James Shearman is an English conductor,

orchestrator Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

, and composer. He is perhaps best known for his contributions to film scores including those for '' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'', '' Aladdin'', ''

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

'', '' Manchester by the Sea'', ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

'', and numerous others. He has collaborated frequently with composer,

Patrick Doyle Patrick Doyle (born 6 April 1953) is a Scottish film composer with Irish heritage. A longtime collaborator of actor-director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work composing for films such as ''Henry V'', '' Sense and Sensibility'', ''Haml ...

. In addition to his conducting and orchestration, Shearman is also a songwriter, having co-written the title track from Charlotte Church's 2000 album, ''

Dream a Dream ''Dream a Dream'' is the third album by Welsh soprano Charlotte Church, released in 2000. The album is principally a collection of Christmas carols but also includes the non-Christmas title track "Dream a Dream", Church's first foray into a mor ...

'' (among other songs). He regularly conducts notable orchestras, including the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...

, Philharmonia Orchestra,

Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: ''ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien'', or RSO Wien) is the orchestra of the Austrian national broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF). Unlike most other Austrian orchestras, the RSO Wien has a sub ...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmon ...

, and the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.

Early life and education

Shearman was born and grew up in England. He attended the Royal Academy of Music where he was one of four students in the four-year

BMus Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of presc ...

Commercial Music degree program, studying composition and conducting. In his last year of study at the academy, Shearman was commissioned to compose an original piece to honor film composer, John Williams. The composition ("Metropolis — A Tribute to John Williams") was premiered in June 1996 during the British and American Film Music Festival at the Royal Academy of Music with Williams in attendance. Shearman was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2015.

Career

Soon after his graduation from the Royal Academy of Music, Shearman began providing orchestrations to film scores. He first collaborated with composer Patrick Doyle on the 1998 film '' Great Expectations''. This led to Shearman providing orchestrations and arrangements for Doyle on another 1998 film, ''

Quest for Camelot ''Quest for Camelot'' (released internationally as ''The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot'') is a 1998 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and directed by Frederik Du Chau and very loosely based on t ...

''. This partnership eventually resulted in Shearman becoming Doyle's principal orchestrator and conductor. He has gone on to provide conducting, orchestration, and/or arrangements for Doyle's scores for ''Thor'', ''

Rise of the Planet of the Apes ''Rise of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 2011 American science fiction film directed by Rupert Wyatt from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It is a reboot of the ''Planet of the Apes'' film franchise, which is based on the 1963 nov ...

'', ''Brave'', '' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'', ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'', and numerous others. In 2012, Shearman arranged the ''Brave'' orchestral suite for a ''Pixar in Concert'' event. In 2015, he conducted a series of concerts across Europe and the United States with Doyle entitled ''Shakespeare in Concert''. Over the course of his career, Shearman has also collaborated with numerous other composers including,

Lesley Barber Lesley Barber (born 1962) is a Canadian composer of music for film, theatre, chamber and orchestral ensembles and she is also a conductor, pianist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Barber is best known for composing the film scores for '' M ...

(''

Mansfield Park ''Mansfield Park'' is the third published novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1814 by Thomas Egerton. A second edition was published in 1816 by John Murray, still within Austen's lifetime. The novel did not receive any public reviews unt ...

'', '' Manchester by the Sea''),

Mark Isham Mark Ware Isham (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician and film composer. A trumpeter and keyboardist, Isham works in a variety of genres, including jazz and electronic. He is also a film composer, having worked on numerous films and ...

(''

In The Valley of Elah ''In the Valley of Elah'' is a 2007 American crime drama film written and directed by Paul Haggis. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, and Susan Sarandon. Its title refers to the Biblical valley where the battle between David and Go ...

'', ''

Reservation Road ''Reservation Road'' is a 2007 American crime drama film directed by Terry George and based on the book of the same title by John Burnham Schwartz, who, along with George, adapted the novel for the screenplay. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix a ...

''),

Stephen Warbeck Stephen Warbeck (born 21 October 1953) is an English composer, best known for his film and television scores. Warbeck was born in Southampton, Hampshire. He first became known for the music for ''Prime Suspect'' and won an Oscar for his score fo ...

(''Shakespeare in Love''),

Paul Cantelon Paul Cantelon (born December 25, 1959) is an American contemporary classical music and popular music composer, a film score composer and an actor He is also a violinist, pianist, and accordionist, and a founding member of the American alternati ...

(''

The Other Boleyn Girl ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001) is a historical novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, loosely based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn (the sister of Anne Boleyn) of whom little is known. Inspired by Mary's life s ...

''), Jan A. P. Kaczmarek ('' Lost Souls''), Alan Menken (''

'', '' Aladdin''), and

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...

(''

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

''). He has also conducted a variety of notable orchestras both through his work with film scores and through live concerts. He made his concert conducting debut in 2004 with the

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...

, leading a concert of A.R. Rahman compositions. In March 2014, he conducted the

Ulster Orchestra The Ulster Orchestra, based in Belfast, is the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall. It also gives concerts across the United K ...

for the first time with ''The Music of Patrick Doyle from the Films of Sir

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...

''. He made his Royal Festival Hall conducting debut with The Philharmonia Orchestra in October 2014. He has also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, the Hollywood Studio Symphony, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (at the 2017 Qatar British Festival), and numerous others. In 2017, Shearman made his

Konzerthaus, Vienna The Konzerthaus is a concert hall located in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both traditional and ...

and

debut, sharing the conducting with American conductor John Mauceri for the televised 2017 ''Hollywood In Vienna'' concert: ''Fairytales'' and ''A Tribute to Danny Elfman''. In April 2019, he made his

Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool Liverpool Philharmonic Hall is a concert hall in Hope Street, in Liverpool, England. It is the home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed ...

debut with the

and its ''Music from the Star Wars Saga'' concert. In addition to his work with film scores and orchestral concerts, Shearman has also composed, conducted, and orchestrated songs for recording artists. He co-wrote (with Sam Babenia) the title track off of Charlotte Church's 2000 album, ''Dream a Dream''. He has also worked with

Conner Reeves Conner Reeves (born 8 April 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known for his 1997 album '' Earthbound'' which was released on Colin Lester's and Ian McAndrew's Wildstar label. Reeves scored five Top 40 singles in the UK Si ...

, Oasis,

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...

, and Nightwish. Most recently, he conducted the choirs and orchestra for the latter band's 2015 album, '' Endless Forms Most Beautiful''.

Filmography

Discography

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shearman, James English composers English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) British music arrangers Living people 1970 births 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British male musicians