DONNA MCKEVITT
COMPOSER
A work of unpretentious beauty... She writes in an uncomplicated yet never predictable musical language.
...The Times
McKevitt makes beauty out of grief.
...The Evening Standard
Her music has a harmonic austerity, redolent of ‘holy minimalist’ composers, all the more moving for its restraint.
...Gramophone
Like some exquisite morsel, Donna McKevitt's ‘Cut’ leaves an aftertaste that lingers long after its sixteen minutes are over.
...Textura
COMPOSER
...The Times
McKevitt makes beauty out of grief.
...The Evening Standard
Her music has a harmonic austerity, redolent of ‘holy minimalist’ composers, all the more moving for its restraint.
...Gramophone
Like some exquisite morsel, Donna McKevitt's ‘Cut’ leaves an aftertaste that lingers long after its sixteen minutes are over.
...Textura
Donna McKevitt is a British composer who writes music for film, dance and stage.
She has worked as a singer and violist with many artists including Nick Cave, Tricky, Moby and Michael Nyman.
She was a member of Miranda Sex Garden and worked for Derek Jarman on his final film, Blue. Derek gave
Donna permission to continue the collaboration, giving her access to his scripts and diaries. She went
on to create a song-cycle for voices, viola and cello. The resulting album, Translucence, featuring
counter tenor Michael Chance, was released on Warner Classics to widespread critical acclaim,
performed around the world including at The City of London Festival and at The Tate Britain.
Donna has worked as a film composer for several years writing scores for feature dramas and
documentaries. She has a long term collaboration with film maker Mark Cousins on films such as The Story of Looking, My Name is Alfred Hitchcock and The Story of Documentary Film which premiered at Sundance in 2026. Other recent projects include Paul Sng’s film Irvine Welsh doc Reality is not Enough and Susan Thomson’s The Swimming Diaries. Donna continues her 20 year collaboration with film maker Emma Summerton having scored many films for brands and magazines including Vogue, Jaeger and Biologique.
Her work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 1,2,3,4 and 6 Music, as well as WNYC in the US who
broadcasted a retrospective of her work which included a live session of her settings of Maya Angelou’s poems with the late jazz trumpeter Lew Soloff and bassist Francois Moutin.
Donna has been commissioned by vocal consorts The Marian Consort, Voces8, The ORA Singers and
The Gesualdo Six and her dance work has been performed at the Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells
and The Edinburgh Festival. In 2025, Donna performed her work (and MD’d) alongside Jessie Buckley,
Nils Wanderer, Roger Chase and many more on the Barbican Stage as part of James Dacre’s Modern Nature celebrating the life and work of Derek Jarman. A month later she was performing an entirely
different piece in the harbour of her local town Ramsgate having been commissioned to compose
a new work for 150 voices and 75 fog horns for the original little ships as part of
the 85th anniversary of the evacuation of the Dunkirk beaches.
In 2021, Donna scored the play Bitterenders by Hannah Khalil, directed by Maxine Peake, the
performance was live streamed from the Arcola Theatre and all proceeds went to Medical Aid For
Palestine. Donna is currently working on three new films, a large scale commission for Canterbury Cathedral and a new work for tenor Ian Bostridge setting the poetry of Cecile Sauvage.
She has worked as a singer and violist with many artists including Nick Cave, Tricky, Moby and Michael Nyman.
She was a member of Miranda Sex Garden and worked for Derek Jarman on his final film, Blue. Derek gave
Donna permission to continue the collaboration, giving her access to his scripts and diaries. She went
on to create a song-cycle for voices, viola and cello. The resulting album, Translucence, featuring
counter tenor Michael Chance, was released on Warner Classics to widespread critical acclaim,
performed around the world including at The City of London Festival and at The Tate Britain.
Donna has worked as a film composer for several years writing scores for feature dramas and
documentaries. She has a long term collaboration with film maker Mark Cousins on films such as The Story of Looking, My Name is Alfred Hitchcock and The Story of Documentary Film which premiered at Sundance in 2026. Other recent projects include Paul Sng’s film Irvine Welsh doc Reality is not Enough and Susan Thomson’s The Swimming Diaries. Donna continues her 20 year collaboration with film maker Emma Summerton having scored many films for brands and magazines including Vogue, Jaeger and Biologique.
Her work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 1,2,3,4 and 6 Music, as well as WNYC in the US who
broadcasted a retrospective of her work which included a live session of her settings of Maya Angelou’s poems with the late jazz trumpeter Lew Soloff and bassist Francois Moutin.
Donna has been commissioned by vocal consorts The Marian Consort, Voces8, The ORA Singers and
The Gesualdo Six and her dance work has been performed at the Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells
and The Edinburgh Festival. In 2025, Donna performed her work (and MD’d) alongside Jessie Buckley,
Nils Wanderer, Roger Chase and many more on the Barbican Stage as part of James Dacre’s Modern Nature celebrating the life and work of Derek Jarman. A month later she was performing an entirely
different piece in the harbour of her local town Ramsgate having been commissioned to compose
a new work for 150 voices and 75 fog horns for the original little ships as part of
the 85th anniversary of the evacuation of the Dunkirk beaches.
In 2021, Donna scored the play Bitterenders by Hannah Khalil, directed by Maxine Peake, the
performance was live streamed from the Arcola Theatre and all proceeds went to Medical Aid For
Palestine. Donna is currently working on three new films, a large scale commission for Canterbury Cathedral and a new work for tenor Ian Bostridge setting the poetry of Cecile Sauvage.
NEWS
2026
NEW COMMISSION for Ian Bostridge, details to be announced soon.
NEW RELEASE of O Vos a collaboration with The Marian Consort to be released on Delphian Records on the 14th August.
NEW FILM The 16 hour epic -The Story of Documentary Film by Mark Cousins premieres at The Sundance Film Festival on 27th January and shown at Cannes Film and Berlinale later on in the year.
2025
NEW RELEASE of Irvine Welsh: Reality is Not Enough Soundtrack Album
On the 26th September. Available here
NEW RELEASE of Ode To Pity commissioned by Penelope Appleyard available to stream from the 19th September. Available here
NEW RELEASE of Translucence on vinyl later in the year.
OPERA NEWS
Tim Albery’s production of Garden of Vanished Pleasures with music by Donna McKevitt and Cecilia Livingston 25th -27th April 2025 at Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre, Canadian Stage, 26 Berkeley St, Toronto
CONCERT NEWS
5:30 pm on May 18th 2025 Ramsgate Harbour.
New work for mass choir, strings, brass and 75 ship horns to celebrate Operation Dynamo.
FILM NEWS
Donna has recently scored Paul Sng’s documentary Irvine Welsh - Reality is Not Enough which will be closing The Edinburgh International Film Festival on the 20th August
Donna has recently finished scoring Caroline Walker:Women’s Work by director Nicola Black for BBC4
CONCERT NEWS
Modern Nature at The Barbican 8th April 2025
A celebration of Derek Jarman’s diary, film and poetry. Performed by Nils Wanderer, Jessie Buckley, Adrian Shaw, Omari Douglas, Will Young and Olly Alexander.
Featuring music by McKevitt, Max Richter, Valgeir Sigurosson, Kele Okereke and Simon Fisher Turner.
CUT
The re release of Donna’s 2015 album now featuring two new pieces
Available here
CONTACT
Collaborations, commissions and sheet music- ithalamusic@yahoo.co.uk
Sync and Record Company - phil@knox-roberts.com
Publicist - louisa@fearofmusic.co.uk
︎
All film work can be viewed on IMDB here
Donna McKevitt is supported by PRS Foundation Composers’ Fund in
partnership with Jerwood Arts.
All music available on Spotify and all other streaming sites.