In this edition of our regular highlights feature, we explore composers and sound artists who write music for film.
There’s a vast range of composers in the British Music Collection, so we’ve picked out a few connected individuals for you to discover. Here we’re focusing on those who've written music for film.
1. Mica Levi
Already well known for her experimental pop music with Good Sad Happy Bad (formerly Micachu and the Shapes), in 2014 Mica Levi created the fantastically unsettling score to Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin. Nominated for a BAFTA and European Film Award, it paved the way for highly original scores for Jackie in 2016 (which received an Oscar nomination) and Monos in 2019.
Discover Mica’s profile and listen to her work here.
2. Kuljit Bhamra
Known for his wide-ranging collaborations as a composer, performer and recording producer, Kuljit Bhamra’s film scores include Winter of Love, Bhaji on the Beach and contributions to the early noughties heart-warmer Bend It Like Beckham.
Discover Kuljit’s profile and listen to his work here.
3. Anna Meredith
Anna Meredith’s music spans everything from vast orchestras to amplified solo bassoons and pretty much everything in between. She created her first film soundtrack in 2018 to Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade – a coming of age story for our modern, over-connected age.
Discover Anna’s profile and listen to her work here.
4. Jonny Greenwood
Radiohead guitarist and composer Jonny Greenwood has been creating highly-orginal film scores for nearly twenty years including 2007’s There Will Be Blood and his two collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson; The Master and Phantom Thread.
Discover Jonny’s profile and listen to his work here.
5. Richard Rodney Bennett
Equally known for his concert music as well as his film work, Richard Rodney Bennett’s scores garnered him three Oscar nominations (for Far from the Madding Crowd, Nicholas and Alexandra and Murder on the Orient Express) and include more recent classicas such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Gormenghast.
Discover Richard's profile and listen to his work here.
There are 1000s more composers to discover in the collection - find out more here!
If you're a composer yourself, we'd love you to add your own work to the collection. Start building a profile here.