John Cameron
Co-Composer and Adapter
One of the most versatile composers in Britain today, John’s many film credits include his music score for A Touch of Class (starring Glenda Jackson and George Segal) for which he received an Oscar Nomination, music for Ken Loach’s award winning Kes and To End All Wars, starring Robert Carlyle and Kiefer Sutherland.
For television his work ranges from his scores for Jack the Ripper and Jekyll and Hyde (both starring Michael Caine), to the theme for the BBC’s Crimewatch UK.
John wrote the orchestral score for every version of Les Miserables, including the original Paris version (1979), the Royal Shakespeare Company in London (1985), Washington and New York (1986), which won him a New York Drama Desk Award. In May 2002 the National Broadway Theatre presented John the award for best orchestral score for Les Miserables. He wrote the orchestrations for Honk! (The Ugly Duckling) which received the Best Musical Olivier Award in 1993 and for Peter Pan at the Royal Festival Hall in 2001.
Other shows he has arranged/supervised include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Goodbye Girl, The Card, Blondel, Mutiny!, Spend! Spend! Spend! (Best Musical – Evening Standard Awards). John has recently composed music for Faust Parts I and II, the National Theatre’s touring production of John Caird’s Hamlet, Becket and Twelfth Night in Stockholm.
The New York cast album for Les Miserables won a Grammy Award and the 1991 version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat received a Grammy for best symphonic album. John has collaborated with such diverse artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Donovan, Bobbie Gentry, Heatwave, Hot Chocolate, David Essex and his own band CCS. His song-writing credits include “If I Thought You’d Ever Change Your Mind” (Agnetha Faltskog/Cilla Black), “Sweet Inspiration” (Johnny Johnson and The Bandwagon) and “Tap Turns on the Water” (CCS).
John was principal arranger for the Jose Carreras albums Passion and Pure Passion. He arranged, conducted and produced Carreras’ new CD Around the World. He was awarded a silver disc for Lux Aeterna, his 8-part choral setting of Elgar’s Nimrod, featured on the best-selling classical album A gnus De. He recently conducted the English Chamber Orchestra and the Choir of New College Oxford in a recording of his own large scale cantata Missa Celtica. John conducted the London Symphony Orchestra with Celtic songs by Maire Brennan.