Borne out of a fascination with nature and shamanism, and a grinding rhythmic energy, the music of Tansy Davies has been described as both ' sleek, hot, earthy' and 'transparent, brazenly beautiful'.

Her music is championed by ensembles including New York Philharmonic, Ensemble Intercontemporain, and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and at festivals including Ultima, Présences, Donuaueschinger Musiktage and Warsaw Autumn. Between Worlds, an operatic response to the September 11 attacks, was premiered by English National Opera in 2015, and in 2018 her chamber opera Cave was premiered with Mark Padmore, Elaine Mitchener, and London Sinfonietta.

She has taught composition at both the Academy and at the Bloomington School of Music, Indiana.

Recent projects include Nightingales: Ultra-Deep Field for Arditti Quartet, Monolith: I Extend My Arms, for the strings of Britten Sinfonia, and a residency at Concertgebouw Amsterdam culminating in the ensemble piece Soul Canoe.