Michael Nyman

Michael Nyman is, to me, one of the few composers whose name conjures an immediate emotional texture. His score for The Piano remains a masterclass in how minimalism can feel anything but cold, those insistent, surging piano figures carry real ache. What I admire most is the tension in him: a Cambridge-trained musicologist who writes some of the most sensual film music ever recorded, sharpened during his long Greenaway collaboration. The CBE and honorary doctorates feel almost beside the point. He elevated what film music could be, and I keep returning to his work for that rare blend of intellect and feeling.

Name (English)

Michael Nyman

Name (Japanese)

マイケル・ナイマン

Reading

まいける・ないまん

Born

March 23, 1944 (age 82)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aries / Monkey

Origin

Stratford, United Kingdom

Occupation

composer / musicologist / pianist / film score composer / recording artist

University

King's College London

Awards & achievements

• Commander of the Order of the British Empire
• 1993 AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score
• 2010 Lucie Award
• honorary degree of the University of Leeds
• doctor honoris causa of the University of Warwick

• Official sitehttps://www.michaelnyman.com/
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/michaelnymanmusic/
• Xhttps://x.com/MN_Records
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael%20Nyman
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B1%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%83%8A%E3%82%A4%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q313639

Tags

• composer
• musicologist
• pianist

Last updated

2026-06-21

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.