David Chesworth
Encyclopedia
David Chesworth is an award-winning Australian-based composer
and installation artist. Known for his experimental, and at times minimalist
music, he has worked in rock groups, classical ensembles, theatre, opera
. Together with Sonia Leber, Chesworth has created a series of large scale installation artworks using sound, video, architecture and public participation.
Chesworth's parents moved the family from Britain to Melbourne, Australia in the late 1960s. Chesworth studied at Latrobe University, including time with composer's Jeff Pressing and Warren Burt. In the late 1970s and early 1980s he coordinated the venue "Clifton Hill Community Music Centre
".
A list of Chesworth's collaborators includes: audio/visual artist Sonia Leber; guitarist Robert Goodge in the group Essendon Airport
; musician and sound designer Philip Brophy
in the group → ↑ →
; electronic musician
Philip Jackson
in the group Whadya Want?; librettist Douglas Horton and soprano
Helen Noonan. In 1993 he formed 'The David Chesworth Ensemble' to perform his own works.
He lives in Melbourne
in partnership with Sonia Leber. They are directors of the company Wax Sound Media and have one daughter.
EPs and Singles
are presented annually by Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) and Australian Music Centre
(AMC).
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|rowspan="3"| 2006
|| "Floating World" (David Chesworth) – David Chesworth Ensemble || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
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| "Panopticon" (David Chesworth) – David Chesworth Ensemble || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
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| "Wait a While" (David Chesworth) – David Chesworth Ensemble || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and installation artist. Known for his experimental, and at times minimalist
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
music, he has worked in rock groups, classical ensembles, theatre, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. Together with Sonia Leber, Chesworth has created a series of large scale installation artworks using sound, video, architecture and public participation.
Chesworth's parents moved the family from Britain to Melbourne, Australia in the late 1960s. Chesworth studied at Latrobe University, including time with composer's Jeff Pressing and Warren Burt. In the late 1970s and early 1980s he coordinated the venue "Clifton Hill Community Music Centre
Clifton Hill Community Music Centre
Clifton Hill Community Music Centre was established in 1976 to provide a space for the playing and rehearsal of music that was not of a commercial nature. The building was an old two storey organ factory...
".
A list of Chesworth's collaborators includes: audio/visual artist Sonia Leber; guitarist Robert Goodge in the group Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport (band)
Essendon Airport was an Australian post-punk group from 1978-83 who explored experimental minimalist, electronic and funk music. They reformed in the original duo lineup for occasional performances in 2003 following the re issue of Sonic Investigations of the Trivial...
; musician and sound designer Philip Brophy
Philip Brophy
Philip Brophy, born in Reservoir, Melbourne 1959 is an Australian musician, composer, sound designer, filmmaker, writer, graphic designer, educator and academic.-Music:...
in the group → ↑ →
Tsk Tsk Tsk
→ ↑ → was an Australian experimental music project formed in Melbourne in 1977 and led by Philip Brophy. Aside from performing music the project produced artwork, films, videos, live theatre, multi-media, and wrote literature.-History:...
; electronic musician
Electronic musician
An electronic musician is a musician who composes or plays music from synthetic sounds generated with synthesizers, samplers, drum machines or music sequencers....
Philip Jackson
Philip Jackson
Philip, Phillip or Phil Jackson may refer to:* Philip Jackson , British actor, played Chief Inspector Japp* Philip Jackson , Royal Sculptor...
in the group Whadya Want?; librettist Douglas Horton and soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
Helen Noonan. In 1993 he formed 'The David Chesworth Ensemble' to perform his own works.
He lives in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in partnership with Sonia Leber. They are directors of the company Wax Sound Media and have one daughter.
Discography
Albums- 50 Synthesiser Greats! (as David Chesworth)
- Layer on Layer (as David Chesworth)
- Spiral Rebound (as David Chesworth)
- No Particular Place (as David Chesworth)
- Risky Business (as David Chesworth)
- Wicked Voice (as David Chesworth)
- Sonic Investigations Of The Trivial (as Essendon Airport)
- Palimpsest (as Essendon AirportEssendon AirportEssendon Airport is located at Essendon, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Victoria, Australia. It is located next to the Tullamarine Freeway on , from the Melbourne Central Business District and from Melbourne Airport.-History:...
)
- Skippy Knows (as Whadya Want?)
- Exotica Suite (as The David Chesworth Ensemble)
- Badlands (as The David Chesworth Ensemble)
- Music To See Through (as The David Chesworth Ensemble)
EPs and Singles
- Sonic Investigations Of The Trivial (as Essendon Airport)
- The Dave & Phil Duo (David Chesworth & Philip Brophy)
- Talking To Cleopatra (as Essendon Airport)
- Industry & Leisure (as David Chesworth)
Theatrical/Operatic works
- 1986 Insatiable music & texts by Chesworth
- 1988 Recital: music by Chesworth, Puccini, Mozart et al., text by Douglas Horton & Helen Noonan, produced by Chamber MadeChamber MadeChamber Made Opera is an Australian production house for contemporary opera and music-theatre. Formed in 1988 by theatre director and librettist Douglas Horton...
- 1992 Lacuna: music by Chesworth, text by Douglas Horton, produced by Chamber Made
- 1994 The Two Executioners: music by Chesworth, text by Douglas Horton, produced by Chamber Made
- 2001 The Light Room: opera devised with Company In Space
- 2004 Cosmonaut: music by Chesworth, text by Tony MacGregor
- 2010 Richter/Meinhof-Opera: music and text by Chesworth, after a libretto by Tony MacGregor.
Sound installations
Collaborations with Sonia Leber include- 5000 Calls (2000 - ongoing) Sydney Olympic StadiumTelstra StadiumStadium Australia, currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay...
- The Masters Voice (2001 - ongoing) The Walk Civic, Canberra
- The Persuaders (2003) Australian Centre for the Moving ImageAustralian Centre for the Moving ImageThe Australian Centre for the Moving Image, or ACMI, is dedicated to the moving image in all its forms. It is located in Federation Square, in Melbourne, Australia, across four levels of the Alfred Deakin Building...
, Melbourne - Proximities (2006 - ongoing) at the William BarakWilliam BarakWilliam Barak , was the last traditional ngurungaeta of the Wurundjeri-willam clan, based around the area of present-day Melbourne, Australia...
Bridge, Melbourne - Space Shifters (2009) Conical, Melbourne
- Almost Always Everywhere Apparent (2007) Helen Macpherson Smith Commission Australian Centre for Contemporary ArtAustralian Centre for Contemporary ArtThe Australian Centre For Contemporary Art is a contemporary art gallery in Melbourne, Australia. The gallery is located on Sturt Street in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, in the inner suburb of Southbank....
, Melbourne
Awards and nominations
- Prix Ars ElectronicaPrix Ars ElectronicaThe Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music...
. Honorable Mention awarded to Southgate, Chesworth's score for the opening ceremony of Southgate, Melbourne, 1991. - Churchill Fellowship. In 1997 Chesworth was awarded a travel fellowship to the US, France and UK to investigate new audio technologies.
- ATOM Awards (Australian Teachers of Media). Chesworth's TV opera Insatiable won most innovative film.
- ARIA Awards (Aust. Record Industry Assoc.). The David Chesworth Ensemble CD Exotica Suite was nominated for the 1994 Best Classical CD ARIA Award.
- Green Room AwardsGreen Room AwardsThe Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne....
. Chesworth's music for the play Life After George received a 2000 Green Room award. - The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
Performing Arts Award. Awarded to Chesworth/Horton opera The Two Executioners - The Myer Group Arts Award. Awarded to the Chesworth/Horton opera Lacuna
APRA Classical Music Awards
The APRA Classical Music AwardsAPRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
are presented annually by Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) and Australian Music Centre
Australian Music Centre
The Australian Music Centre fosters the development of an Australian music community by providing specialist support to its membership of performers, composers, sound artists, educators, students, and music specialists across Australia and throughout the world.The AMC is the Australian national...
(AMC).
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|rowspan="3"| 2006
APRA Awards of 2006
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2006 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards ceremony occurred on 5 June at the Sydney Four Seasons Hotel, they were presented by APRA and the...
|| "Floating World" (David Chesworth) – David Chesworth Ensemble || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
|-
| "Panopticon" (David Chesworth) – David Chesworth Ensemble || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
|-
| "Wait a While" (David Chesworth) – David Chesworth Ensemble || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
External links
- Official website
- David Chesworth's concert music *classic/amp ABC FM website.
- Australian Music Centre
- Prix Ars Electronica
- 2004 Interview with Sonia Leber
- Audio-interview with David Chesworth on the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre Tapes website