Michael Ormiston – Television, Film, Radio and Media
Michael Ormiston has composed, performed, written and been invited to do music sessions for flim, television, radio and other media.
A Perfect Planet
BBC’s acclaimed David Attenborough Documentary Series. Composer Ilan Eshkeri Invited Michael to play the Morin Khuur and sing Mongolian Khöömii Overtone singing and Undertones singing on the Gobi Desert camel section on episode 3.
Click here to visit the episode
The Golden Compass
A film based on Philip Pullman’s novel Northern Lights. Michael spent a creative day with composer Alexandre Desplat at Abbey Road Studios singing Mongolian Khöömii, Overtone/Undertone singing, vocalising & little Morin Khuur. He also appears on the soundtrack CD. For more info click here
Last of The Medicine Men
Michael Ormiston & Keith Waithe composed the original music for this epic six part BBC TV series in which Benedict Allen travelled to Tuva, Mexico, Haiti & Sumatra to find out about traditional healers.
The CD of the series music with more music is available from Michael
Echoes from Blue Heaven
Michael wrote, researched and presented this four part series about Mongolian Traditional music for BBC Radio3. He used his extensive collection of recordings, his own private field recordings
and his wealth of experience with Mongolian musicians in Mongolia to realise this project.
Edge of Blue Heaven
Michael was consulted with the planning, gave contacts and information regarding Mongolia
to explorer Benedict Allen & Salim Salam the producer of the 6 part BBC TV series.
He along with flautist Keith Waithe composed the title music and original background music for the series.
Iraq, The Road to Kirkuk
Frontline/World/Channel 4 correspondent Sam Kiley went to Iraq to cover a war that everyone knew was coming. In Kurdistan Northrn Iraq, he would discover a land & a people haunted by Saddam Hussein. Music composed by Michael Ormiston.
click here For more info
We Were Soldiers
Dramatization of the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam on November 14, 1965. It is based on the book ‘We Were Soldiers Once’. Michael was invited to sing his Mongolian Khöömii on some of the scenes and is featured on the soundtrack CD.
More Info click here
Ghost of Tsushima
Composer Ilan Eshkeri invited Michael for a session on his award winning soundtrack to this 2020 action-adventure Playstation 4/5 game. It is about Jin Sakai, a samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol invasion of Japan.
Click here to find out more
Planet Earth 1
The acclaimed BBC series presented by Sir David Attenborough, which features a global overview of a different biome or habitat on Earth. Award winning composer George Fenton invited Michael to a session to sing overtones on the Mountains section which are also on the Soundtrack CD.
Islam Unveiled
Michael Ormiston was commissioned by director Ruhi Hamid to compose the music for this major Channel 4 series exploring the global issues involving women in Islam today and looking both at the history and roots of the religion through journalist Samira Ahmed eyes. It is on youtube here
The Whispering of the Stars
Michael wrote, researched & presented the first major radio series about Siberian Music for BBC Radio3. The 6 episodes featured music from the Urals to the Bering Straits, with songs from the Old Believers, Chuckchi throat rasping & ALbert Kuvazzin’s Yat-Kha’s first BBC radio appearance.
Forbidden Iran
Fronline/World/Channel 4 Tv correspondent Jane Kokan risks her personal safety to follow in murdered Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi’s footsteps. Michael was commission to compose the music by Nick St.George of Hardcash Productions please click for more
