Rachel Portman stands as one of the most significant film composers of recent decades, having been the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Soundtrack for ‘Emma’ in 1997. She has received two further Academy Nominations for ‘The Cider House Rules’ (2000) and ‘Chocolat’ (2001), which also earned her a Golden Globe Nomination. Portman was also the first female composer to win a Primetime Emmy Award for the film ‘Bessie’. In 2023 she received her second Primetime Emmy Award for “Julia”. Over a career spanning almost 40 years, Portman has been nominated for over 27 international awards and composed music for over 100 award-winning productions in her distinctive and melodious style. Her works include scores for films and series such as ‘The Duchess’, ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘One Day’, ‘Beloved’, ‘The Manchurian Candidate’, ‘Never Let Me Go’, ‘A Dog’s Purpose’, ‘The Vow’, ‘Life Is Sweet’ and ‘Their Finest’.

Rachel Portman, a committed environmentalist, often draws inspiration from nature and climate related topics for her music. This is  evident in ‘Endangered’ (2013), which she wrote for the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and ‘Earth Song’, which Portman composed collaborating with author Nick Drake for the BBC Singers and Joyce DiDonato for Earth Day 2019. In her first solo piano album ‘Ask the River’ (2019), and the oratorio ‘The Water Deviner’s Tale’ (premiered in 2007) - based on a text by Owen Sheers – she deals with themes inspired by nature and the climate crisis. In collaboration with Opera North, Portman developed ‘The Water Deviner’s Tale’ into an educational project aimed at playfully introducing school children to music and environmental topics. In recognition of these efforts, the project partners were awarded the ‘Music & Drama Education Award’ UK in 2023.

In addition to composing music for films and series, Rachel Portman has written various commissioned works for orchestras and soloists, as well as theatre and opera productions. These includes the opera ‘Le Petit Prince’ (premiered in 2003) based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novel for Houston Grand Opera, as well as works for the Royal Liverpool Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Joyce DiDonato, Raphaela Gromes and Jonas Kaufmann. In her recent solo piano album ‘Beyond the Screen’, released in 2023 by Sony Classical, the composer reflects on her career through new, self-recorded piano arrangements of some of her most well-known soundtracks.

Rachel Portman began playing the piano at the age of eight and later studied music and composition at the University of Oxford. She entered the world of film music by chance and grew to love it because it provided the opportunity to compose harmonically and to tell musical stories. Rachel Portman was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2009 and is also an honoury Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford and The Royal College of Music, London. She actively supports environmental conservation and musical education for children.