Composer, Writer & Broadcaster
Music for mixed choir and male choir, with and without instruments in response to words by Les Murray, David Malouf and Gwen Harwood, C.P. Cavafy, Sappho and St John of the Cross.
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Commissioned by St John's Cathedral, Brisbane; St David's Cathedral, Hobart; Arts Foundation of St George's Cathedral, Perth; Christ Church North Adelaide; Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney; Trinity College, Melbourne
Text: Anon. 15th-century English
Commissioned by the Arts Foundation of St George's Cathedral, Perth
First performance by Choir of St George's Cathedral conducted by Joseph Nolan, St George's Cathedral, Perth, Western Australia, 19 December 2021
This is a work in progress. Each song has words by a different Australian poet. Individual songs have different and variable instrumentation.
1. Gone (Jordie Albiston)
2. The New Summer (David McCooey)
3. Hymn of the Garden (John Kinsella)
4. dark cloud (Ellen van Neerven)
5. Isolation Hymn (Judith Bishop) *
6. Rain Hymn (Judith Beveridge)
7. What Desire Knows (Sarah Holland-Batt) +
8. Ultraviolet (Stephen Edgar) *
9. Our Mother's Heart (Kate Fagan)
10. Between Birds (Merlinda Bobis)
11. To Whom Do We Sing? (Mark Wakely)
12. Respair (Felicity Plunkett)
13. This Is to You (Philip Harvey)
14. My Octopus Teacher (Alison Flett)
15. Waiting for the Clouds (Martha Marlow)
16. Syreeni (Maria Takolander)
17. South Golden Beach (Lisa Brockwell)
* Commissioned by Kim Williams + Commissioned by Opera Queensland for its Young Artists Program
Text: David McCooey
Commissioned by the Arts Foundation of St George's Cathedral, Perth
First performance by the Choir of St George's Cathedral conducted by Perry Joyce, Joseph Nolan (organ), St George's Cathedral, Perth, Western Australia, 16 December 2018
SATB (includes solos for all voices)
Commissioned by St John's Cathedral, Brisbane, St Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane, St George's Cathedral, Perth, St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne and Father Arthur E Bridge for Ars Musica Australis
First performance by the Choir of St John's Cathedral, Brisbane, conducted by Graeme Morton, Andrej Kouznetsov (organ) St John's Cathedral, Brisbane, 13 December 2015
Arrangement of American Spiritual
Text:
Traditional
for six voices: SSAATB or SSATBarB
First performance by Choir of St John's Cathedral conducted by Graeme Morton, St John's Cathedral, Brisbane, 13 December 2015
Text: freely adapted by the composer from the poem by C.P. Cavafy
Commissioned by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
First performance by Sydney Philharmonia Symphonic Choir conducted by Graham Abbott,
St Patrick's Cathedral, Parramatta, NSW, 20 July 2012
1. The Averted (Les Murray) - available separately
2. Death, an Ode (John Forbes)
3. At Night on the Beach (Judith Wright)
4. Sleep (David McCooey)
5. Spring (Maria Takolander)
6. The Highest Form of Love (Barbara Blackman)
7. Hear the Bird of Day (David Campbell) - available separately
Commissioned by Father Arthur E. Bridge for Ars Musica Australis, Barbara Blackman, The Song Company, Penny LeCouteur and Greg Dickson
First performance by the Song Company conducted by Roland Peelman, Canberra International Music festival, Albert Hall, Canberra, 17 May 2013
SATB choir, percussion ensemble and recorded voices
Commissioned by Wingecarribee Shire Council with financial assistance from the Regional Arts Fund, an Australian Government initiative supporting the arts in regional and remote Australia
First performance by Combined Choirs of the Southern Highlands (drawn from the Berrima Singers, Highlandaires, Serendipity, Singing for Leisure, SHACappella, Southern Highlands Sing Australia, Southern Highlands Voices in Harmony, WENCHes), ANU DRUMatiX, conducted by Andrew Ford
This is a version of the radiophonic piece, suitable for live performance.
'Chimney-sweepers' (Fear now more...) from Elegy in a Country Graveyard is available separately for SATB choir and voice and piano.
Commissioned by ABC Radio, funded by the NSW Ministry for the Arts in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
First performance by the Berry Court House Choir and the Southern Highlands Concert Band, Daryl Pratt (percussion), conducted by the composer, Kangaroo Valley Hall, Arts in the Valley Festival, Kangaroo Valley, NSW, 22 April 2007