Bristol composer with Hollywood dreams

The Mauritian-born pianist and composer Rahul Suntah is a recent graduate from the University of Bristol, where he gained a Masters in Film Scoring.

During his time at the University, he produced Piano Stories, a five-song EP, and he has followed it up with his debut album Cinematic Wonders, which sets his stall out as a film composer of the future.

The album is a diverse collection of songs Suntah composed while studying, and mixes classical electronic and world music influences.

Photo: courtesy of Rahul Suntah / University of Bristol

The recordings include collaborations with fellow students, and are helping him to gain traction in his bid to become established in the world of film scoring.

“I’d like to build a career in the UK before moving to Hollywood,” he says. “My dream is to be the next John Williams – I just think his melodies are so memorable; or Hans Zimmer, for his amazing ability to blend classical and electronic music.”

Suntah, who went viral for playing Mozart in a snowy street in March 2021, has been featured on BBC Music Introducing and BBC Radio Bristol.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4275921672458847

He caught up with Bristol 24/7 to take stock of his creative background within Bristol, and his hopes for the future.

Could you describe your relationship to Bristol as a culturally inspiring city in which to make music?

“I first came to Bristol for my undergraduate studies five years ago because of the rich creative industries programmes and courses in this city. I was always passionate about sound and music, so I decided to do my studies in Audio and Music Technology at UWE Bristol.”

I then went on to study a Masters in Film Scoring at the University of Bristol due to my love of film soundtracks and my interest in creating music for films.

You described Piano Stories as the soundtrack to a space opera that has yet to be written. Are there particular genres that excite you as a composer looking to score film?

Some of my favourite film genres to score would be action, sci-fi, and drama. With action and sci-fi I get to fully unleash my creativity through pop, classical and electronic music; with drama I get to fully express my emotions using musical harmony.

But I am always striving to be more versatile and am forever open to the idea of experimenting with something new and different.

To what extent is collaboration important to your approach?

Collaborating with other artists is definitely a rewarding experience because it always gives me new perspectives and ideas that really help me grow as a composer.

In the film scoring world, collaboration is essential because film composers work with film directors to a brief and always need to make sure they understand each other’s vision.

Do you anticipate regular live performance to be a part of your work in the future?

Yes, for sure. I am a classically trained pianist on the side, and I really love performing. I hope to do more concerts and perform more of my compositions in the future.

I am performing a selection of covers and originals at the Manchester Cathedral this February in a unique show which will be going ahead live in conjunction with another concert in Cape Town, South Africa.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CS9ZESlKfPE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Cinematic Wonders is available on Spotify, Apple Music and all other major platforms.

Main photo: Courtesy of Rahul Suntah

Read more: Talented Bristol pianist launches debut EP

Listen to the latest episode of the Bristol 24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: