About
Rob Hughes is a composer, arranger, and cellist based in Manchester, UK. After completing his undergraduate music studies at the University of Manchester, he went on to study for a master’s degree in composition at the Royal Northern College of Music with David Horne and Gary Carpenter, graduating in 2025. With an output spanning contemporary classical, ambient electronic, and big-band jazz, Rob enjoys working across a wide range of styles, and is often drawn to themes of fragmentation, disintegration, and memory in his music.
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​Rob is the recipient of Liverpool Philharmonic's 2026-27 Rushworth Prize for Composition, and has been commissioned to write a new work for the RLPO's contemporary music group, Ensemble 10:10.
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📸 - Hannah Williams Brown / Britten Sinfonia
In 2025, Rob worked with Britten Sinfonia as part of their Opus 1 composer scheme, writing Refraction for a trio of their musicians. The project involved workshops with the ensemble and mentoring from Dani Howard.​ He was also part of New Music in the North West 2025, a scheme run by the Manchester Midday Concerts Society, in which his piece Rest was workshopped and recorded by the Victoria String Quartet.
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​Alongside his concert music, Rob has composed for film and media projects, most recently collaborating with Story Films Ltd. and director Helen Waddell to create the original score for Catching My Stalker, which aired on Channel 4 in September 2025.
As a cellist, Rob is a member of the Revelation Quartet and has performed with Manchester-based ensembles including the Taraneh Orchestra, Lancashire Sinfonia, and Wyatt Sinfonia. He also plays traditional Yiddish folk music with Manchester Klezmorim, performing in concerts and outreach events across Greater Manchester.