About Paul Englishby
Born 1970. Paul Englishby is a British composer, conductor, pianist, musician and bandleader.
Paul Englishby is a film and theatre composer, orchestrator, conductor, and pianist. He is best known for his Emmy Award-winning jazz score for David Hare's Page Eight, his orchestral score for the Oscar nominated An Education, his BAFTA nominated score for the BBC's Luther and his many theatre scores for the Royal Shakespeare Company, with whom Paul is an associated artist.
Biographical summary Englishby was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1970. He was musically active by his teenage years, performing as a pianist in big bands and jazz ensembles as well as writing and composing his own works. He studied at Goldsmiths' College and at the Royal Academy of Music, where he received the Charles Lucas Prize for Composition and the Arthur Hervey Scholarship, as well as receiving a BBC Sound on Film Commission. The Last Clarinet for orchestra and narrator was Englishby's first published work, and continues to be performed internationally. His other works include Short Symphony (1997), String Quartet (1995) and Blackpool Lights for Orchestra (1993). Aside from these Englishby composed pieces for his own group, The Paul Englishby Big Band, which has performed at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.
He won the ASCAP Award in 2009 for his film score to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, directed by Bharat Nalluri. He also wrote the score for Lone Scherfig's Oscar nominated feature An Education, starring Carey Mulligan, and A Royal Night Out, starring Rupert Everett and Bel Powley. He was also music director and composer for the 2013 film Sunshine On Leith, featuring songs by The Proclaimers, and directed by Dexter Fletcher. Englishby has collaborated with world-class film directors, including Stephen Mangan on critically acclaimed Brit-flick Confetti, and on the film Ten Minutes Older featuring works from directors Spike Lee, Werner Herzog, Bernardo Bertolucci, Mike Figgis and Jean-Luc Godard.
As well as commissions for film and TV, he has composed classical works for various ensembles. His credits include The Last Clarinet for solo clarinet, orchestra and narrator in 1995, Byron for large orchestra and Weep No More for string orchestra. Englishby also recently completed a large public arts commission entitled Fireworks, several pieces for choir, orchestra, chamber group and school children, in commemoration of the Combe Down Stone Mines Project in Bath.
Theatre/Dance Englishby has worked on over twenty productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Recent credits include Gregory Doran's The Hollow Crown, starring David Tennant as Richard II, and Anthony Sher as Falstaff in Henry IV. Other credits for the RSC include Death of a Salesman (starring Anthony Sher and Harriet Walter), Twelfth Night (starring Richard Wilson), Hamlet (starring David Tennant), The Merry Wives of Windsor (starring Judi Dench), Love's Labour's Lost and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In 2013, Englishby scored Peter Morgan's The Audience, starring Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. The Audience, with Mirren, transferred to Broadway in 2015, with Kristin Scott Thomas taking up the role in the West End. In 2014, Englishby wrote the music for David Hare's Skylight, starring Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan, which also transferred to Broadway from the West End in 2015.
Other notable credits include Red Velvet, starring Adrian Lester, which played at the Garrick Theatre in early 2016, Hedda Gabler, starring Sheridan Smith at the Old Vic, and Emil and the Detectives at the National Theatre.
Musical credits As orchestrator, conductor, and pianist, Englishby has worked with The London Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, London Musici, Tallis Chamber Choir, Fibonacci Sequence and BBC Concert Orchestra to name a few. He has conducted on studio sessions and film scores both in the UK and abroad, as well as on recordings and broadcasts for radio and television. Credits include Richard Eyre's The Other Man and Michael Radford's Flawless in 2008. 2020 The Yellow Dress THE VISIT (National Theatre) Royal Hunt of The Sun (Parco Theatre TOKYO) Conversations at a Dinner Table 2019 Queens of Mystery LUTHER s5 THE INHERITANCE (West End/Broadway) TONY NOMINATION PETER GYNT (National Theatre) Measure for Measure 2018 Le Canard (The Duck) (Short film) WHITE TEETH IMPERIUM 2017 PINOCCHIO (National Ballet of Canada) DECLINE AND FALL THE WITNESS FFOR THE PROSECUTION – Ivor Novello Award Nominee 2015/16 The Musketeers Luther Undeniable Salting the Battlefield Turks and Caicos 2013/14 Sunshine On Leith The Great Train Robbery The Guilty 2012 A Mother's Son (TV) Good Cop (TV) Inside Men (TV) Page Eight Luther (TV) 2011 Outcasts (TV) 2009 Hamlet (TV) An Englishman in New York (TV) An Education 2008 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day 2007 Magicians Behind the Tricks: Making "Magicians" (TV) 2006 Death of the Revolution Confetti 2002 Ten Minutes Older: The Cello Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet The History of Football: The Beautiful Game A Royal Night Out Orchestrator 2012 Tony Banks: Six: Pieces for Orchestra 2010 Your Highness 2008 Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day The Other Man 2007 Becoming Jane 2004 Deux Frères (aka Two Brothers) Love's Brother
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Important facts
People in Paul Englishby's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Paul Englishby?
British composer, orchestrator, conductor, and pianist
When was Paul Englishby born?
Paul Englishby was born in 1970 in Preston.
What is Paul Englishby's occupation?
Paul Englishby is a composer, conductor, pianist, musician and bandleader.
What nationality is Paul Englishby?
Paul Englishby is British.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Paul Englishby. https://biography.guide/paul-englishby/
MLA: "Paul Englishby." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/paul-englishby/.
Chicago: "Paul Englishby." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/paul-englishby/.
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