Julie Cooper featuring Laura Newey and Oculus Ensemble
Biography Julie Cooper featuring Laura Newey and Oculus Ensemble
Julie Cooper
is an award-winning Classical Crossover and Media composer of visual music inspired by our Natural World and its profound effect on our Emotional World.
With music broadcast extensively on screen for Film, Television, Advertising, Video Games and all visual media worldwide, Julie’s music is also heard frequently on BBC Radio 3 Unwind, BBC Radio 3 and 4, Classic FM and ABC Classic. She has scored multiple cinematic orchestral and chamber Production Music albums for Television Drama, Film, Wildlife documentaries and Advertising, together with numerous commissions for BBC Radio Drama, Theatre and the Concert platform.
Her album ‘Haunted By The Secret’, commissioned by Universal’s Chappel Noir label for Crime Drama and Thrillers, received two nominations in the category Best Score Production Music Track in The Production Music Awards, winning with her track ‘Game Of Trust’.
Julie’s most recent Classical Crossover albums, ‘OCULUS’ and ‘CONTINUUM’, are available on Signum Records and all digital streaming platforms. Her latest recording, ‘AS EARTH SLEEPS’, will be released as an EP on Signum Records in November 2026, featuring Laura Newey and the Oculus Ensemble, conducted by Natalie Murray-Beale. ‘OCULUS’, released in February 2024 (reaching No.2 in the Official Specialist Classical Chart), draws inspiration from not only the artists performing but also the synthesis of colour and music through both Italian Renaissance paintings and dance, together with Julie’s fascination with the vividly descriptive colours the Oculus Ensemble’s conductor Jessica Cottis sees when conducting in specific keys through her colour synaesthesia (chromaesthesia).
The album features Rebeca Omordia, Camilla Pay, Eliza Marshall, Grace Davidson, Anna Hale, Joby Burgess, Cara Berridge, the Her Ensemble and Oculus Ensemble, conducted by Jessica Cottis and Simon Hale, produced by Jonathan Allen. ‘CONTINUUM’ , released in February 2022 (No.3 in the Official Specialist Classical Chart), was written during the year of the coronavirus lockdowns as a musical diary depicting its profound effect on our emotions, our lives, and nature around us. The title track features a narrative written and recorded for the album by the distinguished actor Adjoa Andoh, an extremely moving monologue evoking the emotional journey of the pandemic. Conducted by Jessica Cottis, it features Grace Davidson, Clio Gould, Elena Urioste, Nicholas McCarthy, Justin Pearson, Anthony Pike and the Oculus Ensemble.
In 2021, formed the Oculus Ensemble to record CONTINUUM at Abbey Road. A chamber orchestra made up of London’s most talented session musicians Julie has worked with over many years both in the studio and on the concert platform.
Her recent commissions/recordings for other artists include a reimagining of Liszt’s ‘Consolation No.3’ for the multi-talented saxophonist Jess Gillam and the Jess Gillam Ensemble for her EP ‘Prism II’ released on Decca. ‘Firedove’ was commissioned by Internationally acclaimed organist Anna Lapwood as the title track of her album released on Sony Classical. Featuring the distinguished violinist Elena Urioste and the Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge.
For BBC Radio Drama, most recently Julie scored the soundtrack for the Donna Leon detective series set in Venice. ‘Aqua Alta’ and ‘Death at La Fenice’. were broadcast in 2024 and 2025 with the 3rd installment ‘A Venetian Reckoning’ broadcast in June 2026. Directed and Produced by Eoin O’Callaghan as a Big Fish Production for BBC Radio 4’s Drama on 4. Other soundtracks for BBC Radio Drama include Javier Mariás Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me’, Jean-Paul Sartre’s trilogy ‘The Roads To Freedom’, Ibsen ‘Hedda Gabler‘, Shakespeare ‘The Winter’s Tale’, Robert Ferguson ‘Dr. Ibsen’s Ghosts and Jane Austen ‘Lady Susan’. She has also scored many theatre productions in the UK, Italy and Switzerland.
For the concert platform, commissions have been incredibly varied in instrumentation and high-profile venues including the Royal Albert Hall (Main Hall and Elgar Room), the Glasshouse Gateshead, St.Martin-in-the-Fields, Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank, St.David’s Hall Cardiff, Snape Maltings, Petworth Festival, Henley Festival, Newbury Spring Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Spain’s International Music Festival Pórtico do Paraíso, etc.
Most recently her piece ‘Firedove’ received its’ World Premiere at the Royal Albert Hall by Anna Lapwood, Rusanda Panfili (violin) and Pembroke College Girls’ Choir, as part of the International Women’s Day Concert 2026.
‘Galilean Moons’ (CONTINUUM album) commissioned, performed and recorded by the acclaimed left-hand alone concert pianist Nicholas McCarthy, performed live on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ with Petroc Trelawny, in celebration of the 2026 Artemis II Mission successfully orbiting the Moon. Also performed by Nicholas at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Southbank’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and as part of the ‘Summer at Snape’ concert series, Petworth Festival and Hong Kong Arts Festival. ‘ASCENSIO’ (OCULUS album) receiving its premiere at the Royal Albert Hall, written for, performed and recorded by the distinguished concert pianist and founder of the ‘African Concert Series’, Rebeca Omordia. The concert was part of the Steinway Concert Series in partnership with the Donne-Women in Music Charity Foundation raising awareness of and celebrating Women Composers and Women in Music. Julie also performed the track ‘White and Silver’ from her Human Stories KPM/EMI album together with the Her Ensemble led by Ellie Consta.
Julie received her very first concert commission in the late 80’s from Chichester Festival for a contemporary reimagining of Antonio Vivaldi’s iconic ‘The Four Seasons’ for the Internationally acclaimed percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, together with full stage band including Rod Argent and the late Jon Hiseman and Barbara Thompson. ‘SEASONS‘ premiered at Chichester Cathedral conducted by David Firman, devised by Hugh Wooldridge. Further performances include St.Paul’s, Hammersmith with Evelyn Glennie, the Royal Albert Hall with Danish percussionists the Safri Duo, both conducted by David Firman, the Royal Albert Hall with percussionist Oliver Cox and the City of London Philharmonic and broadcast live on BBC Radio 2’s ‘The Collins Collection’.
She was Composer-in-Residence and orchestrator for 4 years for the education project Crazy Composers devised by BAFTA award-winning television producer and acclaimed musician Robert Howes, in partnership with Internationally acclaimed baroque orchestra The English Concert, Arts Council England and Buxton International Festival.
Julie’s career began whilst studying composition at Cardiff University, following on from winning the BBC TV Christmas song competition ‘The BBC Nationwide Carol Competition’ at 17, devised by Robert Howes for the BBC. She received the Morfydd Owen Prize for Composition at University along with her first professional commission for television from BBC Wales whilst still at University for the chat show Celtic Road Show. She received a Postgraduate Study scholarship to study Composing for Film and Television at the London College of Music.
She is a member of PRS/MCPS, Ivors Academy, the Royal Society of Musicians, PPL and the Musicians’ Union.
