Profiles - John Puddick

John Puddick was born and bred in London. He started piano lessons at age 7 and it was soon obvious that he would follow in music like many members of his wider family. In his youth on stage he danced and sang through musicals and operas including CARMEN, TRIAL BY JURY and ALBERT HERRING in which he played ‘The Mayor’.

Combining a hectic teaching career with professional engagements he played violin in the pit and as MD at the piano for 15 pantomimes and Old Time Music Hall with Bruce James and the late Alexander Bridge. He has conducted revivals of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, THE KING AND I, DANCING YEARS, PERCHANCE TO DREAM among others.  As a composer he worked with lyricists in his first three musicals MOULIN ROUGE (years before the film), RETURN TO THE LAND OF OZ and THE RAILWAY CHILDREN, which won an international award in New Zealand.

Since then John, in collaboration with Librettist Peter Quartermain, has composed the music using his own lyrics for musicals A CHRISTMAS CAROL and GEORGE’S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE along with dozens of pantomime songs, children’s songs and Music Hall songs. He now divides his time between appearances in the UK and composition in his retreat by the Baltic in Poland.