Musical Influences
Claude Debussy
My favourite modern composer from the late 19th century, pushing the boundaries of romantic music with orchestral wonders such as Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune and piano compositions such as his Two Arabesques. I studied much of his music in my University years, including the development of modernism and surrealism in music.
Martin O’Donnell
Best known for his work on the original soundtrack for the Halo series, incorporating orchestral and ambient music with rock stylings, creating an intense and emotive Sci-Fi score. This score is so nostalgic to me, evoking memories of countless playthroughs with my older brother (I was always the gunner on the Warthog).
Jeremy Soule
Jeremy’s work on the music for The Elder Scrolls series is unforgettable, using classical instruments to create an otherworldly presence as you explore the open lands of Tamriel. I entered the series at Morrowind, moving to Oblivion and buying almost every Skyrim released to date.
Hi, I'm Tom and welcome to my website. I am so pleased you decided to discover a little more about who I am and what I do, so let me start with exactly that.
Who am I?
I am a composer for video games and animation from Birmingham, UK.
Having started my journey as a freelancer in 2019, I have written music for over 30 indie games, as well as various other musical work such as research documentaries, lyrics and melody for original songs, and promotional trailers.
I am currently working on a Pokémon inspired game called Enigmon, as well as an original Horror/Mystery animation series called Black Pines.
I like to tell stories and paint worlds with my music, breathing in the lore and backstory to create melodies that inspire imagination and capture the essence of characters, their personality, and the environment they exist in.
A lot of my influence comes from artists such as Joe Hisaishi and his use of theme and motif in the wonderful world of Studio Ghibli.
I also have a lot of love for the score for Halo: Combat Evolved by Martin O'Donnell, embodying the perfect mix of rock and orchestra, as well as the ambient symphonic fantasy styles of Jeremy Soule in The Elder Scrolls series.
What's my background?
I am also an educator. I have worked in various UK high schools, academies, and colleges since 2015 teaching Musical Theatre, Music, and Music Technology to 11-18 year olds.
I currently work in one of the UK's top performing arts academies where I focus on teaching composition and performance to talented students who will go on to be professional working musicians and study at prestigious universities and conservatoires.
I am currently studying for a Master of Fine Arts in Video Game Composition and Orchestration from the University of Chichester, working under renowned film and TV composer Guy Michelmore and many other working composers, sound designers and musicians.
How can I help?
As a composer, I know how to make your worlds sing, and as an educator, I understand how to work with people and offer support along the way. I support and care for every project I work on, and I take a lot of pride in my music and no two soundtracks are the same.
I can also write lyrics, perform vocals, orchestrate or rearrange existing and original works, and source musicians and arrange recording schedules. Consider me for your audio lead and I'll source an audio team, voice actors, and sound engineers, working alongside your own creative vision to create an exciting audio profile.
If you got this far, thanks for reading! Why not head over to my Music page to hear some of my most recent work?
If you would like to know more or chat about your upcoming projects, feel free to contact me any time at tom@tkimuse.com
In more recent years
I earned a degree in teaching, allowing me to teach music and musical theatre in schools. I have been musical director for a number of musicals and performances in Birmingham, as well as being commissioned to write music for art documentaries, musicals and video games.