Stephen Warbeck


STEPHEN’s STORY : COMING SOON


Stephen Warbeck is an English composer, best known for his film and television scores. He first became known for the music for Prime Suspect and won an Oscar for his score for Shakespeare in Love. In 1994 he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play.

Stephen began studying piano and composing at the age of four. His parents were keen amateur musicians who encouraged Stephen to pursue his musical talents. By his mid-teens, Stephen developed an affinity for rock ‘n’ roll as well as for theatre.

He studied Drama and French at Bristol University, and began his career at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, as a musician and actor. After eight years of working as a composer and performer for the stage, Stephen began writing music for film and television. Since the early 1980s, Stephen has built up a considerable filmography.

As well as writing music for more than forty television projects (for which he has received five BAFTA nominations) he has scored many feature films including The Other Man (2008), Proof (2005), Two Brothers (2004), Mrs Brown (1997), Mystery Men (1999), Quills (2000), Billy Elliot (2000), Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001), Birthday Girl (2002), and Shakespeare in Love (1998).

Some of Stephen’s notable stage productions include the National Theatre’s An Inspector Calls, John Madden’s production of Proof , Sam Mendes’ production of To The Green Fields Beyond, both at the Donmar, and The White Devil for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has written for several shows at the Almeida, including The Triumph Of Love, Parlour Song and When The Rain Stops Falling. Stephen most recently collaborated with Ian Rickson on Jerusalem at the Royal Court.

In addition to composing for film and television, Stephen has written music for numerous radio plays, and is a founder member of the anarchic pub band The hKippers, for whom he composes and performs. He has his own ensemble and another small band called The Metropolitan Water Board. Stephen has written several concert pieces; “Peter Pan” is his first ballet score.