COMPOSING AND
VOCAL ARRANGING
COMPOSING
I started writing folk songs when I was a guitar-playing teenager and this led to composing songs for audio visual productions, jingles, title and incidental music for TV, songs for community musicals, and choral pieces.
My 2019 album Music To Mend The Heart features some of the choral music I’ve written since the 1980s, sung by north London choir, Almost Blue founded by Rick Leigh and James Murray. Mark Warman, West End MD and orchestrator, and my long-time collaborator, conducted and co-produced the album.
The album includes This Night, which was performed by The Bach Choir at their annual Carol Concert in Cadogan Hall in 2017. The piece was highly commended by the judges of The Sir David Willcocks Carol Competition.
Judges included composer John Rutter.
Also on the album is my setting of the Anglican Rite A Communion, Urban Mass (1988) which has spread across the UK and the world.
I Am Tired is a setting of the 6th century words of St Columba of Iona, which has been sung in the Vortex Jazz Bar, in the hills of Cumbria, in Bath Abbey and in venues throughout the UK.
More of my songs and liturgical music can be heard on the album, Sometimes the Sun, (1997) with lyrics by David Adam (Celtic prayers) and Simon Parke.
My solo piano improvisations for meditation are available on the album, Improvisations (2012).
Music To Mend The Heart, Improvisations and Sometimes The Sun can be purchased here and are also available on Spotify & iTunes etc.
VOCAL ARRANGING
I arrange all the cover songs that my choirs and workshops sing.
All arrangements are written to suit the capabilities of the singers
and I welcome commissions from other choirs.
COMMUNITY MUSICALS (1994 - 2002)
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I was composer and musical director for nine St George’s community musicals in Tufnell Park, London N7, featuring casts of 80 people of all ages, in what became the most popular local arts event of the winter season.
This involved writing more than twenty-five original songs for seven of the musicals, together with incidental music throughout.
In 2002 we produced the album Behind Us! - favourite songs from the shows. Children still love it - as do adults - and it’s available here.
OTHER COMPOSITIONS
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Channel 4 Television (1992-1994)
Title and incidental music for two series of Channel 4 Schools' Television programmes produced by Grampian Television.
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Children’s Musicals (1989-1990)
Writer Meryl Doney and I collaborated in writing two musicals for children - Ears and the Secret Song and A Lion for the King, which have been performed in London schools and featured on Radio 5. A Lion For The King was recently revived for a performance in Blythburgh, Suffolk.
Sound and Vision Unit, Scripture Union (1977 - 1987)
While working as a Video Producer with SU's Sound and Vision Unit I composed title and incidental music for many children's productions, featuring amongst others Roy Castle and Paul Jones (of Manfred Mann and The Blues Band). This included composing theme music for the popular Luke Street stories for children, and songs for The Challenger, an audio-visual production on the life of Christ.
Breadrock Street Theatre (1971-1977)
Beginning while a music student, I composed and performed incidental music for Breadrock Street Theatre, forerunner to Riding Lights Theatre Company, working with playwright Murray Watts and director Paul Burbridge.