Bio

Samantha J Bramley – Composer Biography

Born in Northern England in the 1970s, and therefore subject to a childhood uncannily resembling an early episode of ‘Stranger Things’ (but thankfully without the whole mind-flaying monsters’ part) this composer has somehow managed to defy both expectation and common sense. By five, she was already performing publicly, stealing the spotlight in the school nativity with a seminal appearance as ‘Lead Shepherd’ involving an unforgettable rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ on the descant recorder, before most kids could tie their own shoes. But the damage was done: the bug had bitten; the music was in her. After being forbidden to try out for violin by her music-appreciating parents she picked up the ‘cello at eight – because who needs ‘Fame’ dance class when you can lug around a musical instrument almost your own size? At fourteen she scraped through her Grade 8 ‘cello; at fifteen, she made her conducting debut, bravely (and somewhat recklessly) leading the woodwind section of the local Youth Orchestra through the premiere of a self-penned score written as part of her GCSE Music course, whilst creating just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

However – and possibly as a direct result of this debut – a conducting career did not beckon, and since as it turns out musical genius doesn’t always keep the lights on, University saw her donning a white coat and stepping into the chemistry lab, which ultimately led to the glamorous world of pharmaceuticals manufacturing. Her science boffin pals – wonderfully serendipitously – also loved creating music, and so she was dragged often kicking and screaming, into the strange and hitherto unfamiliar world of arranging for soul band horn section, thereby reigniting her passion for orchestration in all its many and various forms.

In 2005, just married, and lured by France with the seductive promise of cheap property, superior wine and a cheese for every day of the year, she crossed the Channel with her husband and all their worldly goods there endowed – plus ‘cello carefully stowed – in the back of a campervan. Since then, life has involved renovating French property (because once is never enough), moving from living in said camper to running a self-sufficient smallholding with sheep, pigs, chickens, rabbits, ducks, geese, bees, orchard, polytunnel and veggie plot, to a poorly-insulated (for the time being) Maison de maître in a small Dordogne-border town, all the while juggling the needs of a devoted husband, a teenage daughter who is fluent in both sarcasm and eye-rolling, and three cockatiels convinced they could headline the Opéra de Paris if only given a fair chance.

Despite this circus, she has carved out a successful event music business (weddingmusicfrance) over the past decade, and her musical journey has thus far taken her from the echoing school assembly halls of North Yorkshire via freezing cold churches, charity garden parties and Michelin-starred restaurants to French chateaux so grand they belong on the set of a Netflix period drama. Yet she still finds time to compose for string ensembles, orchestras and various other chamber groups in which she occasionally, and with sadly diminishing frequency, has time to play. Her ‘cello ensemble and string arrangements of copyrighted and public domain works are licensed by and published via sheetmusicplus.com and as an event musician, she is always on the lookout for new arranging opportunities – whether they be a Pirates of the Caribbean Medley, the latest hit TV show theme tune or a last-minute Taylor Swift Aisle Song request. In her spare time she enjoys yoga and Pilates, admiring her miniature score collection, playing dungeon-crawler board games with her husband and teen and taking a deep-dive into the world of music engraving. Did we say spare time? It’s less a rumour, more an urban legend in her household.