PETER McNAMARA

Peter McNamara (b. 1980) was born and educated in Sydney’s outer western suburbs. 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 was awarded the Doris Burnett Ford scholarship for composition in 2001, the Elaine McGaghern scholarship in 2004 and 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 the premiere of Landscape of Diffracted Colours for mixed ensemble and electronics by the ‘STROMA’ ensemble at the 2007 Asia Pacific Festival in Wellington, New Zealand. This work was also performed by ‘Ensemble Modern’ in Frankfurt during 2008, has been selected for performance at the ‘2008 Gaudeamus Music Week’ and the ‘2008 ISCM World Music Days’ conference in Lithuania. Landscape of Diffracted Colours was also awarded 2nd Prize in the Asian Composers League Young Composer Competition.

His orchestral work Auftauchen der Nacht was awarded the 2007 Betty Amsden award in the 3MBS-FM National Composer Awards, as well as the 2004 WSOC 2MBS-FM APRA encouragement award and was broadcast on 3MBS-FM and 2MBS-FM as a result. McNamara also received a High Credit from the Lepo Sumera International Composition Contest in 2003 for his orchestral work Shadows of Fallacy. His work for Chamber Orchestra, Die Nacht fallt, was premiered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2003. This work was also broadcast live on ABC Classic FM as part of the 21st Century Australian Composer’s Program supervised by Georges Lentz and Brett Dean. His work Die Nacht kommt was premiered by Orchestra Victoria in 2005 as part of the Symphony Australia Composer Development Program with Richard Mills.

McNamara’s works have 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 ABC Classic FM. 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 and his work for small orchestra The Dividing Ranges was premiered at the Aurora Festival, and subsequently by the Stonnington Symphony Orchestra in Melbourne. He is currently teaching composition and theory for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and Sydney Conservatorium High School.

prestissimomusic@yahoo.com.au

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