About

Sam Milan is a composer with diverse musical interests, spanning late-romantic orchestral and piano works, film scores, musicals, jazz and pop. A versatile artist, his work features a range of genres and ensembles, including big band, string quartet, solo piano, brass ensembles and mixed chamber ensembles.

Strongly influenced by the luxuriant orchestration of classic Hollywood musicals and film scores, he seeks to update that sound for the twenty-first century. Other influences include Maurice Ravel, John Williams, Michael Giacchino, Francis Poulenc, Rachmaninov and Max Richter. He has devoted significant study to orchestration, developing a refined ear for instrumental colour and timbre. He regards careful instrument choices as equally important as harmony and melody— particularly when creating a narrative with music.

Holding a BMus (Hons) from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, he developed a strong technical foundation studying under composers such as Dr Andrew Toovey, Dr Joe Cutler, and Richard Leigh Harris. Additionally, he focused on Film Scoring under the guidance of industry professionals like Composer, Producer and Music Editor Neil Stemp (Bohemian Rhapsody, Les Misérables, Nosferatu) in Birmingham, and then by Composer, Conductor and Orchestrator William Goodchild (Surviving Paradise, Chimp Empire) at the University of Bristol during his MA.

Beyond composing, Sam maintains an active interest in arranging. He approaches this work with a meticulous eye for detail to produce performance-ready scores. Projects have included arrangements of songs from classic Hollywood musicals for big band, under the tutelage of Ed Puddick, and a full symphonic orchestration of Johnny Mandel’s “Emily” in lavish Hollywood style. With a deep love of musical theatre, he particularly welcomes opportunities to orchestrate for stage productions, combining his passion for theatre with his orchestration expertise.