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
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
Donna McKevitt writes music. Music for film and contemporary dance and concert. She likes to mess around with sounds, deconstructing them and combining them with acoustic instruments. She also writes for choral groups and chamber ensembles. From time to time she releases her personal work in the form of an EP or album.
In her final year at University she signed to Mute Records with the band Miranda Sex Garden. They released several albums and toured extensively across Europe, the USA and Japan. During her time with the band she worked, played and supported artists Einstürzende Neubauten, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Tricky, Simon Fisher Turner and Michael Nyman.
Her first classical work was Translucence, a song cycle of Derek Jarman’s poetry which she began writing when scoring music for his final film Blue in 1992. At 27, Warner Classics released her Opus 1 to critical acclaim, the recording receiving five star reviews across classical publications and national newspapers.
Donna lived in Sarajevo in the early 2000s where she played viola in the Sarajevo Philharmonic. Nowadays, she sings a bit and plays the viola with lots of pedals. She enjoys improvising with other musicians who like to make strange, wonderful sounds and recently recorded a One Day Band album with Belle Chen, Anders Holst and Thomas Stone for Trestle Records.
Her work for film includes feature films by acclaimed directors John Jencks, Derek Jarman and Mark Cousins. A Song Still Inside, a PULSE production which deals with issues surrounding male suicide by Ed Lovelace and James Hall was released in 2021. 2023 saw the release of her second collaboration with Mark Cousins - his film My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock.
Donna enjoys collaboration and has a long term partnership with photographer Emma Summerton. You can view their work together for Vogue and other fashion brands on this site. She has written extensively for voices and has been commissioned by world leading consorts- Voces8, The Marian Consort, Apollo 5, The Gesualdo Six and The ORA Singers.
Donna has also written music for contemporary dance, collaborating with Phil Sanger, Hannah Peel and Charlotte Edmonds with performances at Tate Britain, Sadler’s Wells and The Royal Opera House. In 2015, she won a place on the first Cohan Collective programme run by Yorke Dance Project and a residency at The Aldeburgh Festival in the same year.
In 2022 she wrote the music for Hannah Khalil’s play Bitterenders centred around a Palestinian family who lose their home to illegal Jewish settlement. The play was directed by Maxine Peake at The Arcola Theatre, London.
In 2023, she was commissioned to write music for artist and film maker Susan Thomson for her new film The Swimming Diaries which premiered at The Dublin Film Festival in 2024. The soundtrack album was released on vinyl and CD by Dharma Records.
In 2024, Donna released several recordings including the song Alai with Supriya Nagarajan and scored director Polly Steele’s feature documentary The Mountain Within Me for Universal Studios. She also wrote music for her film Four Letters of Love starring Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter.
This year Donna has finished scoring Paul Sng’s feature documentary Irvine Welsh - Reality is Not Enough which is closing the Edinburgh International Film Festival. She has also scored Women’s Work a documentary about artist Caroline Walker by director Nicola Black. In April, Donna was performer and MD at The Barbican for James Dacre’s production Modern Nature celebrating the work of Derek Jarman and in May she and artist Aidan Gray created a piece for 130 voices and 75 fog horns which was performed in Ramsgate Harbour to commemorate Operation Dynamo.
Donna lives by the sea with her husband, musician Grant Gordon and their two children.
In her final year at University she signed to Mute Records with the band Miranda Sex Garden. They released several albums and toured extensively across Europe, the USA and Japan. During her time with the band she worked, played and supported artists Einstürzende Neubauten, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Tricky, Simon Fisher Turner and Michael Nyman.
Her first classical work was Translucence, a song cycle of Derek Jarman’s poetry which she began writing when scoring music for his final film Blue in 1992. At 27, Warner Classics released her Opus 1 to critical acclaim, the recording receiving five star reviews across classical publications and national newspapers.
Donna lived in Sarajevo in the early 2000s where she played viola in the Sarajevo Philharmonic. Nowadays, she sings a bit and plays the viola with lots of pedals. She enjoys improvising with other musicians who like to make strange, wonderful sounds and recently recorded a One Day Band album with Belle Chen, Anders Holst and Thomas Stone for Trestle Records.
Her work for film includes feature films by acclaimed directors John Jencks, Derek Jarman and Mark Cousins. A Song Still Inside, a PULSE production which deals with issues surrounding male suicide by Ed Lovelace and James Hall was released in 2021. 2023 saw the release of her second collaboration with Mark Cousins - his film My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock.
Donna enjoys collaboration and has a long term partnership with photographer Emma Summerton. You can view their work together for Vogue and other fashion brands on this site. She has written extensively for voices and has been commissioned by world leading consorts- Voces8, The Marian Consort, Apollo 5, The Gesualdo Six and The ORA Singers.
Donna has also written music for contemporary dance, collaborating with Phil Sanger, Hannah Peel and Charlotte Edmonds with performances at Tate Britain, Sadler’s Wells and The Royal Opera House. In 2015, she won a place on the first Cohan Collective programme run by Yorke Dance Project and a residency at The Aldeburgh Festival in the same year.
In 2022 she wrote the music for Hannah Khalil’s play Bitterenders centred around a Palestinian family who lose their home to illegal Jewish settlement. The play was directed by Maxine Peake at The Arcola Theatre, London.
In 2023, she was commissioned to write music for artist and film maker Susan Thomson for her new film The Swimming Diaries which premiered at The Dublin Film Festival in 2024. The soundtrack album was released on vinyl and CD by Dharma Records.
In 2024, Donna released several recordings including the song Alai with Supriya Nagarajan and scored director Polly Steele’s feature documentary The Mountain Within Me for Universal Studios. She also wrote music for her film Four Letters of Love starring Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter.
This year Donna has finished scoring Paul Sng’s feature documentary Irvine Welsh - Reality is Not Enough which is closing the Edinburgh International Film Festival. She has also scored Women’s Work a documentary about artist Caroline Walker by director Nicola Black. In April, Donna was performer and MD at The Barbican for James Dacre’s production Modern Nature celebrating the work of Derek Jarman and in May she and artist Aidan Gray created a piece for 130 voices and 75 fog horns which was performed in Ramsgate Harbour to commemorate Operation Dynamo.
Donna lives by the sea with her husband, musician Grant Gordon and their two children.
NEWS
2025
NEW RELEASE of Irvine Welsh: Reality is Not Enough Soundtrack Album
On the 26th September
NEW RELEASE of Translucence on vinyl later in the year....watch this space
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
FILM
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
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.
![]()
NEW RELEASE -
Cut
The re release of Donna’s 2015 album now featuring two new pieces
Available on all streaming sites
2024
NEW RELEASE -
The Mountain Within Me soundtrack available to stream here
CONCERT
23rd August 2024 7pm
The Ramsgate Tunnels
As part of The Ramsgate Festival of Sound we are delighted to announce that Donna will be performing alongside Penelope Appleyard and Clare Stewart from the acclaimed vocal group Apollo5 with cellist Rosie Banks-Francis. They will be performing music from Derek Jarman’s Translucence and work by Susan Thomson who will be creating a new film for this immersive experience taking place inside The Ramsgate Tunnels - so bring a torch!
The Swimming Diaries soundtrack will be released on the 28th June
Link to buy vinyl and CD: here
The Swimming Diaries by Susan Thomson will premiere at The Dublin International Film Festival on 28th February 2024
![]()
2025
NEW RELEASE of Irvine Welsh: Reality is Not Enough Soundtrack Album
On the 26th September
NEW RELEASE of Translucence on vinyl later in the year....watch this space
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
FILM
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
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.
NEW RELEASE -
Cut
The re release of Donna’s 2015 album now featuring two new pieces
Available on all streaming sites
2024
NEW RELEASE -
The Mountain Within Me soundtrack available to stream here
CONCERT
23rd August 2024 7pm
The Ramsgate Tunnels
As part of The Ramsgate Festival of Sound we are delighted to announce that Donna will be performing alongside Penelope Appleyard and Clare Stewart from the acclaimed vocal group Apollo5 with cellist Rosie Banks-Francis. They will be performing music from Derek Jarman’s Translucence and work by Susan Thomson who will be creating a new film for this immersive experience taking place inside The Ramsgate Tunnels - so bring a torch!
The Swimming Diaries soundtrack will be released on the 28th June
Link to buy vinyl and CD: here
The Swimming Diaries by Susan Thomson will premiere at The Dublin International Film Festival on 28th February 2024
Donna McKevitt is supported by PRS Foundation Composers’ Fund in
partnership with Jerwood Arts
CONTACT
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Collaborations, commissions and sheet music- ithalamusic@yahoo.co.uk
Sync and Record Company - phil@knox-roberts.com
Film and TV - amanda@dna-music.com
Publicist - louisa@fearofmusic.co.uk
︎
︎
Collaborations, commissions and sheet music- ithalamusic@yahoo.co.uk
Sync and Record Company - phil@knox-roberts.com
Film and TV - amanda@dna-music.com
Publicist - louisa@fearofmusic.co.uk
︎
︎
WATCH
Film Score
New Feature Film by director Paul SngPremiere at EIFF August 20th 2025
The Mountain Within Me
a feature documentary
Directed by Polly Steele for Universal Pictures
Orpheus
a short film
Directed by Guy K Ward
The Swimming Diaries
a feature film
Directed by Susan Thomson
My Name is Alfred Hitchcock
a feature documentary
Directed by Mark Cousins
The Story of Looking
a feature documentary
Directed by Mark Cousins
Losing Grace
a short film
Directed by Athena Mandis
A Song Still Inside
a short film
Directed by Ed Lovelace and James Hall
The Fold
a feature film
Directed by John Jencks
Blue
Feature film direted by Derek Jarman
Original score by Simon Fisher Turner
Vocal settings by Donna McKevitt
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