Performed at the Queensland Conservatorium by Yuliya Shkvarko (voice) and Jason Connors (percussion).

‘Estates’ is an original poem by Australian poet, Aidan Coleman, who currently resides in Adelaide, SA. The poem captures the atmosphere of a typical evening in an Australian suburb with evocative vocabulary such as 'hums', 'simmers' and 'the voltage of insects'. This work is a musical setting of the poem which I interpreted to be very dreamlike except for a few brief interruptions where the tranquillity is disturbed, especially by people returning home on bikes, cars and trains.

Estates

Clarinet Solo

This is a Musique Concrete work made using Audacity in 2014. It uses sounds heard during a daily commute in Brisbane, Australia. 

In Transit

Commissioned for the Queensland Conservatorium Saxophone Orchestra and premiered at the Selmer Music Showroom in Paris, France.

Check out the full CD here featuring new Australian compositions! 
www.cdbaby.com/cd/queenslandconservatorium2

The Queensland Conservatorium Saxophone Orchestra is a very skilful and vibrant ensemble that is very committed to supporting new music and always willing to take on emerging composers.

Australian Made 2015

Azure Permutations

Lizard Dreams (2016) is a minimalist piece, titled in homage to Meredith Monk’s Turtle Dreams (1983) which inspired me to write in this style. 

The piece expresses my disgust for the recent tragic event that occurred in Orlando, Florida on June 12, where 49 people were murdered and 53 others wounded because of their sexuality. It expresses my abhorrence of those who discriminate against non-heterosexual people and perpetuate such despicable behaviour, and the inaction of the United States Government to prevent gun violence. 

Performed by the Queensland Conservatorium Clarinet Choir on 21st September 2016.

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons. Taken by Brian Kusler, San Francisco. Note: The image's owner does not endorse Lizard Dreams. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harvey_Milk_Plaza-Rainbow_Flag-half_mast.jpg

Lizard Dreams

Queensland’s coast is warming and the Great Barrier Reef is dying. Yet, many are not aware of how much damage has already been done; in 2016, according to the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, it was estimated that approximately 93% of the reef was affected by coral bleaching, with the portion of the reef north of Port Douglas 81% severely bleached.

This is a piece for orchestra in two parts, the first reflecting the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef and the second part reflects its alarmingly sudden, unprecedented and devastating demise.

The instruments in this recording are computer generated.

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons. Taken in the Great Barrier Reef by Jorge Láscar. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lascar_Diving_at_the_The_Great_Barrier_Reef_(4559842029).jpg

A Desert Under The Sea...

28th January 2017 is the beginning of the Year of the Fire Rooster according to the Chinese sexagenary cycle. It is inspired by Philip Sparke’s Year of the Dragon(1984).

This piece will be premiered in June 2017 by the South Brisbane Federal Brass Band.

Year of the Fire Rooster

Cars & Cars & Cars was commissioned by the Queensland Conservatorium Wind Orchestra as part of the Silver Harris and Jeff Peck Composition Prize. It was premiered in the Conservatorium Theatre on 9th November 2018, conducted by Peter Morris.

Cars & Cars & Cars is about the traffic that Brisbanites deal with in their daily commute. The piece begins with busy, mechanical ideas to symbolise this traffic. It slows down to a crawl to symbolise a traffic jam and accelerates to an energetic finish as the traffic clears. The piece also makes a political statement; I believe the Queensland Government is simply not concerned about developing a practical public transport network and this has led to an overreliance on cars. The cacophony that is heard towards the end of the piece represents the effect I think this is having on the environment.

Conservatorium Wind Orchestra and Ba Da Boom / New Music Ensemble

Cars & Cars & Cars

Jack Jones is a composer from Queensland, Australia.

In 2015, he wrote 'Azure Permutations' for the Queensland Saxophone Orchestra and they featured it in their European tour including a performance at the Selmer Music Showroom in Paris. The work was then released on their new CD 'Australian made 2015'. (available on cdbaby.com)

He also won the A.G. Francis Prize for Composition from the Queensland Conservatorium in 2015 for 'Estates'.

Jack Jones

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