Biography
Program note
Stephen Leek’s distinctive music is immediately recognizable, capturing the enigmas, drama, rhythms, colours and ethos of Australia. He has been accredited with having made a significant impact on and a major contribution to the development of Australian choral composition and performance and how that has been promoted and discussed throughout the world over the past 25 years.
“If one were to dream about an ideal way for Australian choral music to truly make its mark, one might:
Ø Firstly, focus on developing a body of choral repertoire that tells the world about the perspective and concerns of our place and our time, and encourage the development of compositional skills that articulate this perspective with clarity and nuance;
Ø Secondly, develop the musical skills and the experience in young singers to articulate and realise this repertoire, giving it a life, with enthusiasm, joy, vigour, clarity, and above all, with the utmost musicality and rigour;
Ø Thirdly, provide the singers with an experience that will significantly impact on their lives, and provide audiences with a rich, meaningful, and above all, entertaining experience;
Ø Fourthly, perform often, at home and away, in a variety of contexts, directly communicating with audiences;
Ø And lastly, continue to motivate, enthuse, excite, stimulate, and challenge, always aiming high, never faltering, and truly setting a benchmark for others to emulate.
But wait a minute! This already exists, and has existed for 15 years! In Stephen Leek and The Australian Voices! How blessed are we in this country to claim them as our own?”John Davis – Chief Executive Officer, The Australian Music Centre Limited
Born in Sydney in 1959, Stephen Leek is an extensively commissioned freelance composer, freelance conductor, educator and publisher. Teaching sessional Composition and Improvisation at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University until 2009 Leek, resigned from this position in order to develop further his already hectic free-lance schedule of commissions, workshops and guest appearances and to take up a non-remunerative position on the Board of the International Federation of Choral Music – a project of UNESCO. A pioneer in developing composer residencies, Leek’s involvement with numerous choral and music groups at every level of accomplishment has had vital influence on recent Australian music.
“Luminary is not an exaggeration when applied to Stephen Leek. His music is published, performed and recorded in many countries of the world. His name is well-known among many thousands of people, not all of them seasoned musicians. He has influenced the lives of many hundreds of young Australians…. Only a relatively small percentage of Australia’s many composers might boast such a profile, yet books on Australian music – even the more recent ones – have ignored Leek’s work, or at best, passed it of in one of two sentences.”Dr Helen Lancaster – Music Council of Australia
In Australia he has been Composer in Residence to numerous leading organisations such as the Sydney Children’s Choir / Gondwana Choirs, The St Peters Chorale, the National Music Camps Association of Australia (AYO), and the Eltham East Primary School Choir, that have defined new directions and pathways for Australian music. Leek has also be widely commissioned here and abroad with some of the most recent commissions including The Australian Voices (AUS), The Glen Ellen Children’s Choir (USA), The Adelaide Chorale (AUS), Eltham East Primary School Choir (AUS), SongBridge 2000 (Netherlands), Gondwana Choirs (AUS), the San Francisco Girls Chorus (USA), Taipei Male Choir (Taiwan), Sydney Male Choir (AUS) World Sun Songs Project (Latvia) Singapore Chamber Choir (Singapore) to name but a few. Having worked extensively at all levels of Australian and international music-making, Leek has devoted much of his time to generating workshops and repertoire that stimulates, excites and challenges the very youngest performers to seasoned professionals, putting performance practises and skills in place to enable all ages and skills levels to interpret, understand and appreciate the unique qualities of his music and other Australian composers.
“There exists an unspoken prejudice among certain professional musicians – composers, performers, critics, administrators, funding bodies – against music written for amateurs. Most believe that sort of activity to be beneath their dignity; some performers, (like actors) regard it as a risk to been seen and heard in the company of amateurs (and children and animals); critics and journalists, similarly, prefer not to be associated without the big names. For this reason Stephen Leek is not as widely known as he should be. Of course, Leek may have the last laugh, because there is a new generation of young musicians in Australia that would probably mention him first when asked to name a living composer.Leek doesn’t compose exclusively for amateurs, but it seems to be his preferred domain. Certainly he is expert at it, and the result of such expertise is to transcend the amateur tag altogether. Like Orff, Britten and Maxwell Davies – to name only three – Leek writes music for his young performers that is in the first place challenging, but soon turns out to be exceptionally grateful to sing; the difficulties can be overcome. And, like the other three composers’ music for non-professionals, Leeks’ sound more technically difficult than it really is. In other words, choirs do this music because it makes them sound good, and that’s not a bad reason.” Andrew Ford - Composer, Broadcaster, Commentator
From 1989 – 1996, with his improvisational vocal group vOiCeArT, Stephen Leek confronted the Australian music world head-on by throwing out wild challenges to the mainstream about the notion and practices of choral singing. In 1993 he was joint founder, and from 1997 – 2009 Artistic Director/Conductor, of The Australian Voices, an elite ensemble of young adult singers who, through their motivated commitment to the work of Australian composers, have significantly challenged and changed the landscape of choral music in Australia and taken Australian music to the most prestigious festivals and events around the globe. “The Australian Voices has led the way in shifting Australian choral music – and our perceptions of it – from the fringes to the mainstream. The fact that choral organisations all over Australia now regard it as core activity to promote, commission and perform Australian repertoire is in no small part due to the commitment and expertise of this wonderful organisation.”Graham Abbott - Conductor, Music Educator and Broadcaster
Among Stephen Leek’s array of personal accolades is the award in 2003 of the prestigious Robert Edler International Prize for Choral Music. Cited by an international jury for his ‘decisive influence’ on both the Australian music scene and the international choral community as a composer and conductor, Leek has been admitted into the pantheon of leading choral composers and conductors worldwide alongside Conductors Freider Bernius, Karmina Selic, Maria Guinaund and institutions such as the World Youth Choir. He has won numerous other national and international awards for his music including several Sounds Australian Awards, and in 2004, his work die dunkle Erde was selected by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to represent Australia at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Paris.
“The enormous range of Stephen Leek’s choral activities and the extraordinary quality of his composition work have made him one of the most interesting and promising of the rising generation of composers in the world today.” Dir. Dolf Rabus, International Federation of Choral Music, Director – Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition, Germany
In recent years Leek’s activities have expanded more on the international scene where he has been Composer in Residence at the Marktoberdorf Musik Akademy, Germany; Guest Conductor with the acclaimed Formosa Singers, Taiwan, The Crystal Choir, USA, Composer NOT in Residence with Choral Artists of San Francisco, and, Guest Conductor with the Singapore Ministry of Education, The Taiwan National Youth Choir, The Crystal Choir in the USA, guest composer at the Sun Music Festival in Riga, Latvia, a juror at the World Choir Games in Austria, and presenter at numerous music, education and choral Conferences around the world. His list of national and international commissions now reads like a list of “Who’s Who”. With his work regularly being performed by choirs and primarily amateur organisations around the world, Leek is arguably one of the most performed, yet largely ignored by the establishment in his own country. “Stephen Leek’s Uluru (from Great Southern Spirits) is one of the most compelling, electrifying new choral compositions I have heard.” Mark Gresham, Chorus! USA
Extended Biography
Stephen Leek was born in Sydney in 1959 but lived in Brisbane from 1964 - 69, and then most of his childhood years in Canberra. He was a late starter in music and although he briefly had some piano lessons as a child, he really did not come to music until into his teenage years. He was very fortunate to attend Melrose High School in Canberra - a school in the early 80’s noted for its creative music teaching under the enigmatic Mrs Gillian Bonham who was, (and still is), a great inspiration for many young musicians. While at high school Stephen received his first motivational break when he received a major role in Britten’s “The Golden Vanity” as part of the Canberra Winter Festival. From that time on he was completely engrossed and committed to the musical life of the school. He was a member of all the choirs and, having recently started taking percussion lessons, he also joined the school orchestra. It was when he was 14 that he had an opportunity to begin to learn the cello. For the next 10 years the cello became the centre of his instrumental life. Whilst still in high school Leek joined the busy musical world of the Canberra Children’s Choir under the direction of Gillian Bonham, and then the founder of the group, Composer and Conductor Judith Clingan. Under the influence of these two dynamic figures the musical activities revolved around the music of Australian and international modern composers, music theatre and performances of a very broad range of new and early music. It was nothing strange or different to be working with and performing the music of Don Banks, Donald Hollier, Larry Sitsky, Judy Clingan or even by other choristers. The activities of this time paved the way forward and stamped the future music directions that Stephen Leek was to take.Later in his teens, Stephen was heavily involved with numerous organisations around the Canberra arts scene. These included the Canberra Youth Orchestra, the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, the Canberra Repertory Theatre Company, The Canberra Opera, The Canberra Philharmonic Society etc. etc.. His interest in many different facets of music making became a feature of his activities. It was not until he was a student at Phillip College (Yr 11 and 12, now Canberra College) that Stephen took any real interest in composition, and this arose out of the fact that he was the only student in his drama class who had any musical experience or knowledge. He wrote, arranged, conducted and performed a vast amount of music for many college based plays and events, and thus began his interest in composition, conducting and in connecting music with many other art forms.After school, unsure of his future direction, Stephen took a year off and moved to Sydney to work in the Boulevard Hotel, Kings Cross, waiting on, and clearing tables. Here, he had the opportunity to learn many real-life skills and build up some sense of the outside world. It was at this time, clearing tables, that he decided what he really wanted to do with his life…. and it wasn’t in the hospitality industry. He returned to Canberra in 1979 and commenced a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Canberra School of Music. He commenced the course on cello, but this quickly opened out so that he would complete a double degree majoring in Cello Performance and Composition in 1983. His cello teacher was the legendary Australian, Nelson Cooke, and his composition teacher was the iconic Larry Sitsky - for whom he also worked for several years as a compositional assistant. While he was studying, Stephen Leek was a member of The Australian Youth Orchestra and attended several National Music Camps, and travelled internationally as part of that organisation. In 1983 he was awarded First Place in the National Cello Competition in Brisbane. Nearing the completion of his course, Stephen again looked for his future directions outside of the institution and attended a course in film composition at Film Australia, and also attended the Australia/New Zealand Choreographers and Composers Course in Melbourne. Under the direction of legendary American choreographer Glen Tetley and leading Australian composer Carl Vine, he worked with choreographers and dancers in an intensive and demanding working environment for the two-week duration of the course. These activities offered him an insight into the many aspects and demands of composition at a professional level and positive experiences working in dance and movement art forms.
After graduating in 1984 Stephen Leek moved to Sydney where he free-lanced as a cellist and as a composer - getting more work as a music copyist than anything else. As a music copyist he was able work for many of the active composers around Sydney including Colin Bright, Gillian Whitehead, Anne Boyd and others. He also worked as a music copyist and arranger for Musica Viva, ABC, and even the Midday Show. After establishing a base in Sydney, Leek applied for, and was offered the position of Composer/Musician to the Tasmanian Dance Company. He started work in Launceston, Tasmania, the following week. The two and a half years with the Tasmanian Dance Company proved to be a pivotal time as he was able to develop his compositional craft in collaboration with other artists, in workshop with a wide variety of community groups, and to develop his now sought after workshopping and leadership skills particularly working with young people. During this time he also wrote music for the company and worked with visiting choreographers from around Australia and overseas, as well as performing and workshopping with the touring company on a daily basis. It was also at this time that he (with members of the dance company) spent time in very isolated and devastatingly scenic parts of Tasmania - times and elements that are reflected in his work even today. Over the years that he lived and worked in Tasmania he made many friends and contacts amongst artists, writers, dancers, choreographers, teachers and other musicians. It was also at this time that he undertook many external residencies including the Mersey Valley Music Festival and for Musica Viva, and also participated in the ABC Composers School with the Adelaide Symphony orchestra, led by Stuart Challendar, Gerard Brophy and Don Kay.
On leaving Tasmania at the end of 1986 Stephen Leek returned to Sydney to establish his own free-lance composition practice. During the following 3 years he worked across the length and breadth of Australia. It was not until 1988 that he was given the opportunity to come to Brisbane to work in residence with Graeme Morton and the now legendary St Peters Chorale at St Peters Lutheran College, Indooroopilly, Brisbane. This was a very exciting time with Brisbane in full swing with EXPO88, and an emerging St Peters Chorale ripe for new and exciting things. It was during this residency that he decided to move his home base to Brisbane. Over the next 10 years he undertook 3 further and productive residencies with the St Peters Chorale. Since that time Stephen Leek has been in residence with numerous groups across Australia including National Music Camp Association of Australia, Sydney Boys Grammar School, Sydney Youth Orchestra, Alice Springs Singers, Arena Theatre Company in Melbourne, Contact Youth Theatre in Canberra, The Border Music Camp, Wangaratta, North Queensland Music School, Townsville, etc etc… and received many, many commissions from throughout Australia and the world.In 1989, Leek formed vOiCeArT - Australia’s first improvisation choir and worked on several projects including Dance Music Australia, New Music New Dance and began working on the Australian Music Centre Catalogues for schools and communities. Working with Graeme Morton resulted in the establishment ArtsNOW Australia - a community organisation for arts activities, (which eventually became The Australian Voices), the establishment of Morton Music, and the commencement of programs that took Australian music to the world, through tours, performances and through recordings. In 1999 Stephen Leek set up his own publishing house to publish and distribute the large body of his own unreleased compositions. Further information about publishing can be obtained by contacting the composer. Although not a qualified teacher, Stephen Leek has continually worked in schools and community groups across Australia over this time, and in 1994 was invited to teach composition and improvisation subjects at the Queensland Conservatorium.Stephen Leek continues to enjoy teaching and lecturing on a part-time basis so that he has time for his own compositions, The Australian Voices and his other projects. Over this time he has also created very firm on-going relationships with some of Australia’s leading ensembles which include The Australian Voices, Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana Voices, the Eltham East Primary School Choir in Melbourne, and The Hunter Singers in Newcastle - to name but a few. In recent years Stephen Leek and his music have been recognised through awards and accolades including the Sounds Australian National Award for the Most Distinguished Contribution to Fine Music by an Individual, and the Sounds Australian National Critics Award, several Sunnie Awards for recording, local and state awards, and in 2008 an APRA Classical Music Award for Best Composition by an Australian Composer.In 1997 Leek was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study and observe the work of composers working in various community settings across Europe. During this time he travelled extensively in the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Iceland observing other composers at work.In 2003 he joined the company of international choral luminaries Maria Guinand, Frieder Bernius, Tonu Kaljuste and the World Youth Choir when he was awarded the prestigious Robert Edler International Prize for Choral Music by an international jury of choral musicians. In most recent years he has undertaken Composer Residencies and guest conducting roles in numerous countries around the world including Germany, the USA, Singapore and Taiwan. Leek has also been active as a juror on panels around the globe including in 2008 a member of the international jury at the 5th World Choir Games in Austria. In 2008 Leek was involved in an important project in Latvia, called “World Sun Songs”. Working with one the world’s finest chamber choirs Kamer… (from Latvia, under the direction of Maris Sirmais), 17 of the finest choral composers from throughout the world were commissioned and then brought together in Latvia, to celebrate their works in performance, broadcast, documentation and CD recording. Other composers involved in the project included Peteris Vask, Jiri Kanceli, Alberto Grau, Vitautus Miskinis, Leonard Desyatnikov, Urmas Sisask, Polina Medyulyanova, Sven-David Sandstrom, John Tavener, Ko Matsushita, Dobrinka Tabakova and others. Stephen Leek continues to lead a hectic schedule of commissions, conducting opportunities, workshops, and performances with The Australian Voices across Australia and throughout the world.Stephen Leek CV
Born
Sydney, October 8, 1959Schools
Chermside State School, Brisbane, Queensland, Year 2
Campbell Primary School, Canberra, ACT, 1969 Year 3
Torrens Primary School, CAnberra, ACT, Yr 4,5,6
Melrose High School, Canberra, ACT, Yr 7 - 10
Phillip College (now Canberra College), Canberra, ACT, Yr 11 – 12
University
Canberra School of Music, Australian National University, Canberra, ACTEarly Music experiences include:
Canberra Symphony Orchestra
Canberra Opera
Canberra Philharmonic
Canberra Chorale
Canberra Children’s Choir
Canberra Youth Orchestra
The Australian Youth Orchestra
Canberra Children’s Choir
Canberra Repertory Society
ANU Choral SocietyPersonal Awards
Best Producer (NSW High School Drama Festival)
First Place (Canberra Youth Orchestra Composition Competition)
Robert Edler International Choral Prize (Germany)
Most Outstanding Contribution to Australian Music by an Individual (APRA Sounds Australian National Awards)
Best Composition (4MBSFM Awards)
Best Composition (4 MBSFM Awards)
Best Choral Work ((APRA Sounds Australian National Awards)
Inaugural Winner Australian Opera Awards
Churchill Fellow
Centenary of Federation Award
Employers
Wellington Hotel, Canberra (1978)
Boulevard Hotel, Sydney (1978)
Tasmanian Dance Company (1984 – 86)
Queensland Conservatorium of Music (1992 – 2009)
Professional Memberships
Australian Music Centre - Former Board Member
Australia Performing Rights Association
Australian Musicians Union
Music Council of Australia - Former Board Member
International Federation of Choral Music - Board member
Australian National Choral Association National Councillor
Residencies (a sampling only – too numerous to mention)
Composer/ Musician in Residence – Tasmanian Dance Company (3 years)
National Music Camp Association (AYO) 1990 – 92
St Peters Lutheran College, Brisbane (4 occasions)
Arena Theatre Company, Melbourne
Ausdance
Contact Youth Theatre, Brisbane
Canberra Youth Theatre
Brisbane Church Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School
The Hunter Singers, Newcastle
Sydney Youth Orchestra
Brisbane Grammar School
Eltham East Primary School
Marktoberdorf Musik Akademy, Germany
Sun Songs Festival - Latvia
Participated as a student at
Australia New Zealand Choreographers and Composers School
ABC Young Composers School (Adelaide Symphony Orchestra)
Australian Film and Television School Seminars
Participated as a presenter at: (samples only as there re too many to mention)
International Society for Music Education Conference (several times)
Australian Society for Music Education National Conference (several times)
Australian National Choral Association National Conference (numerous times)
Kodaly Society National Conference
Dalcroze Association
Australian National Dance Conference
International Symposium on Choral Music IFCM (several times)
American Choral Directors Conference
World Choir Games - Austria
Canberra International Music Festival
West Australian Music Teachers Association
Karl Orff Society National Conference
Taipei International Festival, Taiwan
Come Out Festival
En Lace Festival, Guatemala
Community Music Association Conference, COMA, London
Singapore Ministry for Education
World Choir Games - China
National Youth Choir of Taiwan
Australian Music Teachers Association National Conference
Queensland Music Festival
Australian String Teachers Association National Conference
International Songbridge Festival
Commissions (sample only as there are too many to mention)
Opera Queensland
Gaudeamus
The Australian Voices
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Eltham East Primary School Choir
St Peters Chorale, St Peters Lutheran College
St Peters Lutheran College
Sydney Children’s Choir
Gondwana Voices
Kur-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra
The Hunter Singers
Adelaide Chorale
Sydney Grammar School
North Sydney Girls School
St Catherine’s Girls School, Sydney
Australian Society for Music Education
International Songbridge Festival, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Doreen Rao – Glenn Ellyn Childrens Choir
Leeds Girls School
Brisbane Grammar School
Church of England Grammar School, Brisbane
Ballarat Youth Voices
Melbourne Chorale
Australian Broadcasting Commission
Geelong Grammar School
Ballarat Grammar School
Musica Viva
The Song Company
Sydney Conservatorium
Queensland Conservatorium
Brisbane Festival
The Armidale School
Singapore Youth Choir
Choir Kamer… Latvia
Woden Valley Youth Choir
International Handbell Association
Queensland Music Festival
Canberra School of Music
Music For Everyone, Canberra
Betty Wakell- Bunkley Memorial Trust
Australian Federation Committee
MusicaNova Festival
Sydney Male Choir
Australian Boys Choir
Taipei Male Choir
Choral Artists of SanFranciso
Three Choirs Festival
etc…..
Workshops include: (a sampling as they are too numerous to mention)
Deloraine Primary School, Tasmania
Narrabundah College, Canberra
Brighton High School, Adelaide
Eltham East Primary School, Melbourne
Border Music Camp, Wangaratta
Camp Creative, Lismore
South Queensland Creative Music Camp (Director)
Summer Music School, Canberra (Director)
North Queensland Creative Music Camp (Administrator)
West Australian Music Teachers Association
Ayr State School, Queensland
Royal Melbourne Philharmonia Choir
The Australian Voices Festival
Moreton Bay College, Brisbane
Geelong Children’s Choir
Melbourne High School, Melbourne
Australian Army Band
St Patricks College, Mackay
The Cathedral School, Townsville
Melbourne Chorale
Townsville Grammar School, Townsville
Cairns State High School
Moranbah State School, Moranbah
Canterbury College, Brisbane
Newcastle Performing Arts High School
St Rita’s School, Gold Coast
Leeds School for Girls, Leeds, UK
St Albans School, UK
San Francisco State University
Fresno State University
Silicon Valley High School, USA
Long Beach State University
Taiwan (throughout Taiwan)
Taipei Arts University
Mackay Conservatorium
Newcastle Conservatorium
Victorian College of the Arts
Melbourne University
Monash University
La Trobe University
James Cook University
University of Southern Cross
Mapleton Community Choir
Townsville Youth Voices
Board Membership
The Australian Music Centre
The Australian Music Council
ArtsNOW Australia
The Australian Voices Ensemble Limited
International Federation of Choral Music (current)
Australian National Choral Association (current)
Directorship
The Australian Voices 16 years (13 Years Artistic Director– 3 years as Manager)
South Queensland Creative Music Camp (Director)
Summer Music School, Canberra (Director)
The Australian Voices Festival (13 Years)
Prizes and awards (as Conductor of The Australian Voices)
The Most Outstanding Contribution to Australian Music in a Regional Area
Sunny Recording Awards (two)
World Choir Games – China 2006,
Contemporary Music – GOLD
Sacred Music – GOLD
Chamber Choir - SILVER
Llangollen International Eisteddfod, Wales 2001
Chamber Choir – FIRST PLACE
Open Choir – FIRST PLACE
Folk Music – SECOND PLACE
Choir of the World Competition – Finalist
Bela Bartok International Choral Competition, Hungary
Chamber Choir – Major Prize
Folk Music – Major Prize
