Orchestra

Composer's Note Carnival Capers (Concerto for soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra, 2012) was commissioned for premiere performance by soloist Barry Cockcroft with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Clark Rundell, at the World Saxophone Congress XVI, July 10, 2012 in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, UK. The first movement, entitled "Hammering the bell", is inspired [...]

Composer's Note Midnight Mass (for SATB choir, soprano & bass baritone soloist, treble voice soloist, organ and orchestra) was commissioned by Father Arthur Bridge for performance at Midnight Mass, held at St Patrick’s Church, Blacktown, NSW, on Tuesday 25 December, 2007. The Midnight Mass setting comprises: I. Processional (O come, all ye faithful) (3’08”) [...]

Composer's Note Commissioned by St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney, Australia, Huge Earth received its first performance at Sydney Town Hall on 26th June, 2003 as a three-movement work scored for massed choirs, orchestra, pipe organ and soloists. In 2013, at the invitation of conductor Jacob Narverud (Kansas City, USA), I took the opportunity [...]

Composer's Note During the summer of 2001, I went snorkelling at Clovelly Beach, a popular snorkelling spot in Sydney, Australia. This trip served as the inspiration for a new composition, an orchestral look through the snorkelling goggles, an exploration - with poetic license in hand - of a place where sea-creatures and age-old mysteries [...]

Composer's Note A Dream Only Just Begun was commissioned by Ars Musica Australis to commemorate Australia’s Centenary of Federation. Scored for SATB choir, baritone voice soloist and orchestra, the work is a setting of Peter Skrzynecki’s poem “Didgeridoo”. The poet’s description of the didgeridoo’s sounds of joy and pain - “a vortex in our [...]

Composer's Note Eternity was commissioned for performance on 30th July, 2000, by the Combined Sydney College Choirs and Orchestra, at the “Millennium Concert”, St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney. Scored for SATB choir, organ and orchestra, the work comprises three movements with two short interludes. The first movement is entitled “Deep in the silent centuries”. It [...]

Composer's Note The Dreaming Land (1997) for SA choir and orchestra was commissioned by the Department of School Education NSW Performing Arts Unit for performance at the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House by the NSW Combined Primary School Choirs and NSW Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra at the 1997 Primary School Choral Concerts. [...]

Composer's Note Unity (1997) for SATB choir and orchestra was commissioned by the Department of School Education NSW Performing Arts Unit, for performance by the 1997 NSW Combined Public Schools Senior Choir and NSW Public Schools Orchestra at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. The work draws on a poem of Kevin Gilbert's (1933-1993) [...]

Composer's Note The Monkeys’ Bridge (1995) for orchestra was judged as a winner of the 1995 ABC Composers’ Competition and has been recorded by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richard Mills. Its first public performance was given on 25th November 1996 by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Leif Sundstrup. According to the very [...]

Composer's Note Holy Ground Forever, Stranger! received its first performance by the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Antony Walker, at the Sydney University Orchestral Composers' Workshop in July 1992. The work, which was recorded by the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, was subsequently included in the Concert Series of the Sydney University [...]