Hannah Mary Peel (born 27 August 1985) is a Northern Irish Ivor Novello award winning composer, producer and broadcaster. Her solo music is primarily electronic, synthesiser-based and often includes classical scoring and sound design, with references to the links between science, nature and music. She has scored music for television, film, theatre and dance. Including her Emmy nominated score to Game of Thrones: The Last Watch (a documentary)[1] and the British science fiction TV series on Sky Max The Midwich Cuckoos which won Peel an Ivor Novello award [2] in 2023. 

Hannah Peel
Peel in 2013
Peel in 2013
Background information
Birth nameHannah Mary Peel
Born (1985-08-27) 27 August 1985 (age 39)
Craigavon, Northern Ireland
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • composer
  • arranger
  • instrumentalist
Instruments
Labels
Websitehannahpeel.com

Peel releases her solo records on her own imprint label, My Own Pleasure Records. This includes her 2021 Mercury Music Prize nominated Fir Wave,[3] Awake But Always Dreaming[4] and Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia.[5]

Hannah Peel has been a regular weekly broadcaster on BBC Radio 3's Night Tracks [6] since 2019. 

Aside from her solo work, Peel has worked with collaborators on projects including orchestrations and conducting for Paul Weller, an album written for the British Paraorchestra,[7] an album with the poet Will Burns, and as a member of the psychogeography indie rock group The Magnetic North and the electronic music group John Foxx and the Maths.

Early life

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Peel was born in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, on 27 August 1985.[8] When she was eight years old, her family moved to Barnsley in South Yorkshire.[9] Her father was an amateur folk musician, and she joined him in musical gatherings, including holidays in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.[5] She enrolled in the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts at age 18. There, she studied violin, trombone and piano.[8]

Music career

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After graduation from LIPA, Peel stayed in Liverpool as a session musician, recording and playing live for various artists including David Ford, Laura Groves and The Unthanks. In 2007, Peel musically directed King Cotton starring John Henshaw, Israel Oyelumade, Paul Anderson and Cornelius Macarthy. The play opened at The Lowry, Salford, United Kingdom, on 12 September 2007, before moving to the Liverpool Empire Theatre from 25 September 2007.

In 2008, Peel was awarded a grant from the Liverpool Capital of Culture to curate and produce a large scale audio visual festival called AV08. It featured commissioned collaborations from artists from New York, London and Liverpool utilising large scale projections onto the Mersey Tunnel Air Vent.

In 2009 Peel released her first EP 'Rebox' on vinyl with Static Caravan. The record featured remixes of famous 80's pop songs, remixed onto a whole punched music box and sung by Peel. The record sold out and has since been used in TV shows as American Horror Story

Peel moved to London in 2010 to record her debut album The Broken Wave with Mike Lindsay of Tunng. During touring of the album she joined The Magnetic North who released albums in 2012 and 2016 on Full Time Hobby. Peel continued to work as a session musician, solo artist and composer during this time. 

Her solo albums now include: Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia, written for colliery brass band and synthesiser; Awake But Always Dreaming, written after witnessing her grandmother's descent into Alzheimer's disease; and her 2021 mercury nominated album Fir Wave. 

In 2018, Peel arranged strings and woodwind for Paul Weller's 2018 album True Meanings. Following the release, Peel orchestrated and conducted an orchestra for Weller's 2019 live album Other Aspects: Live at the Royal Festival Hall which featured songs from True Meanings, The Jam, Style Council and Weller's solo material. She has also orchestrated and conducted for his records, On SunsetFat Pop and 66.  

After meeting the British artist and filmmaker Jeanie Finlay in 2018, Peel was asked to score her first feature-length documentary film Game of Thrones: The Last Watch in which she was nominated for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Since then, Peel has gone on to score multiple TV shows and films full time.

Radio presenter

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Since 2019, Peel has been a weekly presenter on the BBC Radio 3 show Night Tracks.[9] In 2018, she was a featured guest Radio presenter for five weeks on BBC 6 Music, filling in for Elbow's Guy Garvey. Peel has also presented specialist music series Unfinished Symphony for BBC Radio Ulster[10] and in 2024, her first Night Tracks BBC Proms.  

Discography

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Albums

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Solo

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  • 2011: The Broken Wave[11] (Static Caravan)
  • 2016: Awake but Always Dreaming (My Own Pleasure)
  • 2017: Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia (My Own Pleasure)
  • 2018: Particles in Space (My Own Pleasure)
  • 2019: Chalk Hill Blue (Rivertones)
  • 2019: Game Of Thrones: The Last Watch OST(HBO)
  • 2020: The Deceived OST (Silva Screen Records)
  • 2021: Fir Wave (My Own Pleasure)
  • 2021: Unheard Delia (My Own Pleasure)
  • 2022: The Unfolding, featuring the Paraorchestra and Victoria Otuwari (Real World Records)[12]
  • 2022: Rogue Agent, OST (Universal Music) 
  • 2022: The Midwich Cuckoos,[13] OST (Invada Records)
  • 2023: Dancing At Lughnasa, OST (Broadway Records and National Theatre)
  • 2024: Scoop, OST (Netflix music)
  • 2024: Insomnia, OST (Madison Gate Records)

Collaborations

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With Philippe Cohen Solal and Mike Lindsay (Tunng)

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  • 2021: Outsider (Ya Basta! Records)

With Manchester Collective

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Solo

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  • 2013: Nailhouse (Mitchum Submarine)
  • 2014: Fabricstate (My Own Pleasure)
  • 2015: Rebox 2 (My Own Pleasure)

Collaborations

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With Philippe Cohen Solal and Mike Lindsay (Tunng)

  • 2015: Henry J. Darger (Ya! Basta Records)

Singles

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Solo

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Performance / writing credits

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Year Release title Artist(s) Notes, role Label
2004 The Fake Death Experience 28 Costumes Brass Spank Records
2006 Smile... It Confuses People Sandi Thom Trombone, violin RCA Records
2010 Let the Hard Times Roll David Ford Trombone, Violin The Magnolia Label
2010 History of Modern Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark| Organ, vocals (background) Bright Antenna
2010 Fire Like This Blood Red Shoes Violin V2 Records
2010 In Modern History Jim Moray Vocals on "Jenny of the Moor" NIAG Records
2011 Last Days of Meaning Nitin Sawhney Vocals and the remix (rebox) Positiv ID
2013 Charge David Ford Violin Razor and Tie
2014 Closing Time Erland and the Carnival Writer Full Time Hobby
2014 Morning Rhodes Trombone, violin Rhodes Music
2015 Wishes Rhodes Trombone, violin Rhodes Music
2015 Culture of Volume East India Youth Violin, string arrangements XL Recordings
2016 "Diagram Girl" Beyond the Wizards Sleeve Vocals Phantasy
"Creation" Vocals Phantasy
"The Soft Bounce" Vocals Phantasy
2018 LUMP LUMP Trombone Dead Oceans
2017 A Kind Revolution (deluxe edition) Paul Weller Strings on Remix "Wo See Mama" Parlophone
2018 True Meanings Paul Weller Orchestral Arrangements/Conducting/Performer Parlophone
2019 Other Aspects: Live at The Royal Festival Hall Paul Weller Orchestral Arrangements/Conducting/Performer [14] Parlophone
2020 On Sunset Paul Weller Orchestral Arrangements/Conducting Polydor Records
2020 Set it Loose Hayden Thorpe Violin Domino Recording Company
2021 Fat Pop (Volume 1) Paul Weller Orchestral Arrangements/Conducting Polydor Records
2021 Arrivals Declan O'Rourke String arrangements Warner Music
2021 Heart Shaped Scars Dot Allison String arrangements SA Recordings
2021 Absent Origin Mira Calix Vocals Warp Records
2022 LYS Mari Samuelsen Composition and electronics/synthesisers on two tracks Deutsche Grammophon
2023 66 Paul Weller Orchestral Arrangements/Conducting Polydor Records
2023 Conciousology Dot Allison String arrangements Sonic Cathedral

Scores

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  • 2011: TeZukA by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui – several tracks using hand-punched music
  • 2012: Compass (Sadler's Wells Theatre) – Full score
  • 2012: Anna Karenina soundtrack – several tracks
  • 2013: Dates – title music
  • 2016: Santa ForgotAlzheimer's Research UK and Aardman Animations – Full score
  • 2018: Brighton Rock - Pilot Theatre - Full live theatre score
  • 2018: Ice Alive - National Geographic - Full score
  • 2018: Kiss Me First – Channel 4 / Netflix – title music and additional scoring
  • 2018: The A List – BBC – title music
  • 2019: Game of Thrones: The Last Watch OST (TV Special Documentary) – Full score
  • 2019: Cold War Letters - London Calling – BBC 4 - Full score
  • 2020: Close - Irish National Opera - Score
  • 2020: The Deceived – Channel 5 - Full score
  • 2020: Lee Miller: Life On The Frontline – BBC 2 - Full score
  • 2021: Greenpeace: Act Now - Full score
  • 2021: Anti-body - Alexander Whitely Dance Company - Full score
  • 2021: This Cultural Life - Radio 4 (ongoing) - Full score
  • 2022: Rogue Agent  - Netflix - Full Score
  • 2022: The Midwich Cuckoos - SKY Max - Full score
  • 2023: Dancing At Lughnasa - Royal National Theatre - Full score  
  • 2023: Silent Roar - Film - Full score
  • 2024: Scoop - Netflix - Full score
  • 2024: Insomnia - Paramount Plus - Full score
  • 2024: Bring Them Down - Film - Full score

References

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  1. ^ "Hannah Peel Awards & Nominations". The Emmy Awards. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Winners of The Ivors 2023 announced". 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  3. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (22 July 2021). "Mercury prize 2021: first-time nominees dominate shortlist". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  4. ^ Carroll, Jim (29 September 2016). "Hannah Peel: Awake But Always Dreaming – Rich, detailed and beguiling". The Irish Times. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  5. ^ a b Scott, Sarah (5 August 2018). "Meet the NI musician who has ditched London for Bangor". BelfastLive.
  6. ^ "Night Tracks". BBC Radio 3 Night Tracks. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  7. ^ Hedderman, Zara (13 April 2022). "Hannah Peel & Paraorchestra - The Unfolding". The Quietus. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Hannah Peel: Biography & History". AllMusic.
  9. ^ a b "Neuroscience, the cosmos and trees: going deep with composer Hannah Peel". The Guardian. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Hannah Peel's Unfinished Symphony". BBC Radio Ulster. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Hannah Peel". The Spectator. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Hannah Peel & Paraorchestra release title track of The Unfolding". Real World Records. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  13. ^ Ewing, Jerry (6 June 2022). "Composer Hannah Peel shares Cuckoo from Midwich Cuckoos soundtrack". loudersound. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  14. ^ Mead, Matt (19 January 2019). "Paul Weller Other Aspects news". louderthanwar.com.
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