He was born in London into a non-musical family and was inspired to start composing at the age of 11 after encountering the music of Debussy and Stravinsky at school. He went on to study composition at Trinity College of Music where he was awarded a Fellowhip Diploma as well as the Chappell Prize for Composition and the Ricordi Prize for Conducting, and at King's College London where he obtained his Master of Music degree with Distinction. His teachers have included Simon Bainbridge and George Benjamin.