The Most Relevant Women Composers of Soundtracks in History

Soundtracks are one of the most essential elements of our favorite content. We see it in movies, where music can make our skin crawl at the right moments. In some TV series, musical curtains can become iconic, even in video games, where many soundtracks are listened to by users after game time. 

Now, what we don't always know is that many women have achieved great-sounding pieces. Thanks to their musical knowledge, they are behind some works in the entertainment industry. If you want to discover who are the most outstanding ones, here they are. 

Hildur Guðnadóttir

We begin with one of the most outstanding composers of today. Of Icelandic origin, this composer and cellist surprised the world with her compositions in different cinematographic works. For example, as a cellist, she worked in "Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival," by the prestigious Denis Villeneuve.

The same happened in 2015, as a cellist for Alejandro G. Iñárritu's "The Revenant." However, everything changed when, for 2019, she was in charge of the composition of "Joker," the work of Todd Phillips. For that work, she won the 2020 Golden Globe and a Grammy for Best Soundtrack Album.

Without a doubt, she proves that perseverance can pay off. Surely, in the future, we will see her leading the Joker sequel and other great movies. 

Rachel Portman

Rachel Portman is a British composer, who has stood out for her great works in the film industry. She was the first woman to win an Oscar Award for Best Original Score, something she achieved in 1996, after her great performance in the film "Emma."

She also got other nominations, due to her work in "The Cider House Rules" in 1999 and "Chocolat," from 2000. She continued in different films, but she also ventured into television, composing the soundtrack for Jim Henson's series The Storyteller, with great results. Portman made history by proving that women could also be great composers in the film industry. 

Also read: THESE WOMEN COMEDIANS ALWAYS GIVE US A GOOD TIME

Angela Morley

Of English origin, she has been an outstanding musician who has achieved several distinctions throughout her career. For example, Morley won three Emmy Awards in the Best Musical Direction category (1985, 1988, and 1990) for "Christmas in Washington," as well as two television specials starring Julie Andrews. 

She also received eight Emmy nominations for music for TV series, such as Dallas and Dynasty. As for the Oscars, she was nominated for Best Original Score for "Little Prince" (1974) and "The Slipper and the Rose" (1976). She was also the first transgender person to be nominated for these awards. Bonus track: She collaborated with John Williams on scores for iconic films such as "Superman," "Star Wars," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," and "Home Alone."

Pinar Toprak

She is a Turkish-American woman who has composed prestigious soundtracks in various industries. Her most notable work was achieved in "Captain Marvel" (2019), where she became the first woman in the MCU to score a soundtrack. However, she has also worked on other superhero films.

More specifically, she collaborated with the score for Zack Snyder's "Justice League." As for television, she also had her participation in "Stargirl" and even in music for the popular "Fortnite." Her thing seems to be the "geek" world, so she will probably continue with a great career.

She is expected to reprise her role in the "Captain Marvel" sequel, so she'll likely continue that sound work. 

We hope you liked the work of all these women composers!