Tim graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2000, where he was a major prize winner. He also studied at Cambridge University and at the Tanglewood Music Centre.

Tim was appointed Music Director of Tête à Tête in 2007, and has given the successful premieres of The Cumnor Affair, Blind Date, Push!, and Odysseus Unwound. He has also conducted Scenes from Ordinary Life for ENO Opera Works, The Silent Twins for Almeida Opera, The Gentle Giant for Royal Opera House, The (Little) Magic Flute for English Touring Opera, Tobias and the Angel for English Touring Opera / Young Vic, The Turn of the Screw for Pigott’s Music Camp and Down by the Greenwood Side for Clarion Music Theatre. Previously he spent several years as an assistant conductor for opera companies such as Broomhill Opera, Spier Festival (Cape Town), Opera Holland Park and UCL Opera.

A strong interest in contemporary music led to the foundation of the highly-praised Clarion Ensemble. He has assisted Oliver Knussen (Britten-Pears Orchestra), and Thomas Adès, making his BBC Proms debut aged 21 in the European premiere of Nancarrow's Study for Orchestra with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. In 2000 he conducted part of Le Marteau sans Maitre for Boulez during his 75th birthday visit to the RCM. He returned to the Proms in 2002 for the Julian Anderson Composer Portrait Concert.

Since 2002 he has been principal conductor of the Salisbury Sinfonia. Tim has also performed with BBC Singers, Psappha, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, RCM New Perspectives Ensemble, The New Professionals and Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as at the Aldeburgh Festival and the RCM Tippett Festival. He has recently conducted two dance theatre productions at the Royal Opera House, Pinnochio and The Wind in the Willows (Tuckett/Ward), as well as making his debut with the Philhamonia Orchestra in a UK tour of Peter and the Wolf.