Simon Knighton

Education

Equipment

My Equipment/Kit:

I can use:

About me

Simon Knighton is a composer and producer who creates live and recorded music for concert performance and various multimedia projects.

After completing his undergraduate degree in music technology he set up a recording studio in Liverpool, from which he worked for 6 years. The studio functioned primarily as a space for bands to rehearse and record, but during this time he received requests to write for various local theatre and dance companies: this is how his love of 'composition' was born. After hearing 'The Rite of Spring' for the first time in 2013, he chose to focus on developing his composition skills and undertook three years of self-directed study into classical composition before going to Amsterdam Conservatoire to study for an MA under Willem Jeths and Joel Bons.

Capable across multiple disciplines, Simon has composed concert music for (amongst others) 'Nieuw Ensemble', 'Ricciotti Ensemble', the CvA Symphony Orchestra and 'Score Collective'. He has produced electronic soundtracks for dance companies such as 'EnCompass Collective' and 'Tilt' and has created compositions for Liverpool Light Night, Festival Number 6 numerous Arts Council funded projects.. In 2018 he was selected as a finalist in the 2018 Kaleidoscope Orchestra Composers Competition, chosen from over 2200 entries from 76 countries. In 2015 he was part of the creative team to win the Gi20 jury prize for an experimental street theatre commission for marching band and electronics.

Through his varied experiences of electronic music, collaboration and concert writing he has developed a versatile, broad minded and flexible composing method. Proper planning and the ability to adapt, to invent idiosyncratic methods for each new and challenging project are the key to this. A vital element of his aesthetic is found in merging methods and sounds particular to traditional music composition with elements particular to electronic music production. His style aims to blend and twist the relationship of acoustic and electronic characteristics to create music with unique personality; to take elements from various styles, genres and disciplines and present them in new and fresh ways.​

He has recently been accepted to the Royal Northern College of Music to study for a PhD (to begin in September). He has also signed a publishing deal with the Dutch publishing house 'Donemus'.
Additional skills:
Music Composition; Music Production; Audio Mixing; Advanced Orchestration; Advanced Music Theory; Cubase; Ableton; Sibelius
Industry awards:
In 2018, my piece 'The Acrobat and the Tightrope' was selected as a finalist in the USA based Kaleidoscope Orchestra Composers' Competition, chosen from over 2200 entries from 76 countries.

My piece, 'Seven Stages of Man' was finalist in the 2018 'TROMP International Percussion Competition' (composers edition), which included a performance at Eindhoven's Musikgebouw concert hall.

In 2015 I was part of a creative team to win the Gi20 jury prize for an experimental street theatre commission for marching band and electronics.
Referees:
Available on request.
Additional information:
Upcoming works:

July: A piece for the JOWest string orchestra to be performed in Bilzen, Belgium.

August: A piece for the I Solisti Wind Ensemble to be performed in Genk. This will be a soundtrack for an animated short film by Sam Billen.

Skills

Secondary Job Title	Producer
Job Titles	Producer, Sound Operator / Engineer, Music Director, Composer, Teacher, Music Production
Years in industry	6+ years
Musical Skills	Guitar
Musical Style	Classical, Experimental