oleta has completed the music for the indie-feature film Dark Revival: The Cycle of Existence, short films Just Jackie, Aurora, Aufguss, and many more.

In 2022, Oleta won the inaugural Jonas Gwangwa Composition Initiative Award which was presented by The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The initiative aims to foster broader representation in film music composition, with an emphasis on Black British talent. Composers Nainita Desai and Gary Yershon mentored her as part of the program.

Oleta conducted her piece “Chemy” for string orchestra, harp, and drumkit at the Royal Festival Hall in September 2023.

She served on the film music jury for the Ivor Novello Awards 2023 and was a panelist on Abbey Road Equalise 2023. She also moderated a panel at the Watersprite Film Festival and awarded Best Film Score at the awards ceremony alongside composer Natalie Holt in 2024.

Oleta conducted the Flames Collective choir at the Royal Albert Hall and the London O2 Arena with Raye and the Heritage Orchestra.

Photo credit: Graeme Miall