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 composed music 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 receiving five star reviews and widespread critical acclaim. The work continues to be performed around the world and has been performed in the UK 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 working on his films The Story of Looking, My Name is Alfred Hitchcock and The Story of Documentary Film which premiered at Sundance in 2026. Mark and Donna are currently devising an opera together! 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 this year Biologique and Zimmermann.
Her music 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 on John Schaefer’s New Sounds 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 and Sadler’s Wells in London and at The Edinburgh Festival.
In 2025, Donna performed her work 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 home 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.
All of Donna’s music can be streamed from here
She was a member of Miranda Sex Garden and composed music 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 receiving five star reviews and widespread critical acclaim. The work continues to be performed around the world and has been performed in the UK 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 working on his films The Story of Looking, My Name is Alfred Hitchcock and The Story of Documentary Film which premiered at Sundance in 2026. Mark and Donna are currently devising an opera together! 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 this year Biologique and Zimmermann.
Her music 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 on John Schaefer’s New Sounds 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 and Sadler’s Wells in London and at The Edinburgh Festival.
In 2025, Donna performed her work 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 home 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.
All of Donna’s music can be streamed from here
NEWS
2026
NEW RELEASE
O Vos - in collaboration with The Marian Consort OUT NOW on Delphian Records.
Stream here
NEW FILM The 16 hour epic -The Story of Documentary Film by Mark Cousins premiered at The Sundance Film Festival on 27th January and at The Cannes Film Festival and Berlinale this year.
NEW FILM
- The Last Train Home directed by Jessi Gutch in production now.
NEW FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
- Little Warrior
directed by Paul Sng in post production now.
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 Available to watch on BBC iPlayer here
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
Stream 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.
Signed copies of both Vinyl and CD of The Swimming Diaries OST are available to buy at phil@knox-roberts.com