Life has been very busy over the past few weeks with many performances, including some premieres.

Pictured above: Graham Howard, Katy Abbott, Rachelle Elliott and myself.

(Photo by Zoe Anderson, used with permission of Orchestras Australia)

An Infernal Machine was premiered by the Tamworth Youth Orchestra (conductor Anne Hoy) in Melbourne at the national forum of Orchestras Australia. It was subsequently further performed in Melbourn at the amazing hall at Scotch College, and then given its NSW premiere at the Annual Showcase in Tamworth. The concert at Tamworth was attended by a particularly large and appreciative audience. Performances given by youth orchestras are notable for their willingness to really ‘get into’ the music – and this was certainly the case with the Tamworth Youth Orchestra. Tamworth is doing great things in the field of development of interest in classical music.

Pictured above are fellow composers Graham Howard, whose flute concerto was performed, and Katy Abbott, who received two premieres at the Orchestras Australia forum in Melbourne. Also pictured is the manager of Orchestras Australia, Rachelle Elliott.

Pictured above: the Tamworth Youth Orchestra cond. Anne Hoy.

(Photo by Zoe Anderson, used with permission of Orchestras Australia)

Subsequent to this performance was the premiere of Flash Madness by The Queensland Orchestra, conducted by the wonderful Australian, Nicholas Milton. The Queensland Orchestra, as always, played extremely well. It’s amazing what a professional orchestra is capable of.

Also performed this week were movements 2 and 3 of my Violin Concerto with soloist Thomas Talmacs and the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by George Ellis. Even a dodgy amplifier didn’t hurt this marvellous performance too much.

The next big performance on the list is the premiere of House Music with flute soloist Marina Piccinini and the London Philharmonic Orchestra given in London on 13 December 2006.

I have recently switched over to Google Hosted email, and despite it being generally excellent, emails and messages sent via the above Contact Form have not been getting through to me at all.

However the problem is fixed now – so I have not been deliberately rude, just ignorant.

   Grr!

Please don’t hesitate to resend emails to me if you don’t get a response.

Today was the Queen’s Birthday Holiday here in Australia, and apart from it being a public holiday was quite a nice day for another reason – I was awarded an AM by the Australian Honours Committee, which means that I have been appointed a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia.

It is a tremendous (if unexpected) honour! The citation reads:

“For service to the arts as a leading Australian composer and teacher of music, and through the wide promotion of musical works to new audiences.”

The 2006 Aurora Festival has come to a close, and in the words of the Australian Music Curator at ABC Classic FM, Stephen Adams, was an “unqualified success”.

There were so many wonderful highlights, it would not be fair to single out any in particular event. From the opening lecture and discussion by Professor Anne Boyd at the Campbelltown Arts Centre to the broadcast of the Aurora Festival Remix on the ABC Radio National programme The Night Air, there were many, many pieces and performances that will live long in my own memory. Having said this, Terry Riley‘s solo piano performance at the Parramatta Riverside Theatre was an inspirational, historic event.

A glowing review of the opening day’s concerts at the Parramatta Riverside Theatre was published by The Australian.

The great thing about the Aurora Festival was that there was such a strong, positive response to the living music and the A-Grade performances. Western Sydney is an area that has traditionally been ignored in terms of contemporary art music practice.

Even better was the fact that so much of the festival was broadcast nationally on ABC Classic FM. ABC Classic FM has an average listening audience at any time of 200, 000 people – a huge and important audience that makes the entire event accessible throughout Australia.

The next Aurora Festival will take place in 2008. We have some amazing items already lined up – it will be even more exciting, if that is possible!