Academy Award-winning composer Daniel Blumberg has announced details of The Testament of Ann Lee (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), featuring music by Blumberg for writer-director Mona Fastvold’s visionary new film.
Available to preorder now, the album features both original score music and songs written by Blumberg for Fastvold’s retelling of the life of the true legend of Ann Lee, the founding leader of the Shaker religious movement. Making its debut today is new single ‘Hunger & Thirst’, a traditional Shaker hymn reimagined by Blumberg and performed by the film’s lead Amanda Seyfried
The song is one of ten traditional hymns that have been radically reworked by Blumberg for the filmand follows recent track, ‘Clothed by the Sun’ one of three original tracks written by Blumberg and performed as a duet between the composer and Seyfried.
Of the music, Daniel Blumerg says, “The story of the Shakers and Ann Lee is inherently radical. I was trying to push the edges of the melodic core of hymns and songs to these more elemental and improvised sounds. Outside of my films, I make records with songs, so there was familiarity in working with song form but it was a very new process to do it for a picture. There’s a wide breadth of voices on this soundtrack ranging between some of my favourite improvisers in the world, untrained choirs, to Hollywood actors.”
Director Mona Fastvold adds, “From the very beginning, the music was never just an accompaniment—it was a living, breathing force shaping the film. Daniel’s approach, rooted in physicality and raw vocal textures, allowed us to build a world where sound and movement became inseparable, echoing the ecstatic spirit of the Shakers.”
Film lead Amanda Seyfried comments, “Daniel’s ability to preserve the spirit of Shaker hymns and carry it forward in such an evocative and timeless way is a gift to all of us. I’ve never been more moved as a musician to work alongside him to bring these to life.”
Reuniting with director Mona Fastvold after his debut score to her 2020 feature The World to Come, Daniel Blumberg was deeply involved in The Testament of Ann Lee from its earliest stages, developing musical sketches alongside the director in early 2024, workshopping with cast and choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall during pre-production, and eventually remaining on set throughout the film’s production to musically direct and record actors on location. One of the key starting points for Blumberg and the filmmakers was the deep synergy between music and movement inherent in the worship practices of the Shaker movement, with the music and choreography developing in tandem with one another.
Much of Blumberg’s earliest ideas surrounding the sonic landscape of the film were rooted in physicality and the religious practice of speaking in tongues, prompting the composer to assemble a group of close to 100 singers -extreme vocal improvisers Maggie Nicols, Phil Minton, Shelley Hirsch, Freya Edmondez alongside a cast of untrained voices – to create a wordless cacophony of vocal textures that mirrors the Shakers’ ecstatic spiritual practices. Crafting a tightly focused yet boldly experimental sonic palette, Blumberg worked with avant-garde percussionist Steve Noble to incorporate tuned percussion like hand bells, church bells and vast metal bell plates that toll spectrally throughout the film, as well as the celeste, a keyboard with metal plates that is operated by a hammer.
Vocal and percussive elements are supported by a string section featuring experimental improvisors Billy Steiger (violin), Angharad Davies (violin), Tom Wheatley (viol),Okkyung Lee (cello), Joel Grip (double bass), with additional harp by Rhodri Davies. Composing over 100 minutes of music, the album was recorded across a multiple locations and studios, crafting a uniquely raw sound unlike that of a traditional studio score.
For the film’s vocal songs, Fastvold and Blumberg grounded their approach in Shaker history, together selecting ten archival hymns to be reshaped through a contemporary lens and performed onscreen by the film’s cast. In addition to the twelve traditional hymns, Blumberg composed three original songs, including the end credits theme ‘Clothed by the Sun’, performed as a duet between the composer and Seyfried. The result is a boldly inventive song-and-score hybrid that drives the film’s two-hour narrative while capturing the radical spirit of Ann Lee and the Shaker movement.
Also recently announced is an upcoming live concert featuring selections from the soundtrack performed by Daniel Blumberg and special guests on 8 February 2026 at the Barbican Centre’sMilton Court in London. Tickets for the show are available now from HERE.
Searchlight Pictures’ The Testament of Ann Lee debuts in select theatres in the US on
Christmas Day, with a UK release following on 20 February 2026.
The Testament of Ann Lee is out on 16 January via Mute (Globally) and Milan Records/Sony
Music Masterworks (North & South America)
