About sonia mokhtari
Sonia Mokhtari is a French-American Creative Audio Designer and Award-winning Composer, passionate about enhancing user experiences in games, films, and social media with her signature sound and evocative music. She studied Jazz and Classical music at the Conservatories of Vienne and Lyon in France, mastering piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, and drums. Sonia holds an M.F.A. in Music & Sound for Visual Media, a B.A. in Music Education from Université Lumière Lyon II, and a certificate in Music for Film, TV, and Games from Berklee College of Music.
Currently working as a Composer and Sound Designer at Zynga, Sonia has collaborated with various companies, including Meta, VGW, Calm, Audioplum, and others. She has also scored over 30 movie soundtracks. In addition to her creative work, Sonia teaches Music Technology at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Her musical inspiration spans Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Jazz, and World music, while in film, she draws influence from John Williams, Alan Menken, John Powell, Michel Legrand, Bernard Herrmann, and more. In the gaming world, she admires composers like Winifred Philips, Nobuo Uematsu, and Martin O'Donnell.
Current Working Location
San Francisco
Work experience
- Composer and sound designer
- 2010
- Composer and sound designer
sonia's Skills
ArtEngineering- Music Editor
- Post Production
- Sound Designer
MusicianStudio
sonia's Genres
- Classical
- Funk
- Hip-Hop
- Jazz
- Pop
- R&B
- Soul
- World
sonia's Experience
I’ve applied my skills across a variety of projects in both creative and educational settings. At Zynga, for example, I’m involved in crafting immersive audio experiences for games, designing sounds that enhance user interaction and bring gameplay to life. I leverage my background in music theory and sound design to create dynamic compositions and realistic sound effects that align with the narrative and gameplay mechanics.
In my film work, I’ve scored over 30 movie soundtracks, where I apply my expertise in creating emotionally evocative music and detailed sound design that supports storytelling. Drawing inspiration from classical composers like John Williams and Bernard Herrmann, I create soundtracks that enhance the narrative and atmosphere of each film, whether it’s a sweeping orchestral score or more intimate, experimental sounds.
In my previous roles with companies like Meta and Calm, I focused on creating soundscapes and music that evoke emotional responses, supporting the user experience and immersing players and listeners in the environments I helped build. This work drew from my extensive knowledge of classical, jazz, and world music, allowing me to bring diverse influences into my compositions.
As a professor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, I apply these skills by mentoring students, guiding them through the technical and creative aspects of sound design. Whether it’s developing soundscapes for film or game projects, I use real-world examples and personal experience to prepare students for the industry, while encouraging them to find their unique voice in the sound design field.
