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Composition

Composition is available as a Principal Study within the Bachelor of Music Studies program, and it may also be taken for the Master of Music, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Music degrees. A wide range of styles and idioms can be catered for, but there is an expectation that if you are majoring in composition then you will seek to develop your musical ideas over extended musical forms and over long time spans.

Naturally, these expectations are greater at the higher levels.It is a very important feature of studying composition within the performance-orientated environment of a conservatorium that you will be expected to seek performance of your work and you will be given opportunities to hear your music in live performance. Student compositions can be performed by groups such as the Elder New Music Ensemble, the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, the Elder Conservatorium Chamber Orchestra (which introduced a Composers’ Competition in 2002), the Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra, and even the Opera Group.

There is also a host of opportunities for the performance of chamber pieces. Experimental works are performed and recorded within the laboratory environment of the Electronic Music Unit (EMU). The Australian String Quartet, as ensemble-in-residence, is able periodically to conduct workshops on new student pieces.

For the higher degrees of MMus and PhD it is important to note that these are research programmes.  Applicants for these schemes are required not only to present a portfolio of original works but also to submit a proposal for the intended research questions that can be investigated and documented through the medium of musical composition.

Head of Studies for Composition: Professor Graeme Koehne