Well, this is embarrassing! Another year flies by without a blog post. . . for more up to the minute information, feel free to follow me on social media (didn’t I say that last year!). I’m a month late to report, but here I go.
2023 was a truly wonderful year, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have worked and collaborated with a myriad of brilliant musicians.
From Sydney to Perth, Texas to Florida, Hamburg to Copenhagen, and Manchester to Birmingham, my music was heard in Australia, USA, Germany, Spain, Denmark, UK, Sweden, and Norway. I’ll attempt to be bit different to my previous review posts and be a bit list-y and number focussed this time. Think of it as TL;DR style.
Snapshot Stats
By my count (and please, feel free to correct me!), there were:
81 performances of my works
23 different works performed
7 world premieres
2 premieres of new arrangements of existing works
2 UK premieres
2 EU premieres
2 US premieres
2 Australian premieres
New Works Premiered
POUNCE (12’) for wind ensemble, University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, Lucas Petersen. This is almost out of consortium exclusivity in April 2024, and will then be available from Murphy Music Press.
Fluro Electric (7’) for string quartet, Goldmund Quartet
Riffs & Revs (8’) for flute, bass clarinet, cello, and keyboard, Ensemble Offspring
Phasmid Funk (10’) for horn and bassoon, Rachel Shaw and Matt Kneale
Daredevil (20’) for clarinet, string quartet, and piano, Omega Ensemble
Centrifuge (18’) for orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Aadland
Ice Giant (9’) for solo violin, Veronique Serret/Ensemble Offspring
I also wrote a short little piece in November for my excellent composer friend Tristan Coelho and his milestone birthday. Written for a surprise bash, Secret Surprise is for guitar, harp, and marimba (yep, all the hard ones!). There’s also a short bass solo, Mango Fizz, still waiting for its premiere too!
For score and parts for the above, please feel free to contact me and ask questions. They’re still very fresh, so I’m in the process of finalising scores for beyond-premiere- consumption!
New Arrangements of Existing Works of Mine
And Whether Pigs Have Wings for soprano and large ensemble, new arrangement for Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. This is my third (!) arrangement of Pigs – this version includes new parts for saxophones, extra keys, and harp, as well as new sections for improvising players.
Slipstream, a new arrangement for Syzygy Ensemble. This 2.0 version reimagines the original sextet into a quintet version (bye bye, viola) for a more compact ensemble.
2023 Highlights at a Glance
Travelling to Kansas University in April for the premiere of POUNCE by their Wind Ensemble. A fab residency and a wonderful time getting to know the conductor, Lucas, among other conductors, composers, and musicians.
POUNCE was later named as a finalist in the National Band Association’s 2023 Revelli Composition Contest – a very welcome surprise right at the end of the year!
University of Georgia Wind Ensemble performance of Splinter, conducted by Nicholas Williams at the CBDNA National conference in Athens, Georgia.
Mentoring 6 fine young composers from around Australia as part of ASME’s Young Composer Project, writing pieces for Sydney musical mavericks Ensemble Offspring
Sydney Symphony Orchestra performance of Jammed at Symphony Under the Stars in Parramatta Park, conducted by Ben Northey
National tour of Daredevil by Omega Ensemble
Regional NSW/QLD tour of Black Ice by Australian Chamber Orchestra Collective
European premiere of Hi-Vis by the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra (Norway), conducted by Eivind Aadland. (This is one of my fave pieces of mine!)
Sydney Symphony Orchestra Brass performance of Burnout at Sydney Opera House as part of Symphony Spectacular, celebrating 50 years of the House, conducted Umberto Clerici
Release of music videos for Sylvan (bass recorder and percussion) by Duo Blockstix (Alicia Crossley and Josh Hill). Check them out on YouTube.
Thank Yous
Thank you to the following for performing my music in 2023!
University of Texas El Paso Wind Symphony, Florida All-State Symphonic Band, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, University of Georgia Wind Ensemble, University of North Florida Wind Symphony, Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, Duo Blockstix, Ball State University Wind Symphony, Beecroft Orchestra, University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, Nurnberger Symphoniker, Michigan State University Musique 21, University of Oregon Wind Ensemble, Goldmund Quartet, Yale Concert Band, Equinox Chamber Music Festival, Manchester Camerata, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Offspring, Emma-Shay Gallenti-Guifoyle, Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, Partridge Quartet, Australian Chamber Orchestra Collective, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Uppsala Chamber Orchestra, Eliot Quartett, Mercer University Wind Ensemble, Utah Valley University Wind Ensemble, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Triangle Wind Ensemble, Arcadia Winds, Syzygy Ensemble, Omega Ensemble, Grand Valley State University Wind Ensemble, Veronique Serret, and MSO Academy/Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
A Taste of the Future
Boy, am I pumped for this year too! After a few weeks rest, I’m ready to go. Here’s a little taster:
Composer in Residence at 2024 Canberra International Music Festival
Recording of works from my residency with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the ABC (stay tuned for an eventual release)
Australian premiere of POUNCE by the Sydney Conservatorium Wind Symphony and Joanne Heaton
World premiere of Saxophone Concerto (don’t worry, not the title!) by Matt Styles and West Australian Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Umberto Clerici
Omega Ensemble and Daredevil head to Brisbane and Penrith. School composition workshops are on the cards here too.
She Speaks 2024, Adelaide. A performance of Hotwire, my viola concerto by Justin Julia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Luke Dollman, and Bend/Boogie/ Break.
Hi-Vis performed by the Oslo Philharmonic and Eivind Aadland
For now, over and out.