Biography

Paul Honey’s musical career began as a chorister at Westminster Abbey, where he sang daily in the choir. He is a graduate of at Southampton University where he studied music history, composition and orchestration. Since graduating, he has enjoyed a highly varied musical life, working as a composer and arranger, performer, musical director and producer.

Early on in his career he worked primarily as a pianist and keyboard player. For some years he toured with the acclaimed Asian vocalist Najma Akhtar. The group toured worldwide, including many WOMAD festivals, performing as far afield as Australia, Japan, North America and Europe. However, in the last few years he has concentrated on working as a composer, initially for Film and TV but now he has shifted his focus to writing for orchestras, chamber ensembles and soloists.

Paul has composed music for a wide variety of productions, including the quirky comedy of BBC1’s Blandings, the BAFTA winning Old Jack’s Boat (recorded with the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Nationals Orchestra of Wales), the BBC Natural History Unit’s series Earth’s Wildest Waters and the documentary feature The Atom: A Love Affair.  He was nominated in 2023 for a Royal Television Society Award and a Music and Sound Award for his score for the documentary feature The People’s Piazza: A History of Covent Garden.

Most recently, he has been working with the poet Gregory Warren Wilson on a series of works for voice together with various ensembles. The music includes Four Elements, a work in four movements for Cello and Chamber Choir, and three collections of songs; A Wing of Light, Dancing Alone and Songs of Ice and Snow, composed for Tenor and Piano, Baritone and Piano and Mezzo Soprano and Saxophone Quartet respectively. In addition, Paul has just completed three songs for Soprano, Cello and Harp. The music has been recorded for release in the near future and features the Locrian Singers with the cellist Justin Pearson, soprano Grace Davidson alongside harpist Jean Kelly and cellist Justin Pearson, tenor James Gilchrist with pianist Anna Tilbrook, baritone Johnny Herford accompanied by Matthew Fletcher and mezzo soprano Frances Gregory with the Delta Saxophone Quartet. The music has received broadcasts both on BBC Radio 3 in the UK and NPO Klassiek in the Netherlands. Performances include A Wing of Light at the Dartington Festival and Songs of Ice and Snow at Late Music, York.

Paul and Greg continue their creative partnership in 2024 with a collection of comic cabaret songs for voice and saxophone quartet, and in complete contrast, a ‘Dramatic Oratorio’ for solo voices, chamber choir and orchestra about the life of Albert Pierrepoint.

Other collaborations include a collection of orchestral arrangements of traditional Irish music, curated with the violinist Dermot Crehan, titled Toss The Feathers Suite and Three Irish Songs. Premiered at St Martin in the Fields in London, an album of the music was recorded by the RTE Concert Orchestra.