Matthew Hindson

I have completed a new, large work for the Sydney Philharmonia Festival Chorus and the Sydney Youth Orchestra, which will be premiered in the Sydney Opera House on 8 and 9 October, 2014.  The lyrics come from the writings of Niccolo Machiavelli, whose image is placed above this post. Following are the program notes.  Or go here for information from Faber Music on the instrumentation and choir sizes. — There is nothing quite like singing in a choir, as so many people Continue reading It is better to be feared than loved – Premiere Performances→

Imagine writing a piece for orchestra where the players are in different rooms, can’t hear one another, where there is no conductor for everyone and where you can’t predict where the audience will be at any one time. That was the starting point for “Resonance”, a new 18 minute piece written for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra to open the Synaesthesia+ Festival in August, 2014. Here is an article from the Sydney Morning Herald on the new piece, and the festival. Continue reading Premiere of “Resonance” at Synaesthesia+, MONA (Tasmania)→

This April, the National Ballet of Japan presented the Japanese premiere of my ballet, Faster, choreographed by David Bintley, with the music performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic, conducted by Paul Murphy. The ballet explores the topic of sport: from the heroics and achievements of competition, to the agony of injury, to the limits of human endurance. I have often said that when the curtain rises on a new ballet work, I understand the complete honour to be a composer.  This Continue reading Japan Premiere of “Faster” by National Ballet of Japan→

This March marked the premiere performance of my Symphony No. 3: The Returned Soldier, by the Phoenix Symphony, under the baton of the incredible conductor Michael Christie. This 25 minute piece deals with the subject of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) experienced by veterans returning from combat, such as Iraq and Afghanistan in recent times. My starting points in this piece were images and scenarios faced by these veterans in war, and their effects on families and loved ones. It was a real honour to Continue reading Premiere performance of Symphony No. 3: The Returned Soldier→