Hi, I'm Rob Watson, a composer, performer and vocal coach. I have written music across a wide range of styles from a very young age and completed a BA (Hons) in Music at Durham University, followed by an MA in Composition with a focus on electroacoustic music studying with John Casken. I travel widely with a fondness for wildlife and a keen interest in social change, and these passions shape my approach to music and storytelling. This allows me to comfortably work across genres such as factual, drama, horror, psychological thriller and sci‑fi. My unique voice as a composer enables subtle, dramatic, and quirky storytelling. I frequently draw on live/avant-garde improvisation to adapt to sudden and unexpected changes in any brief or schedule. I am equally comfortable scoring to drafts, scripts, and storyboards during pre-production as I am working to locked picture. My experience spans micro-dramas, features and series, enabling flexible, impactful storytelling; leitmotifs and themes help craft cohesive musical worlds. Pieces have premiered with the Durham Chamber Choir, Electric Phoenix, and the London Cantata Choir in addition to several scores for Shorts, Features etc.…

Rob Watson

PRO

Hi, I'm Rob Watson, a composer, performer and vocal coach. I have written music across a wide range of styles from a very young age and completed a BA (Hons) in Music at Durham University, followed by an MA in Composition with a focus on electroacoustic music studying with John Casken. I travel widely with a fondness for wildlife and a keen interest in social change, and these passions shape my approach to music and storytelling. This allows me to comfortably work across genres such as factual, drama, horror, psychological thriller and sci‑fi. My unique voice as a composer enables subtle, dramatic, and quirky storytelling. I frequently draw on live/avant-garde improvisation to adapt to sudden and unexpected changes in any brief or schedule. I am equally comfortable scoring to drafts, scripts, and storyboards during pre-production as I am working to locked picture. My experience spans micro-dramas, features and series, enabling flexible, impactful storytelling; leitmotifs and themes help craft cohesive musical worlds. Pieces have premiered with the Durham Chamber Choir, Electric Phoenix, and the London Cantata Choir in addition to several scores for Shorts, Features etc.…

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Rob Watson, a composer, performer and vocal coach. I have written music across a wide range of styles from a very young age and completed a BA (Hons) in Music at Durham University, followed by an MA in Composition with a focus on electroacoustic music studying with John Casken. I travel widely with a fondness for wildlife and a keen interest in social change, and these passions shape my approach to music and storytelling. This allows me to comfortably work across genres such as factual, drama, horror, psychological thriller and sci‑fi.

My unique voice as a composer enables subtle, dramatic, and quirky storytelling. I frequently draw on live/avant-garde improvisation to adapt to sudden and unexpected changes in any brief or schedule. I am equally comfortable scoring to drafts, scripts, and storyboards during pre-production as I am working to locked picture. My experience spans micro-dramas, features and series, enabling flexible, impactful storytelling; leitmotifs and themes help craft cohesive musical worlds. Pieces have premiered with the Durham Chamber Choir, Electric Phoenix, and the London Cantata Choir in addition to several scores for Shorts, Features etc.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Composer at Dearly Departed – Darren Vukasinovic, Director
August 1, 2025 - Present
Post-production scoring for a feature film about three siblings finalizing their late mother's will; opens old wounds and confronts buried grudges.
Composer at My Dark Secret – James L Perkins, Director
June 1, 2025 - Present
Score for a thriller where Jackson and Lily (Lily is a vampire) face a life-changing decision.
Composer at The Mirror – Sabrina Rivetti, Director
June 1, 2025 - Present
Score for an international debut feature showcased at Cinefest, Ventura, CA.
Composer at Cut Out – Adolfo Vico, Director
May 1, 2024 - Present
Score for a story where belief is key.
Composer at The Gory Hole – Ash Mountain Films, Richard Rowntree, Director
February 1, 2024 - Present
Score for a multi-award-winning short; contributor to the Video Shop Tales of Terror 2 anthology.
Composer at CueTube – Activities of Daily Living
March 1, 2023 - Present
Shortlisted as Composer for CueTube’s Activities of Daily Living (starring Tara Fitzgerald).
Composer at Quapaw Canoe Company
September 1, 2021 - Present
Film and music project focusing on environmental joy and the Mississippi River, exploring wildlife imagery and river narratives.
composer at May, 2025, scored Thresholds (dir. Sam C Dixon)
May 1, 2025 - Present

Education

BA (Hons) Music at Durham University
January 11, 2030 - October 7, 2025
MA in Composition (electroacoustic) at Durham University
January 11, 2030 - October 7, 2025

Qualifications

B Mus (Dunelm)
October 1, 1986 - September 1, 1989
MA Mus (Dunelm)
October 1, 1989 - September 1, 1990
Estill Technique Training
January 11, 1995 - October 9, 2000

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Education, Travel & Hospitality, Gaming, Non-Profit Organization
    uniE608 Score for animated film Mafia Mix-Up
    Example of score I created for this animated darkly humorous film…
    uniE608 Rob Watson Demo Reel - showing variety of compositional styles
    Demo reel with film by The Cue Tube scored my me showing various styles you could have in your films and media!…
    paper scored ‘Cut Out’ (dir. Adolfo Vico)

    May 2024, scored ‘Cut Out’ (dir. Adolfo Vico) - a story where belief is key…or else! Scored very quickly using storyboard as main thematic input and completing to locked picture within hours.

    paper scored Thresholds (dir. Sam C Dixon)

    May, 2025, scored Thresholds (dir. Sam C Dixon) - a hybrid/orchestral score with diegetic punch and support mapping the evolving threat landscape

    paper My Dark Secret – James L Perkins, Director

    June 1, 2025 - Present
    Score for a thriller where Jackson and Lily (Lily is a vampire) face a life-changing decision…hybrid orchestral score written within a very short time-frame

    paper Scored 'The Gory Hole’ (Ash Mountain Films, dir. Richard Rowntree),

    In Feb 2024, I scored the multi-award winning ‘The Gory Hole’ (Ash Mountain Films, dir. Richard Rowntree), one of the contributions to the Video Shop Tales of Terror 2 anthology.

    paper ‘The Mirror’ (dir. Sabrina Rivetti) (Int. debut Cinefest, Ventura, CA)

    June, 2025, I scored ‘The Mirror’ (dir. Sabrina Rivetti) (Int. debut Cinefest, Ventura, CA) “A woman wakes up one morning to find an impostor in her mirror. As she struggles to recognise her own reflection, she loses her sense of self and has to adjust to a new reality.”

    paper Dearly Departed - Feature Film – Darren Vukasinovic, Director

    August 1, 2025 - Present
    In Post-production - I provided the score for a feature film about three siblings finalizing their late mother’s will; opens old wounds and confronts buried grudges.