BIOGRAPHY

COMPOSER

His work blends contemporary classical sensibilities with digital sound to create emotive and atmospheric music from acoustic instrumental works, songs and larger-scale vocal works, to cinematic soundtracks and sound designs for theatre and dance.

Inspirations encompass a lifelong musical love affair with the music of Cocteau Twins, the work of Philip Glass and the writings of J. Krishnamurti.

PIANIST

As a pianist in the 1990’s he specialised in the virtuosic works of the French Impressionist composers Claude Debussy, Eric Satie and Maurice Ravel. Ravel’s piano trilogy Gaspard de la Nuit is a landmark inspiration in DPJ’s work, first introduced to him by his piano teacher Bernard King (who himself was taught by students of both Debussy and Ravel at the Paris Conservatoire). As a postgraduate student, DPJ won the prestigious Debussy Piano Prize and performed in masterclasses with concert pianists, John Lill and Pascal Rogé.

His compositions for solo piano include The Old Man Of Storr (2010) and recent collections — From A High Window (2022) and The Attic (2022).

VOCALIST & SONGWRITER

DPJ’s passion lies in writing for the voice. His catalogue features a series of original songs, song collections and choral works, alongside re-imaginings and interpretations of other artists work, including the songs of Robert Burns.

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Vocal works and song collections include Words for Sometime (1993 revised 2021); Palmstar Poppy (songs in search of love lost at sea) (2007) and The Footless Halls Of Air — a setting of the poem High Flight by John Gillespie Magee Jr. from The Sky's Harbour EP (2014). Recent releases are the song Horses and an interpretation of the Robert Burns folk song Leezie Lyndsay, written for author Andrew O’Hagan and his wife Lyndsey.

"he has a flair for evocative language and an imagination crammed
with perceptive insights and abidingly wishful thinking ...
atmospheres tingling with incalculable magic" 

THE HERALD

DPJ ENSEMBLE & OTHER ARTISTS

He is producer for DPJ Ensemble — a project-based collective of artists originally formed for the Linn Records studio recording of the album Something There (2002), produced by Calum Malcolm and Philip Hobbs. Amongst DPJ Ensemble collaborators are vocalist Carolyn Hamilton, cellists Greg Sinclair, Robin Mason, Lucy Gillan, Donald Gillan and double bass player and composer Emma Smith. 

"The playing, from the exquisitely beautiful string
section of three cellos and double bass, was
flawlessly evocative: a carpet of sound for
undulating pianism and vocalising of the composer”

THE SCOTSMAN (DPJ Ensemble)

DPJ’s early songs were written for soprano Lisa Milne and over the years he has written and performed with artists such as MJ McCarthy, Luke Sutherland and vocalist/percussionist Hazel Morrison of The Bathers. 

In 2003, he was part of a seminal, international music project Orquestra Scotland Brasil — the brain-child of music programmer Tamsin Austin, produced by the British Council, London. Originating in Sao Paulo, Orquestra Scotland Brasil (a supergroup of sixteen musicians) toured extensively throughout Brazil and the UK and featured Scottish folk artists Chris Stout, Catriona Mackay and Alyth McCormack and from Brazil, Simone Soul and Fernando Catatau.

DPJ is a member of Al Seed's digital project band Fooligan And The Bridges Of Madness.

“Superbly co-ordinated, sensitively lit, astonishingly
well-presented and hauntingly performed" 

THE HERALD (DPJ Ensemble)

DANCE MUSIC

DPJ’s projects for dance include works with celebrated dancer and choreographer Christine Devaney and her company Curious Seed — Dust And All That (2014) and the short film Threads (2015). In partnership with actor, composer and musician Kevin Lennon he wrote and performed the soundtrack to the Curious Seed/Lung-Ha/Lyra co-production We Are All Just Little Creatures (2019) — an acclaimed celebration of difference and diversity.

Further dance-based projects feature soundtracks for aerial theatre productions — Wishbox (2008) by Wired Aerial Theatre, Liverpool; Uncharted Waters (2010) by All or Nothing/Strange Bird Zirkus; This Twisted Tale (2011) by Paper Doll Militia (Santa Fe, USA) and In The Light Of The Moon (2019/2020) by choreographer Laura Johnston-Scott (LJS Projects).

 "a magical musical score composed and performed live by
David Paul Jones and Kevin Lennon, featuring lushly lyrical songs,
alongside moments of driven tension and wild celebration" 

THE SCOTSMAN 
(We Are All Just Little Creatures)

MUSIC & THEATRE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ARTISTS

DPJ’s choral music for young voices includes From The Edge Of The World (1994) for the Aberdeen Youth Choir (commissioned by Edinburgh Royal Choral Union) and a series of works for the National Youth Choir Of Scotland: Mr K’s Talk Without Words (2002); Dreaming (2009); A Lonely Ghost Boy (2009) and a setting of the poem Thou Gloomy December by Robert Burns, also in 2009. Thou Gloomy December was later orchestrated in 2015 by composer Stephen Doughty for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Junior Chorus (versions of the work have also been performed by community choirs throughout Scotland including Loud & Proud LGBT Choir, Edinburgh and the Sirens Of Titan, Glasgow).

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His theatre work for children features a series of soundtracks for productions by Catherine Wheels, directed by Gill Robertson: Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (2008) — a co-production with National Theatre Of Scotland; the stage adaptation of the book Pobby & Dingan (2010) by Ben Rice and Caged (2011). For the National Theatre Of Scotland, DPJ was sound designer for Our Teacher’s A Troll (2009) by Dennis Kelly and directed by Joe Douglas. With Starcatchers, he was composer and pianist for The Attic (2010/2018) — an immersive touring production for early years children by Hazel Darwin-Clements. His chamber opera for children The Songbird (2010) is the recipient of a Herald Angel Award and was nominated twice in the Critics Awards For Theatre In Scotland.

Soundtracks for young dance companies include Drifting (2013) directed by Ramesh Meyyappan for IndepenDANCE and two productions for Y-Dance (Scottish Youth Dance Theatre) — Inertia (2015) and Maelstrom (2016); Little By Little Field (2021) by Curious Seed/Imaginate for the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival and Once Upon A Snowstorm (2021/2022) by Lyra/Catherine Wheels.

"a rich, atmospheric and polished piece of theatre that communicates
its gothic power as much through the music of David Paul Jones
as it does through the dialogue" 

THE GUARDIAN 
(Caged - Catherine Wheels)

EDUCATION PROJECTS

Productions as an invited artist in Higher Education include composer for theatre productions with BSL Acting students at the Royal Conservatoire Of Music — Last Woman Left (2018) directed by Clare Lamont and The Coat (2021) directed by Ramesh Meyyappan. With choreographer Christine Devaney and Curious Seed, DPJ was composer and live musician for Dying and Dancing (2020) in collaboration with Edinburgh College. 

From 2019-2021 he was a visiting tutor in Acting Through Song at the Edinburgh campus of the Rose Bruford International College of Theatre & Performance, London.

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