Past News

Most Popular Titles of 2008

Music for Christmas 2008

”Songs of the Rainforest” Concerts December 6/7, 2008
Thank you to all who attended the “Songs of the Rainforest” concerts of The Australian Voices recently. From all accounts the innovative programming was an “enchanting” and “wonderous success”. Here, we performed a repertoire of secular and sacred works woven inside the aural canopy of the Southeast Queensland rainforest. The program featured the rich and wonderous voice of former TAV member and now rising opera star, Kathleen Parker, whose voice resonated in her solos and shone in her combined works with The Australian Voices. Outstanding, in a stella field of works, was Poulenc’s “O Magnum Mysterium”, Daniel Walker’s “Midwinter”, and the premiere of my own “At Sunset” which evocatively opened the program as the sun set on very stormy and extremely humid summers evening in our northern part of Australia. My provocative ’love/hate’ (you either love it or you hate it) work “Kore” was the centre-piece to the program with a pre-recorded electronics accompanying score by local composer Leah Barclay. This, often challenging work, drawing together choral sounds, natural bush sounds and fiercely electronic sounds, fulfilled its promise as a source of conversation and discussion during the interval. Those who missed these concerts can only but dream of such a rich and diverse choral experience. Thank you to the team which is The Australian Voices for another wonderful rich and diverse choral year!

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Latest Work
In December 2008 I completed and delivered a new work titled ‘Burrinjuck’ for SSAATTBB acappella voices to Jennifer Tham and the Singapore Youth Choir Ensemble Singers. This work will be premiered early in the New Year and will then become available for the public and further performances. Watch out for this one!

decoder warehouse concerts - The Australian Voices, Mardi Lumsden and The Rising Seas, and marimba master Paul Lin - October 2008
The decoder warehouse in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane proved to be the ideal venue for this intimate and diverse program, hosted by The Australian Voices, where the boundaries between alt-folk-pop-contemporary art/world musics blurred. The Australian music on offer included world premieres of new work by Lisa Young, Paul-Antoni Bonetti, Daniel Walker and myself, and other Australian work by Mardi Lumsden, Robert Davidson, Matthew Orlovich and Jacque Gawler. Award winning Marimba Master Paul Lin also wowed the audiences with his stunning virtuosity and sensitive musicianship in works from the international marimba repertoire. Jan Baker-Finch (old friend of mine and The Australian Voices) once again joined with The Australian Voices, performing her own brand of engaging Eurythmy, in bringing Paul-Antony Bonetti’s new work to life. For some more pics visit the Gallery and http://www.theaustralianvoices.com/ ”Warehouse_concerts_08_073.JPG”

Latest Releases
Have you seen my new work titled ‘Knowee’ yet? This SSAATTBB composition is the work that was commissioned by the famous Kamer… Choir of Latvia and performed as part of the innovative World Sun Songs Project. It was also one of the pieces that brought the 5th World Symposium of Choral Music to a stunning conclusion in the Closing Ceremony in Copenhagen recently. Email now for your sample copy.

Stephen Leek in Europe 2008
In the June / July 2008 I was travelling in Europe. In Latvia I was guest of the amazing Kamer youth choir where, along with sixteen of my composer colleagues from around the world, we were taking part in the ‘World Sun Songs Project’ . This extraordinary, ambitious and innovative undertaking was to bring many of the world’s leading choral composers together for a ground breaking new music event. The ’World Sun Songs Project’ comprised the commissioning, performance, recording and promotion of seventeen extraordinary ‘World Sun Songs’ works. Along with myself, other composers who were in Riga for the event were - Vasks (Latvia), Pauls (Latvia), Kanceli (Georgia), Medyulyanova (Uzbekistan), Sisask (Estonia), Matsushita (Japan), Grau (Venezuela), Hofmeyr (South Africa), Miskinis (Lithuania), Tabakova (Bulgaria), Desyatnikov (Russia), Pecou (France). Other composers whose works received their world premieres in the project but could not be present were Sandstrom (Sweden), Drage (Norway), Tavener (England) and John Luther Adams (USA).

The extraordinary work of director and conductor Maris Sirmais, with his exceptional youth choir Kamer, brought all seventeen difficult new works up to an unbelieveable level of choral artistry and musical climax. In the words of Peteris Vasks “World Sun Songs is something really extraordinary and unforgettable” - a sentiment shared by all the composers present, as well as the audiences. Performance of the seventeen new works took place in Riga in front of the Latvian President and other music-loving dignitaries, and was beamed to a live TV audience in four countries. Two weeks later the whole program was showcased at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Copenhagen, Denmark, to an audience of the choral world’s leading figures. Kamer… is one of the leading youth choirs of the world whose commitment to excellence and innovation is staggering. If you get a chance to hear Kamer… performing anywhere in the world, don’t miss the opportunity of a lifetime to be uplifted, moved, dazzled and inspired by the very best in choral singing! ”Latvia_08_283.jpg” Congratulations need to be extended to the exceptional work of Maris Sirmais and the extraordinary singers of the Kamer choir in bringing this level of artistry, commitment and vision to contemporary choral music. For more fabulous information visit http://www.kamer.lv/

COMPOSERS and their WORKS
John Tavener (Apvienotā Karaliste) The Eternal Sun
Leonid Desyiatnikov (Krievija) Rita pardomas par Dieva dizenuma
Giya Kanchelli (Gruzija) Lulling the Sun
Stephan Leek (Austrālija) Knowee
Alberto Grau (Venecuēla) Salve al celeste sol sonoro
Henrik Hofmeyr (Dienvidāfrika) Desert Sun
Vytautas Mishkinis (Lietuva) Neiseik, Saulala
Urmas Sissask (Igaunija) Imet loomas paikesele
Polina Medyulianova (Uzbekija) Ofiyat
Dobrinka Tabakova (Bulgārija) No Saules dzimis
Bjørn Andorn Drage (Norvēģija) Comme un arbuste
Sven-David Sandström (Zviedrija) Ah! Sun-flower!
John Luther Adams (ASV) Sky with Four Suns
Thierry Pecou (Francija) Les effets du jour
Raimonds Pauls (Latvija) A Resplendent Sun in the Sky
Ko Matsushita (Japāna) Jubilate Deo
Pēteris Vasks (Latvija) Birth

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(picture above) Leek with the four soprano soloists from Kamer youth choir (Latvia) who were singing in my new work ‘Knowee’ (View). The soloists gathered in the foyer of the Copenhagen Opera House immediately before the performance of my composition at the Closing Ceremony of the World Symposium on Choral Music.

Later in July, I travelled to Graz, Austria where I was a member of the international jury at the World Choir Games - the worlds largest choral competition where more than 400 of the worlds leading choirs competed in 28 catagories. This huge event was an amazing showcase of global choral singing and choral repertoire. Following this large event I then moved on to the World Symposium on Choral Music in beautiful Copenhagen, Denmark before returning home.

2008 Awards
In July 2008, I was awarded the APRA Australian Music Centre 2008 Classical Music Award, Best Composition by an Australian Composer for his work, Cries and Whispers. In the same prestigeous awards ceremony at the Sydney Opera House, The Australian Voices - conducted by myself, received the National Outstanding Contribution to Australian Music in a Regional Area Award.