2022 Review
Blimey, how is it 2021 already? *Touches ear piece*. Hold on, I’m hearing that it is, in fact, 2023. Right. Okay. Good. That is a-okay with me. Yessir. Totally fine. The last year certainly sped by. But it must have been twelve months because so much happened. Here’s a few highlights.
MSO at Hamer Hall
In January, I travelled to Melbourne for the premiere of My Mother Plays the Cello, a fantasia of sorts on the prelude from Bach’s first cello suite. The piece is a 60th birthday present for my mum and it was a wonderful to have her there for the performance at Hamer Hall. A big thank you to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra staff, musicians, and conductor Richard Davis for the workshop, performance, and this fantastic video.
2022-23 Layton Emerging Composer Fellowship
In May, I was selected for the Layton Emerging Composer Fellowship. As fellow, I’m composing two works for the Australia Ensemble, the first of which I finished juuust in time for Christmas. History provides a brief chronology of Western Classical Music. Beginning with reflective plainsong, it moves through major genres from the last several hundred years, arriving at post-minimalism before a coda which summarises the whole piece. Researching and writing this piece was a total joy. It’s some of my best work and I can’t wait for people to hear it!
TSO perform Sanctuary and Dark Energy
As a participant in the 2022-23 Australian Composers’ School, I composed two works for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Sanctuary reflects on home, on places of safety in a troubled world. Dark Energy is inspired by the mysterious anti-gravity of the same name which is causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate. The other participants and I were treated to a week of workshops with the TSO, mentors, and conductor Benjamin Northey, culminating in an informal performance.
Lots of performances!
After two years of limited performances due to lockdowns, it was wonderful to have lots of performances in 2022. In addition to the MSO and TSO performance mentioned above, Embers (2020) was performed by the Hobart Wind Symphony and the Queensland Wind Orchestra, Garden Suite (2019) was performed as far afield as Bruny Island, and The Laws of Motion (2020) received three performances in Florida from the Tampa Bay Symphony Orchestra.
AMC Representation
In 2022, I was also offered representation by the Australian Music Centre. This means that they now hold my scores in their library for anyone to preview and purchase through the AMC website. It’s an honour to join the list of artists represented by this essential organisation.
2023 Sneak Peak
I’m really excited to have a full roster of commissions for 2023. I’ll be working on two more projects for the TSO, a film score and a trombone concerto for principal trombonist David Robins. Hobart Chamber Orchestra will premiere my new three-movement suite inspired by kunanyi/Mount Wellington. I’ll be writing a second piece for the Australia Ensemble. And there’s one more project to round out the year, the details of which are being finalised.
If you’ve read to the end of this, thank you! I really appreciate you taking an interest in my work. Do follow me on social media to keep up to date with happenings and check back here for occasional updates. Wishing you a healthy and fulfilling 2023…with lots of music!
All the best,
Angus
