INTERVIEW WITH MIGUEL D’OLIVEIRA

Today’s very special episode of CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO is a conversation with composer Miguel d’Oliveira.

Throughout his medical school years at the University of Coimbra, Miguel started playing in several ensembles ranging from orchestra to Ethnic and Jazz to Folk. The instruments played varied almost as much as the ensembles; keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, cavaquinho (the daddy of present-day ukulele) and soprano sax.

After graduation, and the odd job as cartoonist and scuba diver instructor in Lisbon, he decided to resurface in London. A quick stop in New York allowed him to get acquainted with a country band, with whom he played (cavaquinho) briefly in Manhattan. He was then invited to join and tour the US by an ethnic-fusion band, but his skills were still a green card away.

In London at last, Miguel started to study audio production and orchestration by himself and, a few months later, Indie rock band Lapland invited him to join their ensemble playing keyboards and trumpet, and with whom he toured the UK for 2 years, recorded and produced two EPs and an album. One day, a student from the London Film School asked him to score his graduation film, and there was no turning back.

By the end of 2001, he has stopped performing and started writing music for film and TV, having scored more than 50 projects, from TV commercials to feature films. In May 2004 he was asked to start writing about film music and music production technology for Showreel magazine, where he is now Audio Editor. Miguel has an MA in film composition – National Film and Television School/ Royal College of Art.

In February 2019, for CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO, Jason Drury talked to Miguel d’Oliveira via Skype at his home in London, England about his film and TV scoring career, how he got into the industry, and discussing his work mainly scoring at this time, major documentary series including Diana Our Mother, Life and Legacy, Louis Theroux’s Altered States and Michael Palin in North Korea.

During the show, you will also be hearing music from those series and much more from UK Based Portuguese composer Miguel d’Oliveira.   

For more information please visit d’Oliveira’s website by clicking HERE!

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