All of my composition friends at university were composing fanfares, so I decided to write one as well. I had no idea I was going to be selected – it’s a tremendous honour and I can’t wait to hear my piece performed!
I would just like to thank you very much for the incredible experience that was Sunday’s workshop. To have so many talented musicians, conductors, sound engineers and organisers come together to create music written by myself and my peers was a truly sensational experience – and also very humbling. I’ve simply never experienced anything like it!
I’ve discovered that as young composers, we can sit in front of our computer programs and play around with software playback, but it really doesn’t come close to the kinds of sounds that a live orchestra is capable of. I found those sounds to be particularly inspiring, and it will definitely influence me the next time that I write for orchestra.
Also, I really liked how the composers, musicians and to some extent the conductor were all young – it really contributed to an air of vitality and excitement that was palpable in the room. Everyone was so enthused about bringing new music to life – which is such a rare situation. If the work of all of these fellow young composers and musicians is representative of what is to come in Australian music, then it really gives me hope for the future of classical music. It’s going to be a little difficult to settle into normal life now – I think that you’ve gotten me hooked on getting my pieces performed by world-class orchestras! Thank you once again – you’ve given us an incredible opportunity that is simply unheard of for most young composers, and I feel that I will reflect on it as a very important milestone in my career!