World-renowned composer Trevor Jones will be celebrated with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 26th World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert. The concert is the closing event of Film Fest Gent’s WSA Film Music Days 2026.

With a distinguished career as a composer, Trevor Jones has composed unforgettable scores for over 100 films and television projects, including The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Notting Hill (1999) and Mississippi Burning (1988). He has recorded with, among others, the London Symphony Orchestra, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and has produced music for artists such as David Bowie, Sting and Sinead O’Connor.

On 10 October 2026, Jones will be honoured during the 26th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert in Music Centre De Bijloke. Conducted by maestro Dirk Brossé, the Brussels Philharmonic will perform a selection of his work. In 1988 Trevor Jones was part of the International Jury at the 15th edition of Film Fest Gent that honoured the Norwegian film The Ice Palace with the Grand Prix for Best Film.

“I am absolutely delighted to accept the great honour of the WSA Lifetime Achievement Award and it will be my privilege and pleasure to attend the WSA Ceremony. I look forward very much to meeting the composers and other film music professionals, and take this opportunity to thank the founders and organisers who have established the festival and fashioned it into one that is renowned and respected throughout the world, giving film music the platform it deserves.”

From Cape Town to the world of film music

Born in 1949 in Cape Town, South Africa, Trevor Jones’ ambition to write music for film started at the age of five. He received a scholarship during the Apartheid Era to attend high school and the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town, and later left South Africa on a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London at the age of seventeen.

He was stateless for a number of years as his South Africa passport was revoked by the Apartheid government. Upon gaining British naturalisation he attended the University of York where he attained a Masters degree in Ethnic Music, Acoustics, Film and Media Music. Jones then attended the UK National Film & Television school and scored twenty two student films which led to his appointment as Chair of Music at the National Film and Television School (NFTS).

International recognition

Throughout his impressive career, spanning more than five decades, Jones became known for his sweeping orchestral scores, always setting the mood from the very first note. With dark fantasy films like Excalibur (1981), his breakthrough score, and The Dark Crystal (1982) and psychological horror films like Angel Heart (1987) he gained international recognition in the 1980s.

He went on to score classics like Mississippi Burning, The Last of the Mohicans (1992), and Brassed Off (1996), earning him multiple accolades, including three BAFTA award nominations for Best Film Music, for Mississippi Burning, The Last of the Mohicans, and Brassed Off, as well as two Golden Globe nominations and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries or Movie. In 1993 and 2000 Jones received the ASCAP Award for Film and Television Music for his scores in Cliffhanger (1993) and NottingHill. Explaining his recipe for success to The New York Times, Jones emphasizes his ambition to write melodies that suit the script organically. “That’s the telling difference between imposing a sound, and scoring one from the belly.”

In 1986 Jones collaborated with David Bowie on the soundtrack album for the musical fantasy film Labyrinth, directed by Jim Henson. In the same way he has collaborated with and produced songs for Sting, Sinead O’Connor, U2, Charlotte Church, Britney Spears, and Elvis Costello. Jones has also written music for the theatre and ballet Angel Heart – A Flaming Desire. He was commissioned to write The Pall Mall Suite for the LSO and has arranged several suites of film music for film festivals in Barcelona, Malaga, Athens, Malta and Halle, the Madrid International Film Music Festival and concert performances in Finland.

On several occasions, he has been a jury member for BAFTA and he has been a member of the jury for the Mercury Music Prize for eight successive years. In addition to being Chair of Music at the NFTVS he has given masterclasses at the Royal College of Music, The Film Music Conference at the National Film & Television Museum, The National Film Theatre, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts, The Soncinemad International Festival of Film Music, The Arts Council of Spain in Barcelona, The National Film & Television School and The Hay Festival.

WSA Film Music Days 2026

This year’s WSA Film Music Days will be held from 8 – 10 October 2026, during Film Fest Gent (7 – 18 October). The World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert is the closing event on 10 October. Tickets are now available via this link.

The 53nd edition of Film Fest Gent will take place from 7 till 18 October 2026.
The 26th World Soundtrack Awards Gala & Concert will take place on 10 October 2026.

With the support of the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF) of the Flemish Government.