Joe Duddell is a UK based composer, arranger, conductor and educator who is equally passionate about, and immersed in, both classical and popular music. He has worked with a wide range of artists from the percussionist Colin Currie, poets Grace Nichols and Mike Garry to the visual artist Liam Gillick, and he has become renowned for his orchestral collaborations with popular musicians such as Daughter, Elbow, Richard Hawley, Alison Moyet, Nero and New Order. 

Joe studied Music at Salford University and then Composition with Steve Martland at the Royal Academy of Music. While studying at RAM he received his first of many commissions from the BBC and also signed a publishing deal with Schott Music. 

His works are performed at major festivals and venues both nationally and internationally. He has received 3 commissions for the BBC Proms: Vaporize, Ode to English and his percussion concerto Ruby for Colin Currie. He has also been Composer-in-Residence at the Presteigne Festival and the Lichfield Festival. 

In 2009 his interest in alternative music came into focus when he was asked by the Manchester International Festival to orchestrate and conduct the band Elbow with the Hallé Orchestra. The concerts at the Bridgewater Hall received unprecedented critical acclaim. He has also conducted the BBC Philharmonic, Hallé, Manchester Camerata, London Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan and the Ulster Orchestra.

He has been invited by Philip Glass to arrange and perform at the Tibet House Annual Benefit at Carnegie Hall on three occasions where he collaborated with New Order, Iggy Pop, Mike Garry and the Scorchio Quartet. He then went on to write string arrangements for New Order’s Music Complete, recorded with Joe conducting the Manchester Camerata. His association with New Order continued with performances at Sydney Opera House and the Manchester International Festival, which then toured to Turin and Vienna.

Joe was Composer-in-Residence for 7 years at Festival N°6 in north Wales where with his N°6 Ensemble he collaborated with over 30 artists including Gaz Coombes, Daughter, Mike Garry, James, Steve Mason and Nadine Shah. He also arranged for and conducted the Manchester Camerata in two main stage shows, one a tribute to David Bowie and one featuring Northern Soul music. His collaboration at the festival with the poet Mike Garry led to the recording of ‘Ode to St Anthony’, a tribute to Factory Records’ Tony Wilson, which raised money for the Christie Hospital and reached No.1 in 3 separate charts.

Joe has also worked with the fashion company Burberry, creating the live orchestral soundtracks for two fashion shows with the artists Rhodes and Alison Moyet. He also was commissioned to write Headlong, a 6-minute piece for The London Symphony Orchestra, which he subsequently conducted in the recording at Abbey Road Studios. 

He currently teaches Songwriting and Composition at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts having previously taught at Bath Spa University, University of Salford, Brunel University, and the University of Exeter. He has also led education and outreach projects with the Ulster Orchestra, Aldeburgh, and Sound Scotland.

He is an active multi-instrumentalist in the writing partnership Drift Chamber and drummer with the band Stella Martyr.