Peter McNamara
Peter McNamara (b. 1980) was born and educated in Sydney’s outer western suburbs is gaining a reputation as one of Australia's emerging talents. In 2003 he graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium with a Bachelor of Music Honours Class I degree, followed by a Masters of Music degree specialising in composition in 2006. During the completion of these degrees he studied with Bozidar Kos, Michael Smetanin and Trevor Pearce. He is also currently completing a PhD degree at the Sydney Conservatorium.
McNamara’s works have been performed by several major orchestras and ensembles in Australia and overseas including Ensemble Modern, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Insomnio, Orchestra Victoria, Ensemble Offspring, Tokyo Sinfonietta, Ensemble Nomad and the ‘Stroma’ Ensemble. His work has been performed at many international events including the 2008 and 2010 ISCM World New Music Days conferences in Lithuania and Sydney, the 2008 and 2009 Gaudeamus Music Weeks in Amsterdam, the 30th anniversary concert of the Irino Foundations in 2010 held in Tokyo and the 2007 Asia Pacific Festival in New Zealand. His work The Styx for chamber orchestra and solo percussion was commercially released on CD in 2009 recorded by Claire Edwards and the Kammerklang Chamber Orchestra.
McNamara has received many awards including the 2009 Sydney Conservatorium 101 Young Composers Award (Duo-Charged), the Sibelius Emerging Composer Commission in 2008 (The German Hills), the 2008 2MBS-FM composition award for Orchestra (Modes of Deception), the 2007 Betty Amsden Award in the 3MBS-FM National Composer Awards for Orchestra (Auftauchen der Nacht) and second place in the Asian Composers League Young Composers Awards (Landscape of Diffracted Colours). McNamara also received a High Credit from the Lepo Sumera International Composition Contest in 2003 for his orchestral work Shadows of Fallacy.
McNamara’s work for Chamber Orchestra, Die Nacht fällt, was premiered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2003 and was also broadcast live on ABC Classic FM as part of the 21st Century Australian Composer’s Program. His work Die Nacht kommt was premiered by Orchestra Victoria in 2005 as part of the Symphony Australia Composer Development Program. His works have also been performed at several major events including the official re-opening of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2001 where his orchestral work Bruit Nuages was premiered by the Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra and subsequently broadcast on Radio.
McNamara’s work Krazny for Trombone and Electronics was performed at the official opening of the Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2005 and he became the inaugural composer-in-residence at the Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2006. During this residency McNamara was mentored by Dr. Matthew Hindson AM and his work
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