Milana Zilnik

Pianist, composer, songwriter

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160 Reviews (149 Verified)
Milana Zilnik on SoundBetter

Multi-award winning pianist, composer and singer-songwriter with 60+ million streams. I collaborated with 100+ composers and songwriters around the world.

I can perform and record the piano part for your project if you have the score or I can arrange your song or instrumental myself and create the piano line for you. I can provide you with an acoustic or a digital recording, including el.piano, organ or synths (with MIDI too). Being also a vocalist, I can sing your lyrics or write lyrics for you, or just add a vocalization in different styles. I can also score your film or a video game.

Music has been running in my family for many generations. I started playing piano when I was four years old and have had greatest teachers, including my own grandmother and my dad, who introduced me to the magic of improvising and playing by ear. My tastes and experience are eclectic: from classical, folk, blues, opera and Middle Eastern, to my soft spots for rock and jazz.

In the recent years I released three original sheet music books for solo piano, twenty original albums and also participated in several collaborative ones, winning multiple awards. I also scored a few documentaries, short films, animations and mobile games. My orchestral and piano solo works were selected by Leipzig ballet for their 2022-2023/2024 show based on "The Little Prince".

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Milana Zilnik
  • Milana
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik
  • Milana Zilnik

Languages

  • English
  • Hebrew
  • Russian

160 Reviews - 33 Repeat Clients

Endorse Milana Zilnik
  1. Review by goshiwoshi
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    Great Job!

  2. Review by Andrew C.
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    Milana created a piece that is best described as "beautiful". Performing on a Kawai GX3 with 3 mics, she was able to bring out the depth of sound of the instrument and also impart her personality on the musical piece. I would have no problem requesting further work from her.

  3. Review by Dirk
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    by Dirk
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    Milana is an extraordinary musician and artist. Her piano arrangements are outstanding. In every note you hear her passion for music. If that wasn’t enough Milana is super fast and super polite. Take the chance to get in contact with her.

  4. Review by Chris Karman
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    I have worked with Milana a few times and the results are always superb. Milana did an outstanding job of taking my simple piano arrangements and drawing their their full potential. She is a real pleasure to work with and she sounds amazing. I look forward to working with her again in the future.

  5. Review by Chris R.
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    I feel so lucky to have met Milana. She is an exceptional pianist, composer, arranger and so much more. How do I know this? I wrote a prog metal song and wanted to turn it into a vocal/piano piece. Using only my rudimentary chord progressions (one that was probably full of errors) and she turned it into a beautiful piano arrangement with minimal direction. She patiently took my feedback and called me out when I contradicted myself (thank you!). So easy to work with. So talented. 10/10

  6. Review by Tim W.
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    Impeccable playing and super-fast turnaround from Milana as always!

  7. Review by Tim W.
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    by Tim W.
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    Beautiful playing and quick turnaround from Milana on the latest job as usual. Highly recommended.

  8. Review by Tony C.
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    I worked with Milana on a metal song that had some significant piano and keyboard parts, including a solo piano part to close out the song. I had parts written, but they were a bit overly simplistic and lacking the human element.

    Milana did a wonderful job of improving and iterating on what was already written while keeping the core of it. This was much appreciated as I had grown attached to some parts. She balanced everything very well and was very fast and responsive.
    Highly recommended!

  9. Review by Tim W.
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    by Tim W.
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    Milana quickly turned around a four track job for me with superb musicianship and great professionalism. No hesitation in recommending.

  10. Review by Stephen N.
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    working with Milana again was another lifetime experience trying to make music right and once again as difficult as it was, she executed
    with professionalism, ability to detail and precision.

  11. Review by Tim W.
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    by Tim W.
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    This was my second time using Milana’s excellent services on SoundBetter — beautiful playing, highly accurate score-reading and fast, meticulous turn-around. Highly recommended!

  12. Review by tv-baby
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    Easy to work with, very accommodating, fast delivery. I highly recommend Milana

  13. Review by Thomas A.
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    Milana is awesome to work with! She’s an excellent musician and knows how to make the most out of ideas. Had a great time working with her.

  14. Review by Alexander G.
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    It's always great working with Milana. She has the ability to make my compositions sound so much bigger, more expressive, and interesting! She's also very great to work with and is very quick in her work. I recommend!

  15. Review by Curtis J.
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    Milana has provided the score for two of my films and her work is always outstanding. I've received numerous compliments and I always enjoy the process of working with her to find just the right musical tone for my film projects. I would definitely recommend working her and telling your colleagues about her work as well!

  16. Review by Stan Rose
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    MIlana is super talented and easy to work with, she kept me posted throughout the session and delivered some great piano!

  17. Review by Craig Akin
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    Milana's project was a dream for me. Beautifully recorded backing tracks to work with. Individual files for each instrument and organized so well giving me the easy choice which ones to use. AND perfectly written sheet music eliminating all guesswork from the equation. More of that please!!

  18. Review by Craig Akin
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    Two thumbs up always with Milana!

  19. Review by Craig Akin
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    Really been enjoying this big project of instrumental music by Milana. Fantastic backing tracks and charts to work with.

  20. Review by Craig Akin
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    Pleasure as always with Milana.

Interview with Milana Zilnik

  1. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  2. A: Yoed Nir for cello and Craig Akin for electric and upright bass. They both did an amazing job for my albums.

  3. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  4. A: I’ve been recording and composing an original material since 2012 and been providing remote session services since 2015

  5. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  6. A: - Acoustic 6’2” grand piano Kawai GX3 with a stereo pair of Audio Technica 4041 mics and AKG414 in a studio treated with acoustic panels. . - Komplete Kontrol 88, Yamaha Clavinova digital piano, Korg SP250 keyboard. MIDI recording can be provided along with the synthesized WAV file, using various sampled pianos, including electric piano, organ or any other synth of your choice. - Stereo pair of Rode NT1A mics along with AKG414 for recording lead and back vocals in an acoustically treated room. - Audio interface: Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 - Host computer: PC, 64GB RAM, 6TB HD + 4TB SSDs + 2TB NVMe (for sample libraries) - DAW: Pro Tools, Propellerhead Reason 8, Native Instrument Komplete 12 Ultimate.

  7. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  8. A: An acoustic or a digital recording? Is there a score? What genre and style (e.g. more chords or more melodies, repetitive or free, etc)? Are there any existing songs, which sound similar?

  9. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  10. A: To save time on the back and forth communication, please include all the details with your request: acoustic piano or sampled one, the genre, the style, the structure, the bpm, whether you have the score (if not then the list of chords), what other instruments are there in your composition. All this helps to estimate the effort and provide you with the accurate quote from the beginning.

  11. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  12. A: My strongest skill is piano improvisation: taking some simple melodies and extending them into a full composition on the fly.

  13. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  14. A: The feeling, the emotion.

  15. Q: What's your typical work process?

  16. A: Usually I ask many clarifying questions at first to get the exact picture of what client wants, then I record 2-3 quick rough takes and send them back, asking which version the client likes the best. Once I get the answer, I produce the final version by polishing the chosen take (fixing wrong notes, the timing, rerecording some parts and so on) and send it back to the client.

  17. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  18. A: An acoustic or a digital recording? Is there a score? What genre and style (e.g. more chords or more melodies, repetitive or free, etc)? Are there any existing songs, which sound similar?

  19. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  20. A: To save time on the back and forth communication, please include all the details with your request: acoustic piano or sampled one, the genre, the style, the structure, the bpm, whether you have the score (if not then the list of chords), what other instruments are there in your composition. All this helps to estimate the effort and provide you with the accurate quote from the beginning.

  21. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  22. A: My strongest skill is piano improvisation: taking some simple melodies and extending them into a full composition on the fly.

  23. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  24. A: The feeling, the emotion.

  25. Q: What's your typical work process?

  26. A: Usually I ask many clarifying questions at first to get the exact picture of client wants, then I record 2-3 quick rough takes and send them back, asking which version the client likes the best. Once I get the answer, I produce the final version by polishing the chosen take (fixing wrong notes, the timing, rerecording some parts and so on) and send it back to the client.

  27. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  28. A: Both. It really depends on the production and on the goals.

  29. Q: How would you describe your style?

  30. A: A crossover between jazz, classical and soft-rock.

  31. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  32. A: All kinds ranging from middle-eastern to hip-hop, classical to jazz, cinematic soundtracks to alternative rocks.

  33. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  34. A: Recording acoustic and digital piano for songs, composing original soundtracks for short films and advertisements.

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"For Bach" / "Frozen Song" / "Dream of a Child" / "Dark Affairs" / "Exotic Vocalizzo" / "Underwater Nocturne" / "The Snow Queen Waltz" by Milana Zilnik

I was the Pianist, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger, orchestrator in this production


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    "For Bach" / "Frozen Song" / "Dream of a Child" / "Dark Affairs" / "Exotic Vocalizzo" / "Underwater Nocturne" / "The Snow Queen Waltz" by Milana Zilnik
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    "Distant Memories" by Milana Zilnik
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    Liebestraume No 3 (F. Liszt)
Terms Of Service

2-3 days turnaround for digital recordings, 7-10 days for acoustic piano. 2-3 revisions included. Full re-writes at additional cost.

GenresSounds Like
  • Tori Amos
  • Sarah McLachlan
  • Nina Simone
Gear Highlights
  • 6'2" conservatory grand piano (Kawai GX-3)
  • AKG414 XLII
  • stereo pairs of AT4041 and Rode NT1A mics
  • Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 audio interface
  • Pro Tools 12 & Propellerhead Reason 8
  • Native Instruments Komplete 13
More Photos
  • The first single from my upcoming "Abracadabra!" album is out!Sep 25, 2020

    Available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Google Play.