BY SAMUEL COTTELL
Four emerging composers at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music have been selected for the first National Women Composers’ Development Program.
Through the two-year program, the students are undertaking workshops with leading Australian women in music such as Anne Boyd and Maria Grenfell, and will have their works performed by groups including the Goldner String Quartet, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
Traditionally, it seems female composers are under-represented in composition. For instance, women only make up 26 per cent of the Australian Music Centre’s represented artists, and 44 per cent of the undergrad students at the Sydney Con. So to celebrate this new program for women in music, we interview the four composers involved.
About Ella Macens, NWCDP participant: This award-winning composer has studied and had works performed across Australia and Europe. She was composer-in-residence with the Sydney Youth Orchestra’s junior string ensembles and Trinity Grammar School. Her compositional focus is on choral music and her latest work Ar Dienvinu was commissioned by Latvian choir Pernigele.
How did you first get into composing and how would you describe your sound, style or compositional philosophy?
I have always played the piano. Ever since I could reach the keys, I would tinker away, improvising and making up little melodies. I never formally learnt to sight-read, so I guess this was a very natural way for a child brought up in a musical environment to express their creativity. Learning the violin through the Suzuki method from a very young age helped to develop and strengthen my aural abilities, which have definitely impacted on my improvisatory approach to music composition.
The first ‘proper’ piece of music I wrote was in 2009 in my final year at Cheltenham Girls High School. I had the most brilliant music teacher – Simone Katz – who inspired and challenged me more than anyone had before. Under her guidance, I composed Call of the Sirens, scored for six voices, acoustic guitar, two cellos, double bass, and piano. The work was later selected for inclusion in the ENCORE program of that year. It was during this time that my ambitions to peruse composition strengthened. After high school, I studied Sound Composition and Music Production at the University of Wollongong for one year, before beginning my Bachelor of Music (Composition) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2011. I’ve been a part of the Con family ever since.
My music is very tonal. I embrace chord progressions that could often be identified as being a part of the popular music genre, and I aspire to convey and induce emotion through my works. People often comment that my music would be suitable for film; that it bears cinematic qualities. I guess this stems from the expansive, imagery filled, emotion-inducing nature of my work. My ideas often begin as improvisations at the piano, which I later record, transcribe, and apply manipulations to. In this way, I am able to capture the very essence of my musical thinking before extending it in some way.
Who are your top five all time favourite composers, and who is your biggest influence?
This is such a tricky question to answer as I have such varied musical influences from varying musical styles. Given the presence of popular music elements in my compositions, I must mention singer-songwriters such as Missy Higgins and Regina Spektor. I’ll never forget the moment I bought the sheet music for Missy’s album The Sound Of White, taught myself how to read the music, and realized that the way her hands moved over the keys from chord to chord was similar to the way my music evolved in my improvisations. As a 14-year-old with lots of musical ideas, this was the affirmation that I needed.
As my exposure to and awareness of composers evolved, so too did my musical language, and today I can be particularly grateful for the works of Arvo Part, Pēteris Vasks, Eric Whitacre, Nigel Westlake and Max Richter, to name a few. I would say that these composers have had the greatest influence on the musical identity that I present today.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a composer in Australia, and how do you approach these challenges?
Australia is HUGE! There are so many talented people in the creative field, and opportunities are limited. As an emerging composer in such a large context, it is incredibly important to be persistent and seek out every possible opportunity. Work with people out of goodwill, establish and communicate your musical identity, and strive to maintain the relationships formed along the way.
You are heading toward the end of first semester in your postgraduate degree, through a course specifically designed to give female composers further opportunities. Can you give us a bit of information about this National Women Composers’ Development Program and the projects you’ve been working on?
The last couple of months have been particularly exciting as we are beginning to establish relationships with the composers and performers that we will be working closely with over the next two years. To kick things off, percussionist Claire Edwardes presented us with a vivacious and incredibly inspiring workshop to guide us in writing for percussion. In response, I have composed a work for solo marimba, which will be workshopped with Claire over the coming weeks in preparation for its performance and recording. We have been graced with the presence of composer Moya Henderson who has been our mentor during this time, offering not only technical advice but advice on life as a composer. We have also been given the opportunity to explore writing for solo cello under the guidance of cellist Georg Pedersen. This is an invaluable opportunity that will no doubt prepare us for what’s next on our composing schedule – writing for the Goldner String Quartet! Amongst other things, I have been rehearsing my choral work Ar Dieviņu with the Sydney Conservatorium Chamber Choir in preparation for it’s Australian premiere. Performances will take place on May 25 at 12.30pm and 27 at 6.30pm in the Verbrugghen Hall at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Why do you feel there is an imbalance in regards to gender in composition, and how do you feel that a program, such as this degree, contributes to addressing this imbalance?
To be honest, I was completely oblivious to the gender imbalance in music composition prior to hearing about the Inaugural National Women Composers’ Development Program and the reasons for its establishment. In 2011, I was one of four girls in a class of around 25 students studying Sound Composition and Music Production at the University of Wollongong, and whilst I definitely noticed the ratio of males to females in the course, I didn’t really think much of it until now.
I think that women in today’s society have significantly more career opportunities than ever before. I can think of several girls from my high school days that could have gone on to pursue successful studies and careers in music composition, however chose to pursue careers in law, economics, science or psychology instead – career paths that women throughout history have not always been welcomed into. I think that we live in an exciting time right now where gender equality is slowly steadying, and this means that opportunities presented to both men and women alike are broadening.
In a classical context, I can name far more male composers than female composers. As a composition student at a leading music institution, I can definitely say that we study the music of male composers far more than the music of female composers. But I say this with full respect to those individuals who design and teach the course. The composers that we study are absolutely brilliant, and their music teaches us about the history of the world through a language we not only understand, but also strive to propel in our current context. We study their music because they were pioneers of their time and they had something significant to say. The National Women Composers’ Development Program is significant as it provides four emerging female composers with the opportunity to contextualise themselves in Australia’s contemporary music scene. The program will contribute to addressing the current gender imbalance in music composition by aiding the formation of composer-performer relationships with some of Australia’s leading music ensembles. The program offers a nurturing environment where our musical language is challenged, extended, and strengthened in preparation for a career in music composition.
For more about the National Women Composers’ Development Program, visit the website here.
Image supplied. Credit: Mandy Campbell.
