Blog
Leonard the Lottery Ticket première
Evidently it’s not uncommon to run a new show for the first time out of town to iron out any problems before it hits the harsh big City. Well this is exactly what happened last weekend with my latest Children’s Extravaganza Leonard and the Lottery Ticket. I wrote this show to be the ultimate in flexibility and although the various groups of musicians taking part in this production had all …
Xstrata Coal Rising Stars – first concert
It’s not often that 36 young musicians all give their solo debuts on the same afternoon at the same concert but this is exactly what is happening this Sunday at the Singleton Youth Venue. All but two of the Xstrata Coal Rising Stars are busily preparing for this big event.
For some playing their quite simple, beginner melodies is a big enough challenge but others have chosen to play pieces of …
NEW CD – High Spirits 2
High Spirits 2 is spirited, humorous, quirky and unpredictable.
As this new website takes shape I did ponder last week what I would have thought if I had stumbled upon it three year ago whilst I was still on the staff at the Sydney Conservatorium. I think the answer would have been total disbelief. It just was not on my radar that I would write three Children’s musicals let alone write …
I’ve been working on…
Over Easter with a few days free from my normal commitments I have written a new trio for the unusal combination of oboe, clarinet and bass clarinet. The three movements are Prelude, Carol and Comedy. I will also write a version of this piece for oboe clarinet and bassoon.
Catastrophic Winds
Catastrophic Winds is an elite group made up of some of the best wind players in Sydney.
Instrumentation
| 6 Flutes | 1 Soprano Saxophone |
| 2 Oboes | 4 Alto Saxophones |
| 9 Clarinets | 2 Tenor Saxophones |
| 2 Bass Clarinets | 2 Baritone Saxophones |
| 2 Bassoons |
Catastrophic Winds will play challenging repertoire, especially written or arranged for the group by Mark. Rehearsals will be kept to a minimum as the music must not interfere and ruin …
New Zealand Scenic Music Tour – 1
What an amazing sight on Sunday March 15th to see the Chapel of the Christchurch Music Centre packed with over 100 woodwind players plus our one very important horn player. To see my NZ students playing alongside my Australian friends was a very special moment.
My arrangement of The Pirates of Penzance Overture had its first performance nearly 20 yrs ago at the Sydney Summer School back in 1989 but last …
New Zealand Scenic Music Tour – 2
The Gaiety Hall in heavenly Akaroa, built in 1879, was just the perfect place for us to rehearse and perform. Just behind the bakery and only a short walk from the accommodation none of the Australian visitors could imagine a more relaxing or picturesque place to be.
The picture on the home page is a touching reminder of our horn player Jan with young Joe who informed all of his school …
New Zealand Scenic Music Tour – 3
It’s difficult to believe that anything could match Akaroa but from there our Australian touring party headed to Culverden in North Canterbury to perform a concert for the students at the Amuri Area School. The school principal Neil Wilkinson is also the school’s music teacher so it was great to have him singing with the school choir in the Zonderas Song from the musical, The Power of Music. The School …
New Zealand Scenic Music Tour – 4
When you have enjoyed the most perfect weather and great music making it is always sad to finish a tour, however we couldn’t have hoped for a more moving concert than our final one at the Hohepa Centre in Christchurch. The residents at the Hohepa Centre all have intellectual disabilities but their enjoyment and enthusiasm for music and life is just so inspiring. When Andrew played the recorder for us …