Hugh Sheehan is a composer, sound designer, writer, and audio producer from Birmingham. Now based in London, following a decade in Helsinki, he creates work for theatre, concert hall, radio, podcasts, and moving image. His practice explores questions of gender and sexuality, desire and shame, assimilation and radicalism.
In 2025, Hugh created the multi-award-winning five-part audio documentary series Criminally Queer: The Bolton 7 for BBC Sounds. Described as “mind-bending” and “a staggering tale” by The Guardian, and “a sad, startling story skilfully unravelled” by The Sunday Times, the series examines a little-known 1998 legal case in which seven gay and bisexual men were arrested and charged with the archaic offences of gross indecency and buggery following consensual group sex.
His other work for the BBC includes Lost Time, an audio short exploring LGBTQ+ experiences of coming to live life on one’s own terms. As a freelance audio producer, his credits include the Louis Theroux Podcast, projects with Ruby Wax, BBC Radio 4’s Profile, Factory International’s Dream Space, and a forthcoming Audible documentary series.
As a composer and sound designer, Hugh has worked internationally across theatre, collaborating with directors including Natasha Kathi-Chandra, Roxy Cook, Josh Roche, Gabriella Bird, Ned Bennett, Charlie Westenra, Daniel Goldman, and Christa Harris.
In 2023, he released his debut album Shapes That Are Different, a collection of folk songs, electronic soundscapes, and audio interviews exploring queer selfhood. Under the Radar described the record as “a poetic ode to queer iconoclasm, examining the daring power inherent in queer existence.”
Hugh’s musical foundations lie in Irish traditional music and contemporary classical practice. His work has been commissioned and performed by ensembles across Europe and North America. He performs with and writes for several projects, including his own ensemble, and in duo collaborations with Maija Kauhanen and Timo Alakotila. He is also Musical Director of Comhaltas in Britain’s Youth Orchestra Ceol Le Chéile.
Alongside his creative work, Hugh is co-founder and former co-director and chairperson of The Trip to Birmingham TradFest, an Irish traditional music festival that ran from 2014 - 2024, and founder of the concert series and record label Hybrid Forms.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and a Master’s degree in Music Technology from the Sibelius Academy.
For enquiries about writing, podcast rights, and composition and sound design for theatre, please contact Giles Smart at United Agents.
For all other enquiries: hughsheehan (at) me (dot) com