James Shearman

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

English conductor, orchestrator, and composer

title: "James Shearman" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["english-composers", "english-male-conductors-(music)", "english-music-arrangers", "living-people", "1970-births", "21st-century-english-conductors-(music)", "21st-century-english-male-musicians"] description: "English conductor, orchestrator, and composer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Shearman" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary English conductor, orchestrator, and composer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

FieldValue
nameJames Shearman
image970A7520bw copytwo.jpg
landscape
captionShearman in 2014
birth_date
originEngland
death_date
occupation{{flat list
years_active1995–present
associated_acts{{flat list
website
::

| name = James Shearman | image = 970A7520bw copytwo.jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = | alt = | caption = Shearman in 2014 | birth_date = | birth_place = | origin = England | death_date = | death_place = | genre = | occupation = {{flat list|

James Shearman is an English conductor, orchestrator, and composer. He is perhaps best known for his contributions to film scores including those for Gosford Park, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Manchester by the Sea and numerous others. He has collaborated frequently with composer, Patrick Doyle. 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 (among other songs). He regularly conducts orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, 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 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. 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, Brave, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Cinderella, 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 (Mansfield Park, Manchester by the Sea), Mark Isham (In The Valley of Elah, Reservation Road), Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare in Love), Paul Cantelon (The Other Boleyn Girl), Jan A. P. Kaczmarek (Lost Souls), Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin), and Hans Zimmer (Pearl Harbor).

He has also conducted a variety of 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, leading a concert of A.R. Rahman compositions. In March 2014, he conducted the Ulster Orchestra for the first time with The Music of Patrick Doyle from the Films of Sir Kenneth Branagh.

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 and Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra 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 debut with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra 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, Oasis, Gary Barlow, and Nightwish. He conducted the choirs for the latter band's 2007 album, Dark Passion Play and the choirs and orchestra for the 2015 album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful. and was the arranger of the band's 2024 album Yesterwynde.

Filmography

::data[format=table] | Year | Title | Conductor | Orchestrator | Arranger | Composer | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1995 | Cracker | | | | | Music assistant Episode 3.5: "Best Boys (Part Two)" | | Othello | | | | | Additional orchestrator | | | 1998 | Great Expectations | | | | | Additional orchestrator | | Quest for Camelot | | | | | | | | The Misadventures of Margaret | | | | | | | | Shakespeare in Love | | | | | Additional orchestrator | | | 1999 | East/West | | | | | | | Mansfield Park | | | | | Additional orchestrator | | | 2000 | Love's Labour's Lost | | | | | | | Lost Souls | | | | | | | | 2001 | Bridget Jones's Diary | | | | | | | Pearl Harbor | | | | | | | | Lara Croft: Tomb Raider | | | | | | | | Gosford Park | | | | | | | | 2003 | Calendar Girls | | | | | | | 2005 | Nanny McPhee | | | | | | | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | | | | | | | | 2006 | The Black Dahlia | | | | | | | Eragon | | | | | | | | 2007 | In the Valley of Elah | | | | | | | Reservation Road | | | | | | | | 2008 | The Other Boleyn Girl | | | | | | | Nim's Island | | | | | | | | W. | | | | | | | | 2011 | Thor | | | | | | | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | | | | | | | | The Moth Diaries | | | | | | | | Dolphin Tale | | | | | | | | 2012 | Brave | | | | | | | 2013 | Flight of the Storks | | | | | Miniseries (2 episodes) | | 2013–14 | Borgia | | | | | 17 episodes | | 2014 | Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit | | | | | | | 2015 | Cinderella | | | | | | | 2016 | Manchester by the Sea | | | | | | | Close to the Enemy | | | | | Miniseries (7 episodes) | | | 2017 | Beauty and the Beast | | | | | | | Murder on the Orient Express | | | | | | | | The Emoji Movie | | | | | | | | 2018 | Irreplaceable You | | | | | | | 2019 | Aladdin | | | | | | ::

Discography

::data[format=table title="List of credits on selected albums"] | Album | Year | Artist | Role | Notes | Earthbound | Twelve Months, Eleven Days | Dream a Dream | The Opera Band | Once | Dark Passion Play | Imaginaerum | Endless Forms Most Beautiful | Human. :II: Nature. | Yesterwynde | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1997 | Conner Reeves | Orchestra conductor | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1999 | Gary Barlow | String arrangements | UK #35 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2000 | Charlotte Church | Composer, arranger | Co-wrote "Dream a Dream" | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2004 | Amici Forever | Producer, orchestrator, composer | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Nightwish | Conductor | FIN #1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2007 | US #84 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2011 | US #27 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2015 | US #34 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2020 | US #110 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2024 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

References

References

  1. Sapiro, Ian. (11 November 2016). "Scoring the Score: The Role of the Orchestrator in the Contemporary Film Industry". Routledge.
  2. Harris, C.E.. (15 August 1996). "A Special Evening". JohnWilliams.org.
  3. "James Shearman". Philharmonic Orchestra.
  4. "Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music". Royal Academy of Music.
  5. "Great Expectations (2017)". British Film Institute.
  6. (17 August 2003). "Quest for Camelot - Editorial Review". FilmTracks.
  7. (17 August 2011). "Quick Reviews: Thor / Captain America". The Music Behind the Screen.
  8. (5 August 2011). "Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Editorial Review". FilmTracks.
  9. Michael, Chip. (21 June 2012). "Review: BRAVE and the music of Patrick Doyle". Interchanging Idioms.
  10. (29 March 2014). "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - Editorial Review". FilmTracks.
  11. (25 February 2015). "Walt Disney Records Presents The Cinderella Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Available March 10". PRNewsWire.
  12. Burden, Tim. (14 December 2013). "Much Ado About Patrick Doyle".
  13. "James Shearman". Hollywood in Vienna.
  14. Broxton, Jonathan. (6 December 2016). "MANCHESTER BY THE SEA – Lesley Barber". Movie Music UK.
  15. Broxton, Jonathan. (14 September 2007). "IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH – Mark Isham". Movie Music UK.
  16. Kemp, Philip. (1998). "Shakespeare in Love". British Film Institute.
  17. Broxton, Jonathan. (29 February 2008). "THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL – Paul Cantelon". Movie Music UK.
  18. (26 October 2000). "Lost Souls - Editorial Review". FilmTracks.
  19. "James Shearman".
  20. Hewett, Ivan. (10 March 2004). "Sweet but slight". The Telegraph.
  21. "The Music of Patrick Doyle from the Films of Sir Kenneth Branagh". Belfast Film Festival.
  22. (31 March 2014). "CONCERT REVIEW: FTN reviews composer Patrick Doyle at The Waterfront Hall". Following the Nerd.
  23. Saleem, Fazeena. (27 November 2017). "Qatar British Festival 2017 opens". The Peninsula.
  24. Hollands, Michael. (9 December 2017). "Hollywood in Vienna – Fairytales & A Tribute to Danny Elfman". Sound of the Movies.
  25. (27 April 2019). "Music from the Star Wars Saga". Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.
  26. (1 January 2007). "NIGHTWISH Recording Orchestral Parts For New Album In London: Video Available". Blabbermouth.
  27. "ENDLESS FORMS MOST BEAUTIFUL". ProgArchives.
  28. (17 October 2023). "still unknown". MetalInjection.
  29. "James Shearman - Credits".
  30. "Twelve Months, Eleven Days". Official Charts Company.
  31. "Nightwish - Once (album)". Finnish Charts.
  32. "Nightwish - Chart History - Billboard 200".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

english-composersenglish-male-conductors-(music)english-music-arrangersliving-people1970-births21st-century-english-conductors-(music)21st-century-english-male-musicians