Oscar award winning composer Rachel Portman has written a new carol The Darkling Thrush, commissioned for the King's College A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. The service took place on Christmas Eve 2025 at the Chapel of King's College and was be broadcast worldwide. The Darkling Thrush is a setting of the poem by Thomas Hardy, written around 1900. Portman, who was the first female composer to winan Academy Award for her original score for Emma, has written over 100 scores for film, television and theatre. Some of her other works include scores for The Cider House Rules and Chocolat, and an opera based on Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince for Houston Grand Opera. Portman was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 New Year Honours.