Cyril Ornadel

Professional

Composer/Lyricist:	Both
Genre:	Songwriter

Biography

Cyril Ornadel trained at the Royal College of Music and since then has had an extremely successful and varied career covering a wide field of composing, recording and accompanying many international stars in theatre, television and film.

As Musical Director in the West End of London his credits include the original productions of My Fair Lady, Kiss Me Kate, Call Me Madam, Paint Your Wagon, Pal Joey, Kismet and the Yul Brynner revival of The King and I. He was Musical Director of the London Palladium for four years, where he was involved in the "Sunday Night At The London Palladium" weekly television series and conducted three Royal Command Variety Performances.

His musical scores include the internationally acclaimed Great Expectations, with a book and lyrics by Hal Shaper and which originally starred John Mills, Treasure Island, adapted by and starring Bernard Miles with lyrics by Hal Shaper, both of which won the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for the best British Musical in their respective years; Pickwick (book by Wolf Mankowitz, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse), which starred Harry Secombe in the highly successful London and Broadway productions, with the hit song If I Ruled The World winning another Ivor Novello Award. Other musicals include Starmaker, with book and lyrics by David Croft and which starred Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge, Ann Veronica, from a book by Frank Wells, lyrics by David Croft and starring Dorothy Tutin, and A Kid For Two Farthings, from a book by Wolf Mankowitz, lyrics by Philip Glassborow and starring Ron Moody.

His film credits include Subterfuge with Joan Collins and Gene Barry, the remake of Brief Encounter with Sophia Loren and Richard Burton, Cool It Carol, Man Of Violence, Die Screaming Marianne, The Flesh and Blood Show, Not Now Darling, Tiffany Jones and Christina.

Cyril Ornadel's many television assignments include composing the music for Edward The Seventh, Pepys, Sapphire and Steel, Changing Faces, Tom Keating On Painters, Scorpion Tales, Wet Job, Pictures in the Mind, Circle in the Square, conducting the London Symphony Orchestra for the Strauss Family Series, for which the album of the music from the series won the London Symphony Orchestra a Gold Disc, and The Dancing Years.

On record Cyril conducts the Starlight Symphony Orchestra and his recorded works include the songs and incidental music for the Beatrix Potter stories, with lyrics by David Croft and narrated by Vivien Leigh, Chango on Safari (book by Mel Ferrer, lyrics by Hal Shaper), music for The Living Shakespeare series and The Living Bible, narrated by Laurence Olivier. His Matt Monro classic, Portrait Of My Love, with a lyric by Norman Newell, won an Ivor Novello Award for the best song of the year and a BMI award for over two million broadcasts worldwide.

Cyril's songs have been recorded by many international artists including Shirley Bassey, Tony Bennett, Matt Monro, Sammy Davis, Bing Crosby and Harry Secombe.

Cyril Ornadel has been awarded the prestigious Gold Badge of Merit by the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters for his services to British music.

Contact Details
Lynda Ronan
The Richard Stone Partnership
2 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8PS

Important Works		Performances
Portrait Of My Love (Kassner Music Ltd) If I Ruled The World (Warner Chappell Music Ltd) Pickwick (Warner Chappell Music Ltd) Great Expectations (Music Sales Ltd) Treasure Island (Music Sales Ltd) The Beatrix Potter Stories (Warner Chappell Music Ltd) Heritage (Chester Music Ltd)		None added