Simon Webb (composer)
Encyclopedia
Simon Webb is a composer
, musical director, conductor, arranger
and performer. He was born in Bridgnorth
, Shropshire
in the UK, into an artistic family and began his musical life at a very early age. At the age of 8 he won a choral scholarship
to St. Michael's College, Tenbury
, and at 13, an organ
scholarship to Worcester Royal Grammar School. He went on to read music at the University of York
under music-guru Wilfrid Mellers
, specialising in composition and conducting. In a particularly stimulating musical environment, composers Bernard Rands
and Elizabeth Lutyens, and conductor Graham Treacher played a major role in Simon's musical development. Contemporary student composers included Vic Hoyland
, Roger Marsh and Trevor Jones
. Upon graduation he was appointed musical director of the York Theatre Royal
by director Michael Winter, and subsequently wrote the music for many productions there including Dr. Faustus, The Devil's Law Case, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night's Dream
.
his musical directing credits include The Who
's Tommy
at The Queen's Theatre
, and conducting Cats
at The New London Theatre
. At The National Theatre
, he wrote, directed and performed the music for Nicholas Hytner
's productions of The Winter's Tale
and Henry V
, and Mark Ravenhill
's Totally Over You.
He has written three musicals: Hannah Snell (for The Swan Theatre, Worcester
), Ella's Fella (York Theatre Royal
), and The Mantids of Nem (a sci-fi musical for The Northern Black Light Theatre).
, ITV
, Disney, Channel 4
, and Channel 5) including Night Network
, Delia Smith
's Summer and Winter Collections, Channel 4's Fragile Earth nature
series and Streets Ahead dance
series, Think Tank, The Big Stage, Members Only, Help Squad, Hodson Confidential, The Antiques Trail, Kick Off, The Juno Mission, You Bet!
, Blind Men, Hale and Pace
, Jobs For the Boys, Night Network
, ITV Telethon
, Lights!, Camera!, Magic!, Chef School, The Treacle People
, Taxi!, Mary Berry At Home, Monkey Business, The British Comedy Awards
, Avenue of Stars and Casanova's Love Letters.
His TV musical directing credits include Wogan
, Sunday Sunday, Friday Night Live, and Saturday Night Live. His arranging credits include The Paradise Club, Test the Nation
, and Last Night of the Proms.
and starring Norman Beaton
, for Channel 4
's Film on Four] for which he wrote the score; The Untitled, a film for television (directed by Mark Murphy and starring Ronald Pickup
, for LWT) for which he also composed the score; Runaway Dreams, an American film, for which he was musical director and arranger of a rock score by Whitesnake
's guitarist, Bernie Marsden
; Riders of the Storm, a Hollywood film starring Dennis Hopper
, for which he co-wrote the theme song with veteran songwriter
Pierre Tubbs
; Coast to Coast
, a BBC 2 film starring Lenny Henry
and John Shea
, for which he was musical director, Tequila Sunrise
(starring Mel Gibson
, Kurt Russell
and Michelle Pfeiffer
) working as a programmer
and keyboard player with Duran Duran
's Andy Taylor, and Bernard Edwards
and Tony Thompson
from Chic
; and Heavenly Pursuits (directed by Charley Gormley and starring Helen Mirren
and Tom Conti
) arranging, conducting and musical directing a score by B. A. Robertson
. His most recent film is a short directed by Michael Shark entitled Minus 1.
, Elaine Paige
, Don Black, Phil Daniels
, Imelda Staunton
, Lenny Henry
, Liz Dawn, B. A. Robertson
, June Whitfield
, Richard O'Brien
, Jean Rigby, Bernie Marsden
, Wanda Jackson
, Wes McGhee, Roxy Gordon
, and Kevin Williams. In the summer of 2007 he worked on the Mayor of London's SING LONDON project.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, musical director, conductor, arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
and performer. He was born in Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
in the UK, into an artistic family and began his musical life at a very early age. At the age of 8 he won a choral scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to St. Michael's College, Tenbury
St. Michael's College, Tenbury
The College of St. Michael and All Angels, in Tenbury Wells Worcestershire was a boys school founded by Frederick Ouseley in 1856 to provide a model for the performance of Anglican church music. Choral services were performed daily in term time, and the college possessed a library that contained...
, and at 13, an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
scholarship to Worcester Royal Grammar School. He went on to read music at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
under music-guru Wilfrid Mellers
Wilfrid Mellers
Wilfrid Howard Mellers OBE was an English music critic, musicologist and composer.-Early life:Born in Leamington, Warwickshire, Mellers was educated at the local Leamington College and later won a scholarship to Downing College, Cambridge, where he read English. At Cambridge, he formed a...
, specialising in composition and conducting. In a particularly stimulating musical environment, composers Bernard Rands
Bernard Rands
Bernard Rands is a composer of contemporary classical music.Rands studied music and English literature at the University of Wales, Bangor, and composition with Pierre Boulez and Bruno Maderna in Darmstadt, Germany, and with Luigi Dallapiccola and Luciano Berio in Milan, Italy.He held residencies...
and Elizabeth Lutyens, and conductor Graham Treacher played a major role in Simon's musical development. Contemporary student composers included Vic Hoyland
Vic Hoyland
Vic Hoyland is an English composer.He was born in Wombwell, Yorkshire, England.Educated at Hull and York universities , Hoyland was Haywood Fellow at the University of Birmingham where he is currently Reader in Composition.Influenced by Luciano Berio and Franco Donatoni, Hoyland has composed...
, Roger Marsh and Trevor Jones
Trevor Jones (composer)
Trevor Alfred Charles Jones is a South African orchestral film score composer. Although not especially well known outside the film world, he has composed for numerous films and his music has been critically acclaimed for both its depth and emotion.-Career:At the age of five, Jones already had...
. Upon graduation he was appointed musical director of the York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal
The York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St. Leonard's Place, York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 847 people. This reduced capacity takes into account removal of the mixing position seats and the stage side boxes which are normally not sold...
by director Michael Winter, and subsequently wrote the music for many productions there including Dr. Faustus, The Devil's Law Case, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
.
Theatre
He has since worked in theatres (repertory and commercial) all over the UK, writing and directing music. In the West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
his musical directing credits include The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's Tommy
Tommy (rock opera)
Tommy is the fourth album by English rock band The Who, released by Track Records and Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and Decca Records/MCA in the United States. A double album telling a loose story about a "deaf, dumb and blind boy" who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, Tommy was...
at The Queen's Theatre
Queen's Theatre
The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R...
, and conducting Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
at The New London Theatre
New London Theatre
The New London Theatre is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden...
. At The National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, he wrote, directed and performed the music for Nicholas Hytner
Nicholas Hytner
Sir Nicholas Robert Hytner is an English film and theatre producer and director. He has been the artistic director of London's National Theatre since 2003.-Biography:...
's productions of The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
and Henry V
Henry V (play)
Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
, and Mark Ravenhill
Mark Ravenhill
Mark Ravenhill is an English playwright, actor and journalist.His most famous plays include Shopping and Fucking , Some Explicit Polaroids and Mother Clap's Molly House . He made his acting debut in his monologue Product, at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe...
's Totally Over You.
He has written three musicals: Hannah Snell (for The Swan Theatre, Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
), Ella's Fella (York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal
The York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St. Leonard's Place, York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 847 people. This reduced capacity takes into account removal of the mixing position seats and the stage side boxes which are normally not sold...
), and The Mantids of Nem (a sci-fi musical for The Northern Black Light Theatre).
Television
For television his writing credits include themes and scores for over a hundred British TV programmes for all the major producers (BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, Disney, Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, and Channel 5) including Night Network
Night Network
Night Network, Night Time and Night Shift were names given to the overnight schedule of the ITV network in the United Kingdom. The first ITV company began 24 hour broadcasting in 1986, with all of the companies broadcasting through the night by 1988...
, Delia Smith
Delia Smith
Delia Smith CBE is an English cook and television presenter, known for teaching basic cookery skills. She is the UK's best-selling cookery author, with more than 21 million copies sold....
's Summer and Winter Collections, Channel 4's Fragile Earth nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
series and Streets Ahead dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
series, Think Tank, The Big Stage, Members Only, Help Squad, Hodson Confidential, The Antiques Trail, Kick Off, The Juno Mission, You Bet!
You Bet!
You Bet! was a British game show based around the format of the German show Wetten, dass..? developed by Frank Elstner. You Bet! ran on ITV, mostly on Saturday nights but sometimes on Fridays, between 20 February 1988 and 12 April 1997, initially hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1988 to 1990, then by...
, Blind Men, Hale and Pace
Hale and Pace
Hale and Pace are an English comedy duo who have starred in several TV sketch series.-Early career:Gareth Hale and Norman Pace met at Avery Hill teacher training college in Eltham South East London. They discovered much in common, particularly humour, and began playing clubs in a comedy band. One...
, Jobs For the Boys, Night Network
Night Network
Night Network, Night Time and Night Shift were names given to the overnight schedule of the ITV network in the United Kingdom. The first ITV company began 24 hour broadcasting in 1986, with all of the companies broadcasting through the night by 1988...
, ITV Telethon
ITV Telethon
The ITV Telethons were three charity telethons organised and televised in the UK by the ITV network. They took place in 1988, 1990 and 1992. Each lasted for 27 hours and all were hosted by Michael Aspel.- Thames Telethon :...
, Lights!, Camera!, Magic!, Chef School, The Treacle People
The Treacle People
The Treacle People was a children's television programme shown on CITV in the United Kingdom, from 3 May 1996 to 25 July 1997. It only had two series, each with 13 episodes. The programme was short lived due to a lack of viewers. In a similar vein to other shows by the same writer, the humour...
, Taxi!, Mary Berry At Home, Monkey Business, The British Comedy Awards
British Comedy Awards
The British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.-History:...
, Avenue of Stars and Casanova's Love Letters.
His TV musical directing credits include Wogan
Wogan
Wogan was a chat show on British television, hosted by Terry Wogan. It followed the format of a series broadcast in 1980 entitled What's On Wogan?, which failed to gather viewers. The Wogan show was initially broadcast on Tuesday evenings on BBC1 in 1981 and from 1982 to 1984, it moved into the...
, Sunday Sunday, Friday Night Live, and Saturday Night Live. His arranging credits include The Paradise Club, Test the Nation
Test the Nation
Test the Nation is a television programme, first broadcast in 2001 by BNN in the Netherlands where the concept is owned by Eyeworks Holding who license it to TV production companies around the world.-Show format:...
, and Last Night of the Proms.
Film
He has worked on many films including Playing Away, (directed by Horace OveHorace Ove
Horace Ové Horace Ové Horace Ové (born 1939, Trinidad, is a British filmmaker, painter and writer and one of the leading black independent film-makers to emerge in Britain since the post-war period....
and starring Norman Beaton
Norman Beaton
Norman Lugard Beaton was a Guyanese actor long resident in the United Kingdom....
, for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Film on Four] for which he wrote the score; The Untitled, a film for television (directed by Mark Murphy and starring Ronald Pickup
Ronald Pickup
-Life and career:Pickup was born in Chester, England, the son of Daisy and Eric Pickup, who was a lecturer. Pickup was educated at The King's School, Chester, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and became an Associate Member of RADA.His television work began with an episode...
, for LWT) for which he also composed the score; Runaway Dreams, an American film, for which he was musical director and arranger of a rock score by Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
's guitarist, Bernie Marsden
Bernie Marsden
-External links:*...
; Riders of the Storm, a Hollywood film starring Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
, for which he co-wrote the theme song with veteran songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Pierre Tubbs
Pierre Tubbs
Pierre Tubbs is a British songwriter and music producer. One of his biggest successes is "Right Back Where We Started From" recorded by Maxine Nightingale. He also co-wrote the J.J...
; Coast to Coast
Coast to Coast (1987 film)
Coast to Coast is a 1987 comedy thriller starring Lenny Henry, John Shea, with cameos from Peter Vaughan, Pete Postlethwaite and Cherie Lunghi. It was directed by Sandy Johnson from a script by Stan Hey...
, a BBC 2 film starring Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
and John Shea
John Shea
John Victor Shea III is an American actor and director who has starred on stage, television and in film. He is best known for his role as Lex Luthor in the 1990s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and also starred in the short lived 1990s TV series WIOU as Hank Zaret...
, for which he was musical director, Tequila Sunrise
Tequila Sunrise (film)
Tequila Sunrise is an American crime thriller film written and directed by Robert Towne, and starring Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell, with support from Raúl Juliá, J. T...
(starring Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
, Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
and Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
) working as a programmer
Programmer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
and keyboard player with Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
's Andy Taylor, and Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
and Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson
Anthony T. "Tony" Thompson was a session drummer best known as a member of Chic. He was raised in the middle-class community of Springfield Gardens, in Queens, NY.-Chic:...
from Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
; and Heavenly Pursuits (directed by Charley Gormley and starring Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
and Tom Conti
Tom Conti
Thomas "Tom" Conti is a Scottish actor, theatre director and novelist.-Early life:Born Thomas Conti in Paisley, Renfrewshire, he was brought up Roman Catholic, but he considers himself anti-religious...
) arranging, conducting and musical directing a score by B. A. Robertson
B. A. Robertson
B. A. Robertson is a Scottish musician, actor, composer and songwriter.-Career:...
. His most recent film is a short directed by Michael Shark entitled Minus 1.
Musical Director
As a musical director, Simon has worked with many great creative talents including Pete TownshendPete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...
, Don Black, Phil Daniels
Phil Daniels
Philip W. "Phil" Daniels is an English actor, most noted for film and television roles as "cockneys" such as Jimmy in Quadrophenia, Richards in Scum, Stewart in The Class of Miss MacMichael, Mark in Meantime, Kevin Wicks in EastEnders, DCS Frank Patterson in New Tricks and Edward Kitchener "Ted"...
, Imelda Staunton
Imelda Staunton
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
, Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
, Liz Dawn, B. A. Robertson
B. A. Robertson
B. A. Robertson is a Scottish musician, actor, composer and songwriter.-Career:...
, June Whitfield
June Whitfield
June Rosemary Whitfield, CBE is an English actress, well known in the United Kingdom since the 1950s for roles in radio and television comedy series....
, Richard O'Brien
Richard O'Brien
Richard Timothy Smith , better known under his stage name Richard O'Brien, is an English writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. He is perhaps best known for writing the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show and for his role in presenting the popular TV show The Crystal Maze...
, Jean Rigby, Bernie Marsden
Bernie Marsden
-External links:*...
, Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson
Wanda Lavonne Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 60s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist...
, Wes McGhee, Roxy Gordon
Roxy Gordon
Roxy Gordon was a Choctaw and Assiniboine poet, novelist, musician and activist.-Source:...
, and Kevin Williams. In the summer of 2007 he worked on the Mayor of London's SING LONDON project.