BY MATT WITHERS
With a new album Here & Now just released, and the Australian Music Composition Competition open for its 10th anniversary, guitarist Matt Withers tells CutCommon how he has been shaping the guitar landscape in Australia.
The Australian guitar has one of the strongest influences on the planet with the likes of John Williams and Timothy Kain’s careers. I’ve taken inspiration following in the lines of Tim, my former-teacher-turned-friend and mentor, who has helped grow the guitar repertoire in both a solo and chamber music setting for decades with his peers Ross Edwards, Nigel Westlake, Elena Kats-Chernin and more.
I wanted to find my own generational peers, and help continue the creation of exciting new Australian music, working collaboratively with composers who I hope will continue to write for the guitar for many years to come.
Through these collaborations, I have formed wonderful friendships, and find it so fulfilling to work with musicians who will be the next generation of composers in Australia.
The Australian Music Composition Competition is open now for its 10th anniversary, offering its biggest prize pool in the competition’s history.
I started it in 2014 to intersperse a one-off program with unique, personal, and local works. The audience enjoyed the program so much that I’ve continued to run the competition every two years since.
I’ve enjoyed seeing the AMCC grow to see chamber music collaborations with the likes of Sally Whitwell, Acacia Quartet, and with a new album Here & Now out now on Amica Records with fellow guitarist Callum Henshaw (pictured below).
Expanding the repertoire with new Australian music
I’m proud to have commissioned 20 works through the AMCC by some of the country’s leading composers, and had the opportunity to work with so many emerging and mid-career composers.
I’ve also had the chance to record other previously unreleased works to give a long life to music for all to enjoy on commercial albums.
The recording is a major part of my focus included in the prizes for the competition in recent years. A premiere live performance of a new work is one thing, but making a professional recording available has been a priority for me to ensure the music has a life after it is born. It allows future performers to discover the work, for composers to have a record to showcase in their portfolios, and, of course, for audiences to enjoy over and over again.
Guitar has long taken music from other instruments to grow its repertoire. As well as new commissions, I’ve also continued this tradition by appropriating the music of the piano, cello, and string quartet as well as singer/songwriters’ tunes, and helped turn it into music for solo or chamber music guitar.
Visual art inspires new music
Visual artist Sue Needham has been a long-term friend of the AMCC, donating her stunning art works as the ‘inspiration image’ since 2016 giving composers a visual stimulus to draw upon. Each composer has created a unique story from the artworks, all of which have been based on the Australian land and seascapes. Images Forest, Stormy Seashore trilogy, Outback and Threads of Australia have each given composers a special motivation and direction in the creation of the music.
I enjoy the creative process of using the artworks as the album covers to my recordings as well, giving the audience the pleasure to enjoy both the visual and musical art together.
Every composer brings their own voice to guitar
Working with each composer has been unique in their own way with every writer having their special voice that they bring to the instrument. I feel this is what makes Australian music so wonderful; it is so diverse with inspiration being drawn from so many backgrounds. It’s been a pleasure to work with each of the composers, especially to perform and record their music.
As the AMCC has developed, I’ve wanted to ensure that it is not like other ‘call for scores’ competitions, which require a new work written for entry. Instead, over the past few years, I’ve been trying to make the entry process as easy as possible for composers to simply submit a past portfolio of their works, and a written text response to the inspiration image. Then, once winners are selected, I work with them to develop any areas of writing for guitar they desire.
Guitar is notoriously a difficult instrument to write for, so it’s quite enjoyable workshopping drafts of the music and seeing the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms emerge and grow into a guitaristic, playable composition.
I enjoy finding ways to bring the composers’ ideas to life through various techniques or voicings that are quite specific to the guitar.
Sending new music into the world
What has been especially wonderful is to see some of the repertoire from the AMCC’s winning composers already in the programs of other guitarists around the country for performances, giving a further life to the music.
The past rounds of the competition have been for solo guitar, guitar and string quartet, guitar and piano, and guitar duo. The new round is returning to its roots for another solo guitar version for its 10th anniversary.
It has also been very pleasing to see some of the winning composers going on to be commissioned for more new works, and grow their careers with other musicians and ensembles. For example, the inimitable Karin Schaupp has recently released an album of Peaceful Australian Guitar Solos, which includes a new work by the 2018 Emerging Composer of the AMCC Nava Ryan.
Releasing an album to reflect our time and place
Joining me for the release of the recording of the last competition round from 2022 is multi-award-winning guitarist Callum Henshaw. Our new album is a shimmering reflection of the unique Australian experience of time and place. It invites the listener to be in the moment — the here and now — and allow imagination to reign.
The album is inspired by the diverse terrain, colour, and history of the Australian landscape as reflected in the artwork Threads of Australia, created by visual artist Sue Needham on Gubbi Gubbi country. Needham’s mixed-media work intricately captures Australia’s unique natural environment through several painted miniatures brought together with thread, twine, fabric, paper, and buttons.
The various ‘threads’ of the Australian experience are reflected in the chosen pieces for the album, which represent a textured and unique cross-section of established and emerging composers.
Here & Now is the first release by another artist on Nat Bartsch’s own record label Amica Records: a label focussed on releasing ‘kind’ music from any genre. The album is also released on CD, directly by the artists.
The future of the Australian Music Composition Competition
The 2024 round of the Australian Music Composition Competition is now open with the largest prize pool in the competition’s history.
There is over $13,000 in cash and prizes, including mentorship, a commercial recording, and $3,000 first prize thanks to generous sponsors.
A new visual artist has come on board for the 2024 round. Internationally acclaimed Olga Garner-Morris has contributed her stunning Coastal Edge (below), which is the inspiration image for the latest competition.
Into the future, I’m looking forward to further collaborations with performers and composers, eager to continue to spread the joy of new Australian music to listeners around the world.
I can’t wait to see what composers will create next!
Learn more about entries for the 2024 Australian Music Composition Competition on Matt Withers’ website.
Listen to the newly released Here & Now on your preferred platform.
Images supplied. Matt by Josie Withers.
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