For three decades, Matt Dunkley has been the quiet architect behind the soundtracks of our time.
Matt Dunkley is a double Peabody Award–winning and Grammy-nominated composer, conductor and orchestrator whose music has shaped some of the most celebrated films, concerts and recordings of recent decades.
With over two hundred credits across cinema and television, collaborations with leading artists from Billie Eilish to Hans Zimmer, and appearances with the world’s foremost orchestras, he stands as one of the most versatile and trusted voices in contemporary music.
Film & Television
Dunkley’s work has been central to the sound of modern cinema. His orchestrations and conducting feature in landmark titles including Inception, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, Black Swan, No Time To Die, Barbie, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Fallout, Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby, Ray, World War Z, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. He has contributed to more than two hundred films across genres, from intimate dramas like Loving Vincent to large-scale blockbusters such as Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and On Stranger Tides.
In television, his collaborations have been equally significant. For Nicholas Britell’s scores to The Underground Railroad and the Star Wars series Andor, Dunkley orchestrated and conducted, earning two prestigious Peabody Awards. He also worked on critically acclaimed projects such as Vice, Stan & Ollie, Noah and The Quiet American, consistently bringing depth and precision to music that serves the story. His role as musical director on the film Judy saw him working intensively with Renée Zellweger on the musical numbers, a collaboration that contributed directly to her Oscar-winning performance.
Concert & Stage
On stage, Dunkley has conducted many of the world’s leading ensembles, from the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic and BBC Symphony to international orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Symphony at the Opera House, the Melbourne Symphony, the Brussels Philharmonic and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. His concert work ranges from classical repertoire to contemporary film music and cross-genre collaborations.
As conductor and music director of The World of Hans Zimmer arena tours, he has led sold-out performances across Europe and North America, presenting the composer’s music in symphonic form to audiences of tens of thousands. His stage credits also include composing and arranging for the arena spectacular Peter Pan: The Neverending Story and the acclaimed ballet production The Hamlet Complex for the Norwegian National Ballet.
Collaborations
Dunkley’s reputation as a collaborator extends far beyond film. In popular music he has worked with Billie Eilish (arranging, with Hans Zimmer, the Oscar- and Grammy-winning Bond theme No Time To Die), Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus, Vanessa May, U2, Radiohead, Nick Cave, Massive Attack, Patti Smith, Rufus Wainwright, The Pet Shop Boys, Goldie, Steve Hacket, Editors and many others. His ability to translate an artist’s vision for full orchestra has made him a trusted partner for projects that demand both creativity and technical mastery.
In the film world, he has had long collaborations with many leading film composers,
most notably; Hans Zimmer, Nicholas Britell, Clint Mansell, Craig Armstrong and A.R.Rahman. His orchestrations for Mansell on Black Swan and for Armstrong on Love Actually were widely praised, and his more than 20 year partnership with A. R. Rahman has produced, besides their many films together, unforgettable international concert experiences from The Hollywood Bowl to London’s Festival Hall.
Solo Albums
Alongside his collaborations, Dunkley has developed his own voice as a composer. His debut solo album Six Cycles (2016) reached the UK Classical Top 20 and drew praise for its cinematic scope and emotional depth. Cycles 7–16 (2018) expanded on this vision with works for symphony orchestra and piano, recorded with the Babelsberg Film Orchestra in Berlin. His music has since been featured in contemporary dance productions at the Royal Ballet, in Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 11/9 and in French cinema. A third solo album is currently in preparation.
