Meet the Australian composers behind the masterpieces of the future

What does the Australian Composers’ School opportunity mean to you?  

The Australian Composers' School is a unique opportunity to experiment and try out my ideas with an incredibly supportive team of mentors and orchestral players. To have a whole week to be in the room listening to the orchestra, absorbing the sound and asking every question I've ever wondered about an orchestra, is the most valuable experience a composer can have. Getting to develop those composing skills over two years makes the whole experience even more integral to building my orchestral composing 'chops'. 

How did you first find your way into music composition?  

I first started composing through playing as a dance accompanist whilst still a teenager in my Mum's ballet studio. As my career developed, I loved playing for open ballet classes at Sydney Dance Company where I got to improvise on the spot to complement the choreography and support the dancers movement. This developed into a desire to compose from a connection with my compositional voice in the art music space, but also through a collaborative based practice with choreographers and directors. 

How would you describe your creative practice to someone you’re meeting for the first time?  

This is a complex question to answer as I'm genuinely excited by all genres of music. The most rewarding thing for me is connection and collaboration, so the music can take whatever form suits the project best. That could be a lush string melody, spatialised electronic music, or an epic film score. I'm also really interested in incorporating spoken word into my music, a type of musical 'documentary', like my piece Imago which explores the history of forced adoption using a collection of transcripts. I spend a lot of time considering our connection with the planet and am always seeking new ways to bring that embodied experience into my music. 

How did you feel when you heard the TSO play the first few bars of your first piece this week?  

At first it was very overwhelming. Suddenly hearing the dots on the page come to life with that many musicians, it was difficult to know what to listen for. As the week has progressed it's been really interesting to observe the change in my ability to hear the orchestra as a whole and communicate my intentions. To actually work with the sound and players in the room, rather than an abstract series of squiggles on the page. 

What does the Australian Composers’ School opportunity mean to you?  

Meeting and working with everyone both on and off the stage means so much to me. It’s wonderful to be collaborating with the fantastic artistic and management teams to realise a shared vision. It takes a lot of time, effort and talent to pull together a program like this, and I feel extremely grateful to be a part of it. 

 How did you first find your way into music composition?  

I grew up learning classical piano, and often found myself improvising as a relief from the structured nature of solo practice. Once I began notating and developing these improvisations, I had started my compositional journey before I realised. Improvisation is still an important part of my creative and compositional process.  

How would you describe your creative practice to someone you’re meeting for the first time?  

I write music that is equal parts thrilling, playful, reflective and chaotic. From solo instruments to full orchestras, I love using exciting rhythms and vibrant colours to draw people in, while introducing new and surprising sounds along the way.  

How did you feel when you heard the TSO play the first few bars of your first piece this week?  

From the first note that the TSO played this week, I could tell that my music was in very safe hands. It’s so important for the composer, conductor and musicians to trust each other, and it has been easy to trust the TSO to bring these works to life.