BIO

Saul James is a London based, classically trained composer, screenwriter, film composer and creator of The Breathe Key.

A 1st study composer at The Royal College of Music Conservatoire having been awarded a Scholarship, Saul studied under David McBride, Joseph Horowitz and the late Professor Philip Cannon and won the Joan Weller Memorial Composition Competition prize. Other studies included trumpet, piano and voice. At 17 years old, his first orchestral work for full orchestra and solo soprano was completed and performed. The following year he won a commission to write a piece for The London Ballet School, performed for 3 nights at the Cochrane Theatre, London. Shortly after this came a larger commission of a one hour, full-scale oratorio for orchestra, chorus and 4 soloists, for which he also conducted the premiere performance.

​

Over the years Saul has worked on numerous projects including musicals, film and pop music, TV and the classical concert hall, from chamber to orchestral, often conducting his own works. He fast became experienced in writing across many genres and is exceptionally apt at reflecting different styles to perfectly suit his commission. He has worked with film directors & producers from around the world including Malaysia, America, France, Africa and Austria and has written scores for award-winning independent feature films.

​

Saul started his screen career by writing the music to six promotional films for The Colour of Magic feature film, by the late Terry Pratchett. These were produced by Sky and starred Sean Astin, Christopher Lee, Jeremy Irons & David Jason. He has gone on to score and produce music for more than eighty short films and documentaries as well as five feature films, working in many genres including horror/slasher, romantic comedies, martial arts, drama, fantasy and war. Saul's music has reached many territories around the world through companies such as Swiss Films, Amazon, Sky (Sky Sports, Sky One, Sky Movies, Sky Arts, Sky Atlantic), Netflix, Channel 4, TV Monde5, Seven Network (Australia) and through on-demand portals including Apple Music, Spotify, Google, Youtube, Amazon Music and SoundCloud.

As a classical composer, Saul has had UK performances of many pieces including his full orchestral works, string arrangements for solo artist albums and many smaller chamber pieces.

​

As a screenwriter, Saul wrote The North Wing, an independent feature film, with an attached director and some fantastic actors, hoping to go into pre-production soon. He has written a 6-part drama series looking at the life of someone battling with ME/CFS, a new feature film exploring the reality of living with post-natal depression, both on spec. 

Planned projects for 2021/22 include a new classical work for orchestra and solo soprano, a new feature film soundtrack, his first venture in playwriting and a couple of new short film scripts.

​

Saul is also the creator of The Breathe Key, a webspace built to support people through mindful breathing, mindfulness and meditation, with a particular lean towards supporting those with mental health conditions.

​

A keen swimmer, you'll often find Saul in the pool doing laps, raising money to support the work of cancer research charities.