Ross Edwards (composer)
Encyclopedia
Ross Edwards is an Australia
n composer
of a wide variety of music including orchestral and chamber music, choral music, children's music, opera and film music. He is not to be confused with a British up and coming singer-songwriter of the same name.
. After completing secondary education at Sydney Grammar School he received his early musical education at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
, completing his Master of Music degree at the University of Adelaide
and graduating as Doctor of Music from the University of Sydney
. His teachers have included Peter Sculthorpe
, for whom he later worked as an assistant, Richard Meale
, Sandor Veress
and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
, with whom he studied in Adelaide and again in London in the early 1970s. Returning to Australia, he held teaching positions at the University of Sydney and the Sydney Conservatorium before becoming a freelance composer in 1980.
Among many awards, he considers two Keating
Fellowships received in the 1990s to have been crucial to his development. He is based in Sydney, where he lives with his wife, Helen, spending as much time as possible working in his studio in the Blue Mountains, west of the city.
and vocal music
, children’s music, film scores, opera
and music for dance
.
Well known compositions include his Piano Concerto (1982; premiered in 1983 by Dennis Hennig
and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
under Werner Andreas Albert
); a violin concerto titled Maninyas (dedicated to and premiered by Dene Olding
); and a symphony Da pacem Domine (dedicated to the memory of Stuart Challender
). His Oboe Concerto, which includes choreography for the oboist-cum-dancer, was premiered in 2002 by Diana Doherty
under the baton of Lorin Maazel
. Maazel invited her to play and dance it with the New York Philharmonic
in 2005, and the concerto and Doherty have since become world-famous.
His Concerto for Guitar and Strings (2004) was first recorded by Karin Schaupp
.
Works designed for the concert hall sometimes require special lighting, movement, costume and visual accompaniment.
are presented annually by Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) and Australian Music Centre
(AMC).
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2003
||Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (Edwards) – Diana Doherty
|| Best Performance of an Australian Composition ||
|-
| Song for Emily (Edwards) – 200 Guitar Duo || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
|-
| 2005
|| Concerto for Guitar and Strings (Ross Edwards) – Karin Schaupp
, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
, Richard Mills
(conductor) || Orchestral Work of the Year ||
|-
| 2006
|| Oboe Concerto (Edwards) – Diana Doherty, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
|| Orchestral Work of the Year ||
|-
| 2007
|| Piano Trio (Edwards) – The Australian Trio || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2008
||Symphony No. 4 "Star Chant" (Edwards, Fred Watson) – Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
, Richard Mills (conductor); Adelaide Chamber Singers, Carl Crossin (director); Adelaide Philharmonia Chorus, Timothy Sexton (director) ||Vocal or Choral Work of the Year ||
|-
| More Marimba Dances (Edwards) || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n composer
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...
of a wide variety of music including orchestral and chamber music, choral music, children's music, opera and film music. He is not to be confused with a British up and coming singer-songwriter of the same name.
Life
Ross Edwards was born in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. After completing secondary education at Sydney Grammar School he received his early musical education at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
, completing his Master of Music degree at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
and graduating as Doctor of Music from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
. His teachers have included Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Joshua Sculthorpe AO OBE is an Australian composer. Much of his music has resulted from an interest in the music of Australia's neighbours as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of native Australian music with that of the heritage of the West...
, for whom he later worked as an assistant, Richard Meale
Richard Meale
Richard Graham Meale, AM, MBE was an Australian composer of instrumental works and operas.-Biography:Meale was born in Sydney and studied piano with Winifred Burston at the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, as well as clarinet, harp, music history and theory, before studying at the University of...
, Sandor Veress
Sándor Veress
Sándor Veress was a Swiss composer of Hungarian origin. The first half of his life was spent in Hungary; the second, from 1949 until his death, in Switzerland, of which he became a citizen in the last months of his life.Veress taught at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest...
and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
, with whom he studied in Adelaide and again in London in the early 1970s. Returning to Australia, he held teaching positions at the University of Sydney and the Sydney Conservatorium before becoming a freelance composer in 1980.
Among many awards, he considers two Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
Fellowships received in the 1990s to have been crucial to his development. He is based in Sydney, where he lives with his wife, Helen, spending as much time as possible working in his studio in the Blue Mountains, west of the city.
Works
Ross Edwards’ output includes symphonies, concertos, chamberChamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
and vocal music
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
, children’s music, film scores, 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...
and music for dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
.
Well known compositions include his Piano Concerto (1982; premiered in 1983 by Dennis Hennig
Dennis Hennig
Dennis Hennig was an Australian pianist.At an early stage of his career he was one of the Australian Ballet's rehearsal class pianists, and later performed live music for ballet performances such as Signatures, An Evening, Seven Deadly Sins and Nearly Beloved...
and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
The Queensland Symphony Orchestra is an Australian orchestra, based principally in Brisbane in the state of Queensland.The QSO played its first concert on 26 March 1947, with the orchestra consisting of 45 musicians, conducted by Percy Code. John Farnsworth Hall was recruited from the Sydney...
under Werner Andreas Albert
Werner Andreas Albert
Werner Andreas Albert is a German conductor.He began his studies in musicology and history, and later studying conducting with Herbert von Karajan and Hans Rosbaud. After his 1961 debut with the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra, he became chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie...
); a violin concerto titled Maninyas (dedicated to and premiered by Dene Olding
Dene Olding
Dene Olding is an Australian violinist. He has had a distinguished career as a soloist in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, performing over forty concertos in recent years, including many world premieres...
); and a symphony Da pacem Domine (dedicated to the memory of Stuart Challender
Stuart Challender
Stuart David Challender, AO was an Australian conductor, known particularly for his work with Opera Australia and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.-Early life:...
). His Oboe Concerto, which includes choreography for the oboist-cum-dancer, was premiered in 2002 by Diana Doherty
Diana Doherty
Diana Doherty is an Australian oboist, currently Principal Oboe with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.-Life:Diana Doherty was born in Brisbane, where she began her education. She attended Brisbane State High School...
under the baton of Lorin Maazel
Lorin Maazel
Lorin Varencove Maazel is an American conductor, violinist and composer.- Early life :Maazel was born to Jewish-American parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France and brought up in the United States, primarily at his parents' home in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. His father, Lincoln Maazel , was...
. Maazel invited her to play and dance it with the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
in 2005, and the concerto and Doherty have since become world-famous.
His Concerto for Guitar and Strings (2004) was first recorded by Karin Schaupp
Karin Schaupp
Karin Schaupp is a German-born Australian classical guitarist and actress.She was born in 1972 in Hofheim am Taunus, Germany, to a musical family. Her mother and principal teacher, Isolde Schaupp, was a teacher of guitar at the Conservatorium of Wiesbaden. Her father was an amateur pianist, and her...
.
Works designed for the concert hall sometimes require special lighting, movement, costume and visual accompaniment.
APRA-AMC Classical Music Awards
The APRA-AMC 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).
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2003
APRA Awards of 2003
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2003 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards were presented by APRA and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society...
||Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (Edwards) – Diana Doherty
Diana Doherty
Diana Doherty is an Australian oboist, currently Principal Oboe with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.-Life:Diana Doherty was born in Brisbane, where she began her education. She attended Brisbane State High School...
|| Best Performance of an Australian Composition ||
|-
| Song for Emily (Edwards) – 200 Guitar Duo || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
|-
| 2005
APRA Awards of 2005
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2005 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 30 May at the Sydney Four Seasons Hotel, they were presented by APRA and the...
|| Concerto for Guitar and Strings (Ross Edwards) – Karin Schaupp
Karin Schaupp
Karin Schaupp is a German-born Australian classical guitarist and actress.She was born in 1972 in Hofheim am Taunus, Germany, to a musical family. Her mother and principal teacher, Isolde Schaupp, was a teacher of guitar at the Conservatorium of Wiesbaden. Her father was an amateur pianist, and her...
, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation .-Activities:...
, Richard Mills
Richard Mills
Richard John Mills AM, DMus BA Qld, is an Australian conductor and composer. He currently works as Artistic Director of the West Australian Opera and Artistic Consultant with Orchestra Victoria...
(conductor) || Orchestral Work of the Year ||
|-
| 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...
|| Oboe Concerto (Edwards) – Diana Doherty, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
|| Orchestral Work of the Year ||
|-
| 2007
APRA Awards of 2007
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2007 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 16 June at the Sydney Hilton, they were presented by APRA and the Australasian...
|| Piano Trio (Edwards) – The Australian Trio || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2008
APRA Awards of 2008
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2008 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 16 June at the Sydney Hilton, they were presented by APRA and the Australasian...
||Symphony No. 4 "Star Chant" (Edwards, Fred Watson) – Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was founded as a 17 player radio ensemble in 1936, in Adelaide, South Australia. The orchestra reformed in 1949 as the 55 member South Australian Symphony Orchestra. It reverted to its original and present title, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, in late 1974, and...
, Richard Mills (conductor); Adelaide Chamber Singers, Carl Crossin (director); Adelaide Philharmonia Chorus, Timothy Sexton (director) ||Vocal or Choral Work of the Year ||
|-
| More Marimba Dances (Edwards) || Instrumental Work of the Year ||
External links
- Biography of Ross Edwards - maintained by the Australian Music CentreAustralian Music CentreThe 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...
- http://www.rossedwards.com/