Rhian Sheehan is a multi-award-winning, Hollywood Music in Media Award (HMMA)-nominated film, television, media and screen composer based in Wellington, New Zealand. An internationally recognised New Zealand composer and recording artist, he creates original music for feature films, television, games, documentaries, major motion picture trailers, museums, planetariums, theme parks, rollercoasters and immersive location-based experiences. His credits include projects for Netflix, HBO, Disney+, BBC, 20th Century Fox, UK’s National Space Centre, Ferrari World, The Super Bowl, NASA and Wētā Workshop.

“What beautiful music Rhian has given to the world. Whether it's performing on stage, or composing in his recording studio, across film, TV soundtracks, gaming, and location-based experiences, Rhian is an incredible talent and an inspirational artist working and living right here in our wonderful city. How lucky we are!”

- Sir Richard Taylor (Weta Workshop)

Rhian Sheehan is a multi-award-winning, Hollywood Music in Media Award (HMMA)-nominated New Zealand film, television and media composer, and recording artist internationally sought after for his immersive storytelling through music. From 3D fulldome planetarium experiences, state-of-the-art immersive museum installations, 360-degree cinema experiences and rollercoaster rides to feature films, television, games, and major motion picture trailers, his emotionally driven scores blend orchestral, electronic and post-rock influences to create deeply cinematic experiences for audiences worldwide.

Alongside his immersive work, Sheehan composes for feature films, television, games and advertising. His music and scores have been heard on shows, films, and trailers across Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Amazon Prime, National Geographic, Discovery, 20th Century Fox, and the BBC, with credits including Top Gear, Silicon Valley, Janet Jackson (Lifetime), 60 Minutes, Cunk on Earth, Formula 1: Drive to Survive, American Idol, America’s Got Talent, Upload, feature films Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses & Siege, NBC’s coverage of the London Olympic Games and the US Super Bowl, to name a few. His score for the 12-part series The Cult won the Qantas Film & TV Award for Best Original Music in a TV Series, and he received an APRA Screen Music Award nomination for the 8-part series The Sounds (Acorn TV). He has written music for major motion picture trailers, includIng James Cameron's The Abyss: Special Edition, and composed for Hans Zimmer’s co-founded Bleeding Fingers & Extreme Music production houses, and written music for global powerhouse brands including Google, Mercedes, GoPro, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Hennessy, and Nike.

He has composed music for planetarium fulldome films, museums, multimedia installations, themed attractions and rollercoaster rides (most notably UK's Tetrastar Spaceport Mars ride at the British National Space Centre, and Mission Ferrari at Ferrari World) around the world, with commissions for the British National Space Centre, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Wētā Workshop, and World of WearableArt. His work also includes the large-scale audiovisual installation Voices for the Future by artist Joseph Michael, projected onto the United Nations Headquarters in New York, which featured music by Sheehan and Brian Eno, as well as Wētā Workshop’s mixed-reality game Dr. Grordbort’s Invaders, starring Stephen Fry and Lucy Lawless.

 His acclaimed fulldome scores include Back To The Moon For Good (Narrated by Tim Allen), which has screened in more than 450 planetariums worldwide, as well as CapCom Go! The Apollo Story, We Are Astronomers (David Tennant), We Are Stars (Andy Serkis), We Are Aliens (Rupert Grint) and One Step Beyond: A Journey to Mars (Richard Armitage). These productions have earned multiple international Best Original Score awards and a Hollywood Music in Media Award (HMMA) nomination.

As a recording artist, Sheehan has released seven albums and three EPs through Loop Recordings (NZ/Aus), Darla Records (US), Extreme Music (US) and Preco Records (Japan). Early on in his career Sheehan's predominantly electonic music first gained an international audience when his work was featured on the globally popular multi-platinum-selling Café del Mar, Barramundi & Lazy Sunday CD anthologies, and has since accumulated hundreds of millions of streams worldwide. UK Future Music magazine featured a 2-page story on Sheehan, tipping him as "The next big thing" in ambient electronica music". His work has earned widespread critical acclaim, with Echoes host John Diliberto describing Stories From Elsewhere as “A modern ambient chamber music masterpiece of quietly epic dimensions.” Darla Records released his 2013 album Stories From Elsewhere in the US. His 2018 album, A Quiet Divide, is his most orchestral album to date, merging chamber strings & piano, with emotionally charged cinematic post-rock atmospheres. Releasing the album alongside a 6 date immersive audiovisual live tour around New Zealand, it reached no.2 on the NZ Top 20 album chart. His 2025 collaborative album Traces (co-written with Arli Liberman) reached no.1 on the Independent Music Top 20 chart. 

Whether writing for a giant planetarium dome, immersive museum installations, TV or the big screen, Sheehan’s music is distinguished by its emotional depth, expansive sense of space and cinematic storytelling.

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS:

Finalist "Best Original Music" Hollywood Music in Media Awards "One Step Beyond: A Journey To Mars" (2025)

Finalist "Best Original Score" APRA Film & TV Awards "The Sounds" (2021)

Finalist "Best Original Score" New Zealand TV Awards "The Sounds" (2021)

Winner "Best Original Score" New York Film Awards "CAPCOM GO! The Apollo Story" (2020)

Winner "Honourable Mention (Best Score)" Los Angeles Film Awards "CAPCOM GO! The Apollo Story" (2020)

Winner "Best Score" Top Shorts Film Festival for "CAPCOM GO! The Apollo Story" (2019)

Winner "Best Composer" American Golden Picture International Film Festival for "CAPCOM GO! The Apollo Story" (2019)

Winner "Best Soundtrack" Festival de Cortometrajes de Requena (Spain) for "The Mauritania Railway: Backbone of the Sahara" (2018)

Finalist “Best Score” Revolution Me Film Festival (New York) for “Los Angeles 1991” (2016)

Winner “Best Soundtrack” Fiske Fulldome Film Festival for “We Are Stars” (2015)

Winner “Best Original Score” – Qantas Film & Television Awards (2010)

Finalist “Best Animated Video” – Animate Festival 2009 official selection (Director) for “Standing in Silence Pt3” (2009)

Finalist “Best Electronic Album” – B-Net New Zealand Music Awards (2005)

Finalist “Most Outstanding Musician” – B-Net NZ Music Awards (2005)

Winner “Best Animated Video” – Young Guns International Video Awards (2004)

Winner “Best Video” – Handle The Jandal Music Video Awards for “Waiting” (2002)

Finalist “Best Electronica Album” – B-Net NZ Music Awards (2002)

Finalist “Best Electronica Album” – New Zealand Music Awards (2002)

ALBUM REVIEWS

Press reviews for Traces w/ Arli Liberman (2025):

"A true experience...  journey into an electronic-inspired wormhole."
- The Rolling Stone

"This is an atmospheric, majestic and immersive album, replete with the hybrid vigour of collaboration - simply glorious."
- The 13th Floor

"Cinematic sound designs of almost oppressive density through a battery of electronics, Moog and Rhodes keyboards. Turn off your mind. This is atmospheric music for a place where there's no atmosphere, and no one can hear you scream."
- The Listener

Press reviews for Recollections Vol.1 (2020):

"A sublime snapshot of some of the best he has had to offer. A gift that keeps on giving." - Simon Sweetman (Off The Tracks)

"Put your headphones back on... You can’t help floating to the ceiling on this one." - Ambient Light (★★★★★)

Press reviews for A Quiet Divide (2018):

“A Quiet Divide is an album that swallows you whole, and sends you out the other side a lighter, calmer version of yourself.” – The Sunday Star Times (★★★★1/2)

“If music can help transcend a broken heart, here is the evidence... simply outstanding.” – A Closer Listen

“This really is a lovely album.” – Elsewhere

Press reviews for Live At The Wellington Opera House (2015):

“The whole album is a wish you were there moment, where the audience is so mesmerised you could hear a pin drop before the bursts of applause that signal the spell has been broken momentarily.” – The Sunday Star Times (★★★★★)

“In a truly magical way his music is a form of classical/instrumental that works in front of a crowd more likely reared on rock and dance musics. And this was a stunning show at the time and brings with it happy memories in listening again.” – Simon Sweetman (Blog On The Tracks)

Press reviews for Stories From Elsewhere (2013):

“Stories From Elsewhere is a modern ambient chamber music masterpiece of quietly epic dimensions.” – John Diliberto (Echoes)

“The album transitions effortlessly between moments of elation, reflection, melancholy and serenity, creating in the process a unique world all of its own, almost as visual as it is aural.” – Joel Little (Lorde writer/producer)

“I cannot recommend Stories From Elsewhere enough… Sheehan is an unstoppable force.” – RIP IT UP (★★★★★)

“Stories From Elsewhere contains so much heart and soul. It has the power to blow you away.” – Simon Sweetman (The Dominion Post)

“An enchanting and high-quality collection of genre defying instrumental works.” – Textura