I was born.

Then I went to school

Then I went to Medical school

Then I went to Jazz school

Then I went to Film school.

See a pattern here?

Me neither.

for a less coherent account of my affairs please read below

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 original steel string ukulele) and later 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 – no direct flights to London - 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. For two years they toured the UK and recorded a couple of albums.
One day, a student from the London Film School asked him to score his graduation film, and there was no turning back.

Award winning composer Miguel d'Oliveira is self taught and with a passion for playing and collecting every musical instrument known to man. He has scored for big live ensembles and studio based electronic productions.

Between 2004 and 2007 Miguel was also audio editor for Showreel magazine, where he wrote about film music, audio software and music hardware.

In the beginning of 2007, Miguel completed his MA in Composition for Film at the National Film and Television School, and was subsequently selected by the AMPAS and NFTS to attend a series of workshops and meetings in Los Angeles, and in the summer of 2007, the PRS Foundation invited him to attend a creative residency in China.

He is a member of PRS (Performing Rights Society) and a full voting member of BAFTA.