I am a profile-identified composer, musical director, sound designer, actor-musician and facilitator. I bring a practical, principled and reflective work ethic grounded in collaboration, listening and authenticity. I am highly adaptable, resilient and humorous, with a love for learning in all forms. My compositional style is wide-ranging and I am confident writing music in most genres. I excel at melody writing and harmonisation, with strengths in electronic music, beat-making, singing and sampling. I am a self-taught piano player and synesthete, and I believe in the potential of music and the arts to foster creative thinking and self-expression in everyone, regardless of class, situation or place. I am deeply collaborative and thrive in enabling others to participate in the creative process. My practice blends live performance, sound design and storytelling, and I bring an open, facilitative approach that prioritises listening, honesty and shared creativity.

Calum Howard

I am a profile-identified composer, musical director, sound designer, actor-musician and facilitator. I bring a practical, principled and reflective work ethic grounded in collaboration, listening and authenticity. I am highly adaptable, resilient and humorous, with a love for learning in all forms. My compositional style is wide-ranging and I am confident writing music in most genres. I excel at melody writing and harmonisation, with strengths in electronic music, beat-making, singing and sampling. I am a self-taught piano player and synesthete, and I believe in the potential of music and the arts to foster creative thinking and self-expression in everyone, regardless of class, situation or place. I am deeply collaborative and thrive in enabling others to participate in the creative process. My practice blends live performance, sound design and storytelling, and I bring an open, facilitative approach that prioritises listening, honesty and shared creativity.

Available to hire

I am a profile-identified composer, musical director, sound designer, actor-musician and facilitator. I bring a practical, principled and reflective work ethic grounded in collaboration, listening and authenticity. I am highly adaptable, resilient and humorous, with a love for learning in all forms. My compositional style is wide-ranging and I am confident writing music in most genres. I excel at melody writing and harmonisation, with strengths in electronic music, beat-making, singing and sampling. I am a self-taught piano player and synesthete, and I believe in the potential of music and the arts to foster creative thinking and self-expression in everyone, regardless of class, situation or place.

I am deeply collaborative and thrive in enabling others to participate in the creative process. My practice blends live performance, sound design and storytelling, and I bring an open, facilitative approach that prioritises listening, honesty and shared creativity.

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Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
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Language

English
Fluent
Spanish; Castilian
Intermediate

Work Experience

Composer / Facilitator at Jonluke Mckie & ARC Adoption Centre
January 1, 2025 - Present
Led creative workshops with adopted children for the R&D project 'Up on a Star', co-created songs with children based on their lyrical ideas, and co-facilitated a sharing day including live piano accompaniment. Developed characters and story exploring adoption through an outer space narrative.
Composer, MD at Jade Byrne
October 31, 2024 - August 27, 2025
Co-composed and musically directed the theatrical adaptation 'Daisy Donald', creating songs representing type 1 diabetes monsters and underscored the play with diverse musical themes. Worked with cast to teach and support musical performance during R&D and touring phases.
Composer, Sound Designer, Facilitator at Peachplant
August 1, 2024 - Present
Created soundtrack for 'Subterranea' incorporating northern soul and introspective remixes. Arranged live choral reharmonisation, remixed key songs, and contributed sound design elements including thematic radio sounds important to the show’s narrative.
Composer / Sound Designer / Actor-Musician / MD at Raven Production
November 30, 2024 - August 27, 2025
Composed powerful and emotive music with live actor performances and live underscoring on keyboard for 'Raven'. Performed as puppeteer and musician, included cast voices in final music available for download. Participated in multiple stagings and school tours.
Composer at Christina Castling / Durham Gala Theatre & Queen’s Hall Arts Centre
December 1, 2023 - Present
Provided innovative composition and sound design for 'Beyond Caring', incorporating sampled cast vocals of 'Amazing Grace' to create a sonic web and fractured piano samples to represent character emotions, supporting a raw and authentic portrayal of the care system during COVID.
Composer / MD at Triple Treat Theatre & Northern Stage
October 1, 2023 - Present
Co-created a spooky but child-appropriate soundtrack blending orchestral and various musical genres for 'The Bat With No Bite', working with cast recordings and making soundtrack available for download post performances aimed at young audiences.
Experience Composer, Sound Designer, Facilitator at Subterranea (Peachplant)
August 1, 2024 - Present
Created a soundtrack for a dystopian near-future narrative, incorporating the revolutionary spirit of northern soul and the story's tender themes. Produced a melancholic arrangement of 'Do I Love You' with a live ensemble reharmonisation and remixed 'California Soul'; contributed sound design for the show's central old radio element.
Composer at Beyond Caring
January 1, 2023 - Present
Directed the sonic treatment for Christina Castling's play: recorded each cast member singing Amazing Grace, sampled phonemes to create percussive elements and drones, and built a sonic web for intense moments; for Queenie, sampled an upright piano and added fragmented code to convey fractured memories; incorporated the 1922 first recording of Amazing Grace as part of the score.
Composer / MD at The Bat with No Bite
October 1, 2023 - Present
Created a soundtrack for under-7s theatre combining spooky but not scary tones with orchestral, pop, cabaret, classical musical, rock and jazz elements; recorded cast members and provided a downloadable soundtrack after the show.
Sound Designer / Actor Musician / MD at Raven
August 1, 2023 - Present
Developed varied music to match action, adventure, loss, grief and joy; integrated cast voices into the final score and performed alongside an on-stage gargoyle puppet; ensured the musical palette supported the narrative arc while remaining accessible to audiences.
Composer / Audio Editor at Girl Skate North East
June 1, 2023 - Present
Crafted a depth-filled, dark-edged soundtrack with light and shadow to support the documentary’s imagery; blended synths, beats, samples and strings; contributed to the film’s cinematic mood without overpowering the narrative.
Facilitator / Composer / Audio Editor at 4 Eden & Fellfoot Forward
November 1, 2023 - Present
Co-led music-making workshops with participants with disabilities and autism; guided sound recording, sound-walks in nature, and a community concert; the participants' musical material was foregrounded and featured in the final work.
Composer at Mary Jane Hancock (Roots and Wings) – Great North Museum
June 1, 2023 - Present
Created nature-inspired, piano-centered music with strings to reflect Mary Jane Hancock’s love of nature; crafted a gentle, whimsical melodic framework.
Composer at My Name is Application Form 21102020
February 1, 2021 - Present
Scored a documentary piece following a political refugee’s experience; integrated cello, piano, submerged beats and samples from the subject to bridge emotional moments.
Composer at Future Perfect
June 1, 2019 - Present
Wrote and recorded score for a Channel 4 Random Acts short; used pipe organs and upright piano in a frenetic, cosmic time-forward score.

Education

BA (Hons) Music at University of Newcastle upon Tyne
January 11, 2030 - August 27, 2025
A-Levels: English Language, Media Studies, Music Technology at Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham, Northumberland
January 11, 2030 - August 27, 2025
GCSEs including Drama (A), Music (A*), English Literature (A), Geography (A), English Language (B), Maths (B), Science (Combined Honours - BB), Spanish (C) at Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham, Northumberland
January 11, 2030 - August 27, 2025
BA (Hons) in Music at University of Newcastle upon Tyne
January 11, 2030 - October 3, 2025
A-Levels at Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham, Northumberland
January 11, 2030 - October 3, 2025

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Education, Media & Entertainment, Non-Profit Organization, Professional Services, Other