Debbie Wiseman

The National Symphony Orchestra is delighted to have such a close working relationship with Debbie Wiseman, one of the UK’s most successful female music ambassadors. Debbie is composer-in-residence for classic fm, in demand not only as a composer, but also as a conductor and presenter. Recent recorded releases include the music performed at Windsor Castle for Her Majesty’s 90th birthday celebrations.

In September 2016 Debbie’s recording “The Musical Zodiac” will be released, again recorded with the national Symphony Orchestra, featuring many of its members in solo roles.

Throughout the past 20 years, there are probably few people in the UK who have not heard a theme from one of Debbie’s films or shows. Whether it is watching Stephen Fry bring to life Oscar Wilde for the big screen, hearing the latest political commentary on a Sunday morning with Andrew Marr, or poring over T.S.Eliot’s love story in the Oscar nominated “Tom & Viv”, Wiseman has gifted us iconic themes of beauty and passion, love and laughter.

Her credits, over 200 of them, for the big and small screen include WOLF HALL, THE CORONER, FATHER BROWN, THE WHALE, FRY’S PLANET WORD, JUDGE JOHN DEED, WILDE, OTHELLO, LAND GIRLS, TOM & VIV, JEKYLL, THE PASSION, TOM’S MIDNIGHT GARDEN and WPC 56.

Debbie has been nominated for two Ivor Novello Awards for WILDE and DEATH OF YUGOSLAVIA, and has won a TRIC Award for THE GOOD GUYS and an RTS Award for WARRIORS. In 2007 she was awarded the Gold Badge of Merit by the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters.

Debbie is a Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music, and regularly gives lectures to schools and colleges about the art of composing music for picture. In 2008 she composed a new “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” called “Different Voices” which was premiered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as part of their 60th birthday celebrations, and the work is now frequently performed by school and youth orchestras across the country. Her album of music to accompany the fairy stories of Oscar Wilde – WILDE STORIES – on the Warner Classics and Jazz label, was nominated for a Grammy Award and was then made into a trilogy of animated films for Channel 4.

As well as her composing work, Debbie appears in concert halls across the country conducting her film scores, and also appears as an expert guest on the BBC TV broadcasts of The Proms. In 2011 Debbie presented a Radio 4 programme on the composer, Joseph Horovitz, and appeared on the panel of Your Desert Island Discs at Christmas with Bill Bailey and Jo Whiley, presented by Kirsty Young. Debbie presented Scoring Father Brown for Radio 4, which followed her process of composing the score for the BBC TV series.

In 2004, Debbie was honoured in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list with an MBE for services to the music and film industry. She has been awarded Honorary Fellowships at both colleges where she studied, Trinity College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Warner Classics are now thrilled to welcome Debbie to their celebrated roster of artists, and her first solo album for the label, “Piano Stories”, which features piano solo performances by the composer herself of many of her acclaimed scores, entered the UK Classical Artist Album Chart at number 10. Debbie performed tracks from the album in a solo live concert appearance at St George’s concert hall, Bristol in March 2013.

Debbie was one of the 11 composers chosen to compose music for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant on June 3rd 2012 when she conducted her movement of new “Water Music” on The Georgian barge.