Christopher Austin (born 14 November 1968) is a British conductor, and an

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

and

orchestrator Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

of film and television scores. Austin originally intended to become a composer. He studied at the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

with Adrian Beaumont and Raymond Warren (1987–90), and subsequently at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

with Robert Saxton and Simon Bainbridge. As a conductor he is most associated with contemporary music. He is the founder and artistic director of the Brunel Ensemble. He has also worked with many of the leading orchestras in the UK and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, including the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

and

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...

. His film work includes ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...

'' and ''

The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse ''The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse'' is a 2005 disaster horror comedy film based on the British television series ''The League of Gentlemen''. It is directed by Steve Bendelack at his directorial debut and written by the series' cast alon ...

''. He often collaborates with the composer Joby Talbot, with whom he co-wrote the song " So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish", along with Garth Jennings, director of ''

''. Austin teaches composition, conducting and orchestration at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

, in London. He was the composition tutor of

Paul Morley Paul Robert Morley (born 26 March 1957) is a British music journalist. He wrote for the ''New Musical Express'' from 1977 to 1983, and has since written for a wide range of publications and written his own books. He was a co-founder of the reco ...

in the BBC television documentary '' How to Be a Composer''.

References

External links

Biography and photograph on Royal Academy of Music website
*
Clarion Seven Muses
British male conductors (music) Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Living people 1968 births Alumni of the University of Bristol Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama English conductors (music) Drama Desk Award winners Tony Award winners 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British male musicians {{UK-conductor-stub