Simon Coleman is a composer and musician based in Oxfordshire, UK.
Simon had an early introduction to music, learning classical guitar throughout his childhood in Yorkshire. Going on to play jazz guitar in local music clubs, Simon then took part in Yorkshire Television’s prestigious Young Jazz Player of the Year competition, judged by UK jazz legend Johnny Dankworth. This led to a period of intensive study at Leeds College of Music, where Simon was introduced not only to different styles of jazz, but also to Indian classical music, where he was tutored by esteemed sitar player and educator Dharambir Singh.
Whilst at Leeds College of Music Simon turned his attention towards composition, studying jazz at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and then film music at the Royal College of Music. Through his film music study Simon began to establish himself as a versatile and creative composer, forging relationships with London’s leading film schools.
Shortly after his studies Simon received acclaim for his compositions in the BBC New Talent competition for television composers, becoming one of only twelve UK finalists to be mentored by revered composer George Fenton. Following on from this, Simon’s first break in television came through associations with ITV, composing for popular factual entertainment programmes such as The Lakes, Ade At Sea and The Dales.
For over a decade Simon has worked in parallel with his composing, as an educator both in instrumental and film music tuition, with clients including the University of West London and The National Film & Television School. As well as guiding others in following their own creative paths, Simon’s education work has informed his own compositional output, allowing for a broader perspective on projects.
Having written production music for labels such as Sony, Universal and Extreme Music, Simon’s work has featured on many global networks including BBC and Channel Four (UK), SBS (Australia) and Paramount+ (USA).
Simon’s diverse and wide-ranging work has enabled him to follow his own musical path, combining jazz, classical and traditional techniques with electronic and sonic exploration, in order to create a unique contemporary voice.