Simon Webb is a British composer, musical director, arranger and publisher. At school he was a chorister and organ scholar, and he read music at York University specialising in composition, conducting, and 20th century music. Upon graduation he was appointed musical director of the Theatre Royal York.
He subsequently wrote the music for many productions there including Dr. Faustus, The Devil’s Law Case, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Later he worked in theatres all over the UK, writing and directing music.
In the West End his musical directing credits include The Who’s Tommy at The Queen’s Theatre, and conducting Cats at The New London Theatre.
At The Royal National Theatre, he wrote, directed and performed the music for Sir Nicholas Hytner’s celebrated productions of The Winter’s Tale and Henry V.
For television his writing credits include themes and scores for over a hundred British TV programmes. These include 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, Hale and Pace, Jobs For the Boys, Night Network, ITV Telethon, Lights!, Camera!, Magic!, Chef School, Treacle People, Euro Disney Opening, Taxi!, Mary Berry At Home, Monkey Business, The British Comedy Awards, Avenue Of The Stars, ITV’s 50th, and Casanova’s Love Letters.
Simon Webb’s television musical directing credits include Wogan, Sunday Sunday, Friday Night Live, TFI Friday, and Saturday Night Live. His arranging credits include The Paradise Club, Test The Nation, and Last Night Of The Proms.
He has worked on many films including Horace Ové’s Playing Away for Channel 4’s Film On Four, for which he wrote the score; The Untitled, an ITV film starring Ronald Pickup; Runaway Dreams, an American drama film, for which he was musical director and arranger of a score by Bernie Marsden; Riders of the Storm, a Hollywood film starring Dennis Hopper, for which he co-wrote the theme song with Pierre Tubbs; Coast to Coast, a BBC 2 film starring Sir Lenny Henry and John Shea, for which he was musical director; Tequila Sunrise, a Hollywood blockbuster starring Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer, playing keyboards with Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor, and Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson from Chic; Heavenly Pursuits starring Helen Mirren and Tom Conti, arranging, conducting and musical directing a score by B.A. Robertson; Awaiting, a dark thriller by director Mark Murphy for which he wrote the score; directing and producing the music for Punk Strut; and scoring Speed Love, another dark tale by director Kevin Short, starring Elaine Paige.
As a musical director, Simon Webb has worked with many great creative talents including Pete Towshend, Miro Zbirka, Don Black, Phil Daniels, Imelda Staunton, Sir Lenny Henry, Liz Dawn, BA Robertson, June Whitfield, Peter Straker, Richard O’Brien, Jean Rigby, Bernie Marsden, Wanda Jackson, Thea Ranft, Steve Devereaux, Wes McGhee, and Roxy Gordon.
Simon Webb has been composing music since the age of four. His style has developed into a unique blend of old and new. He embraces the sound-worlds of the choir and orchestra, of soloist and ensemble, and of pop, jazz and rock. He collaborates with interesting musicians from all walks of musical life. He frames their performances in ultramodern soundscapes. String quartets morph into synthesizers, heavy electric guitars duet with oboes, operatic voices are shaped into extraordinary sonic extravaganzas. All this made possible by many years of experience working with great musicians and singers. He combines a passion for finding ‘the new’ in new music, with a fervent desire to support the director’s vision.
Simon has released four albums as an artist, The Brain, A Leap Into The Light, Everybody Powwow!, and Travelling Light.
Simon Webb co-founded Music For Sport in 1992, and is now CEO. He is also co-host of the podcast Synchronized!
He is a keen sports fan, cricket-mad, and enjoys building and sailing catamarans in his spare time. Music For Sport is his way of pulling together the strands of two of his great passions in life, music and sport.
