About Me
James Jones is a British composer who has written music for television, film, theatre, installations and the concert hall. Over 20 years, he has worked on a variety of productions showcasing his versatility across a wide range of musical genres.
Born and brought up in Pembrokeshire, James learnt the violin, viola and piano, and sang extensively in choirs from an early age. He played in school and county-level orchestras and choirs, leading to membership of both the National Youth Orchestra and National Youth Choir of Wales.
James's first compositional success came with an award for best composition at the National Festival of Music for Youth in 1995, for his anthem Ave Verum Corpus. At King’s College London (BMus 1995-1998), James studied composition with Sir Harrison Birtwistle, with whom he experimented with avant-garde techniques. He collaborated on compositions with London Brass and mezzo-soprano Anna Stephany. He was a bass scholar with the King's College chapel choir and sang at a number of London's churches, including St John’s Wood church where he sang for six years. At the Royal College of Music (MMus 2001-2002) he studied with Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli and took part in projects with Gabriel Yared and Patrick Doyle.
Early commissions included short films and theatre productions, such as Lesley Sharp's directorial debut, Mary & Mick, the RTS award-winning short film Rocket Boy Roger and theatre production Gates Of Gold starring William Gaunt, which transferred from the Finborough Theatre to the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End. This led to work on a number of television productions, including Passion Pictures' Nature: Touching The Wild and Popkorn's Cutting Edge: The Rich Kids Of Instagram. Liberty Bell's The Three Day Nanny, produced by Simon Urwin, was James's first significant television commission, three series of which he has scored.
For film, James has collaborated with writer director Mark Wilshin on feature film Sodom, Natalie Malla on The Girl In The Dress and Crush Hour, and with James Berridge on Homer. For theatre, Only Our Own (dir. Lars Harold Gathe at the Arts Theatre), Pentecost (dir. Gavin McAlinden at St Leonard’s Shoreditch) and Fewer Emergencies (dir. Dan Ayling at the Print Room) were all critically acclaimed productions. In 2014, James's symphonic work Irrational Exuberance was performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (conducted by Jac van Steen) at the Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff as part of Composition: Wales.
James has worked as a conductor, copyist and orchestrator for highly-regarded composers including Alex Baranowksi on The xx Symphony (Radio 1) and Henry VI at Shakespeare’s Globe; Tom Howe on his album Changing Moods and Isobel Waller-Bridge on her scores for Vanity Fair (ITV), Knives In Hens (Donmar Warehouse) and The Country Girls (Chichester).
In 2018, James released his debut album of music for piano and orchestra, Principia, which was recorded at Synchron Stage Studios in Vienna and features Bulgarian concert pianist, Dora Deliyska. In the summer of 2023, James is due to release a follow up record, Murmurations, for cello and electronics, featuring acclaimed cellist Joe Zeitlin.
James's production music has been licensed to countless television programmes, including Civilisations (BBC Two), The Apprentice (BBC One), Next Level Chef (ITV1), My Unique B&B (BBC Two), Inside Culture With Mary Beard (BBC Two), Atlantic: A Year In The Wild (Channel 5), The Vanishing Of Suzy Lamplugh (Channel 5), Casualty 24/7 (Channel 5), Next In Fashion (Netflix), Cooking With The Stars (ITV1), Mistakes That Caught A Killer (Channel 5), Drawers Off (Channel 4), Incredible Journeys With Simon Reeve (BBC Two), Countryfile (BBC One) and Tonight (ITV1). He’s also contributed music for Isle Of Wight: Jewel Of The South and Springtime On The Farm, both for Channel 5, under the umbrella of White Stork, Tom Howe’s media music company.
Recent commissions in television include two documentaries made by Wingspan Productions - Joanna Lumley And The Human Swan and The Real Spies Among Friends - both for ITV1/ITVX. James has also scored documentary feature Tanagokoro: A Culinary Portrait, directed by Victoria Fistes, and two feature documentaries for director Frank Mannion - Sparkling: The Story Of Champagne and Quintessentially British, both also available to watch on ITVX.
James lives in Kent with his husband, Steve.