Biography

As a composer, producer and musician, Nitin is recipient of over 20 international awards, a CBE, an Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement Award, 7 independent honorary doctorates and has scored over 60 films (including Warner bros’ Mowgli for Netflix), numerous tv series, including BBC’s epic Human Planet series, made over 20 studio albums, 11 under his own name, his most recent being ‘Immigrants’ released through Sony Masterworks and has also scored extensively for theatre, dance and video games.

In 2022, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Coventry Cathedral Nitin recently created a piece of music ‘Ghosts in the Ruins’ performed by the cathedral & community choirs both inside the cathedral and the ruins which was televised by the BBC. He has also created the music for ‘About Us’ a touring large scale public art event combining multimedia installations with animation, poetry, original music and live performance to explore the myriad connections between us, our planet, and the wider cosmos. He is currently working on some TV series to be released in 2022/23 amongst other projects. He also joined as an official member of the band Pink Floyd this year to play keyboards on a charity track that achieved no 1 status in 29 countries.

Nitin is to become the first Patron for PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading charitable funder of new music and talent development. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and BAFTA. He has served as a member of an appointed advisory committee to the UK government on national musical education policy, is an associate artist with London’s Sadlers Wells dance venue and has served as trustee on numerous boards including London’s Somerset House and the Whitechapel Art Gallery. Nitin is currently a trustee on the board of London theatre company, Complicité.

As a broadcaster he has had his own BBC Radio 2 series, which ran for 4 years, and has been a music judge for both of Sky Arts’ guitar star series as well as musical director for a series focussing on the work of David Bowie. Nitin has produced many pop, dance and classical artists, including Helene Grimaud & Jools Holland, had his own BBC classical prom, appeared on the BBC prom review panel numerous times, has written for and conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and other major orchestras, is patron for educational charities – Artis and the Abram Wilson Foundation and was commissioned by Sky Arts to write a new national anthem in 2019 which was performed as an oratorio at London’s Barbican centre.
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As a touring musician, Sawhney has performed extensively as an artist in his own right at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Royal Albert Hall, for which he has been an Ambassador and regular performer, Hollywood Bowl and Sydney Opera House. As a DJ, Nitin has performed across the world and appeared regularly at London’s most popular club, Fabric, compiling their album release – Fabriclive 15. As well as having been a curator for many international festivals, Nitin is a university lecturer and has lectured at numerous international universities, including Stanford and Berklee in Valencia. Collaborations and productions include work with Paul McCartney, Sting, Jeff Beck, Ellie Goulding, Annie Lennox, Will Young, Bob Geldof, Andy Serkis, Mira Nair, Anoushka Shankar, Nora Jones, Herbie Hancock, David Gilmour and Nelson Mandela.
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Honorary Acknowledgements

  • 2006 – Awarded an Honorary Fellowship from South Bank University, London
  • 2007 – Awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Kent
  • 2008 – Awarded Fellowship of LIPA
  • 2009 – Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sussex
  • 2009 – Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Roehampton
  • 2009 – Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Staffordshire
  • 2012 – Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Goldsmiths
  • 2014 – Awarded Doctor of Arts University of Hertfordshire
  • 2021 – Awarded Fellow of Global Music Charity, In Place Of War
  • 2021 – Awarded Honorary Doctor of Arts Coventry University