Media
Comments about Stephen Leek
“Stephen Leek has no equal in Australian music. He is undoubtedly the leading voice of Australian choral music, steering its development since his earliest choral works. His powerful influence has given choirs, and conductors alike, the confidence to sing, celebrate and perform Australian works. For my part, I can confidently say that Stephen’s work has been the single most powerful influence on my career. Stephen Leek is as much an outstanding conductor and artistic director as he is a composer. The Australian Voices are a choir unmatched in the country for their energy, musicality and unity of sound. Congratulations to Stephen and the remarkable singers of The Australian Voices for 15 years of leadership, artistry, commitment and integrity.”
Lyn Williams – Artistic Director / Conductor, The Gondwana Voices, Sydney
“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
“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
“Thank you for the inspiration you have instilled in these kids.”
Kristen Symes, Middle School Choir Director, Singapore American School
“Stephen and The Australian Voices have always been an inspiration to me for their fierce commitment, fantastically tight singing, original and exciting choral music. The music world is richer for their contribution!”
Jan Baker-Finch - Eurythmist, educator
“What sounds you inspire! What clarity of text! What a fabulous week!”
Phillip Green, Singapore American School
“Stephen (Leek) is an inspirational director and composer who has redefined what it means to be involved in choirs in Australia.”
Kim Sutherland – Conductor The Hunter Singers, Newcastle
Robert Edler Prize for Choral music goes to Stephen Leek
The winner of the prestigious Robert Edler Prize for Choral Music has, for the first time, been awarded to a composer, Stephen Leek. Born in Sydney in 1959, Stephen Leek is well known and admired in choral circles throughout the world, as a composer and also as founder, artistic director and conductor of The Australian Voices.
Now in its tenth year, this acclaimed young mixed choral ensemble comprises mostly students aged from 17 - 26. They perform exclusively new music, almost all of it by Australian composers. In May they launched their seventh CD, ‘Voices Live’ all released and distributed on their own house label. In 1996, they were the official Australian representatives at the 4th World Symposium on Choral Music. Subsequent awards have included major prizes at the Bela Bartok International Choral Competition in Hungary in 1998. In 2001, they were awarded multiple first prizes at the Internatioanl Choral Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales.
In choosing the 44 year old Stephen Leek, the Edler jury acknowledges the decisive influence he has had on Australian music. In a unique way, the jury announced, Stephen Leek has combined various elements and themes from Australia under the influence of Aboriginal music, creating a multi-faceted, modern and impressive sound experience.
The jury comprises leading figures of the choral world: Royce Saltzman (USA), Mitsukazu Suwaki (Japan), Erkki Pohjola (Finland), Peter Erdei (Hungary), and Dolf Rabus (Germany).
The Edler Prize for Choral Music is meant to draw attention to and honour a person, choir or institution who or which has had a decisive influence on the international choral world or who has gained international acclaim for interpretation or the composition of an extraordinary choral work. Past winners have been Toonu Kaljuste from Estonia (1999), Maria Guinand from Venezuela (2000), Frieder Bernius from Stuttgart (2001), and The World Youth Choir (2002).
Coincidentally, the award was announced just as Stephen Leek and The Australian Voices left their base in Brisbane for their fourth tour of Europe. In the coming weeks, they will perform in Germany, Poland and The Czech Republic.
Gramophone Online, June 19, 2003
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 be 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 Australian 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 because it makes them sound good, and thats not a bad reason. Andrew Ford (24 Hours Magazine)
Listener Feedback from ABC FM listeners regarding the Stephen Leek interviews on Keys to Music with Graham Abbott.
Message: I really enjoyed the program today on Stephen Leek. It was good to hear of Australian music. He is such a humble man. He reaches out to ordinary choirs. As our conductor for a Term in 2007 he put so much energy into a little over 50s choir at Mapleton - a tiny Australian village- he deserves to be Australian of the Year! Keep on promoting him as someone who lives the essence of what it is to be an Australian and as one who can express it for others in an art form.
Message: As a Canberran it was a great delight to hear the interview with Stephen Leek on Saturday 17th January. I have followed his musical progress for about 16 years now and I was so pleased that he duly acknowledged the influence of the redoubtable Judith Clingan during the program.
Message: I’m a perpetual Classic FM listener as you know, and love your presentations on Saturday mornings. This morning was especially interesting with Steven Leek - I was part of the workshop that you conducted with him, all these years ago - happy memories!
Message: That was a wonderful program with Stephen Leek. Such exciting music. Thank you for a glorious start to the day…as always. Would you be able to tell me if the first piece in particular (I don’t remember the exact name, but you played the last movement) has been recorded and if so where I can buy it?