PAUL MOTTRAM BIOGRAPHY
Paul Mottram has forged an extremely successful career as one of the most prolific and versatile media composers in the UK, with an enviable back catalogue of compositions. His ability to cut to the emotional heart of the subject matter with a sophisticated melodic multi-layered compositional style has also enabled him to deliver concert music which resonates deeply with the audience.
Classically trained as a violinist, pianist and composer at the Royal College of Music, Cambridge University and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Paul quickly began working as an orchestrator on films such as Chaplin, Shirley Valentine and Rain Man. Later, moving into commercials, he also started writing music for BBC radio 4 shows in the 90s, such as In the Red and Babblewick Hall, and television, with the hit spoof documentary series People Like Us (1999).
As one of the founder composers at production music library Audio Network in the early 2000s, Paul began producing a prodigious line of albums which continues to this day (his latest album, Intimate Canvas, came out on streaming platforms in February 2023). You would be hard pressed to watch an evening’s television without hearing his compositions, featured in 100s of shows such as The Great British Bake Off, The Apprentice, Downton Abbey, Doctor Who, The Crown, QI, Big Mouth, Travel Man and Upstart Crow. His music has also been featured in films such as Bad Santa and The Bee Movie and cinematic trailers such as for the Oscar winning film, Blue Jasmine.
A fascination with Jazz has always had a major impact on Paul’s concert music output. Over the years he has written for musicians such as The Swingle Singers, The Underground Orchestra, Fine Arts Brass Ensemble, Superbrass and the Dunedin Consort. Moccasin Trail was written for saxophonist John Harle’s band and features on ‘The John Harle Collection: Vol 15’ and a saxophone/ piano version was premiered by John at a Wigmore Hall recital broadcast on BBC Radio 3. In 2015, the song cycle Falls, (initially commissioned and performed by the Dunedin Consort) was performed at the Snape Maltings by the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and his Gospel Jazz composition for choir with rhythm section Come Spirit was premiered by the Chapter House Choir in York Minster.
Seven Ages of Man, a new 70-minute suite and album written for world class jazz musicians Tim Garland and Jason Rebello, is Paul’s biggest and most ambitious work yet and a remarkable synthesis of his classical, jazz and media music roots. Writing to his own brief, the work has enabled him to explore the intersection between his musical worlds and write something on a grander and more profound scale.
