WENDY SUITER

Wendy was born a Scorpio in 1954, in Caulfield, on Bunarong land, in Victoria, Australia. She is currently residing in Australia.

Although Wendy studied Classical Guitar throughout secondary school, she went on to study economics and mathematics, which lead to research and policy work in women’s services and later work in labour economics and financial management. However, in her mid thirties she decided to follow her passion for music, through formal study of composition. After returning to private lessons in flute and music theory, she successfully auditioned for entry to Bachelor of Music at La Trobe University, chosen because of its emphasis on composition rather than performance.

After majoring in instrumental and electronic music composition at La Trobe University Wendy completed her Honours year at Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide. She is currently working towards a Master of Creative Arts in electronic music composition at University of Wollongong.

Her work has been performed in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and the Flinders Ranges in a wide variety of settings from art galleries, dedicated concert spaces, to cafes and outdoor performances. Her professional achievements to date include the soundscapes to accompany an art exhibition at 69 Smith Street, publication of a brass work Paul Keating by Redhouse Press, and the broadcast on ABC Classic FM of her piano trio Carlin, performed by Rachel Atkinson, Isin Cakmakcioglu, Danae Killian. Wendy has been proud to perform several of her works on a number of occasions with singers Judy Pile and Justine Anderson.

As a community musician, Wendy has been Musical Director of POW Circus, Melbourne, and Composer in Residence at the Jika Jika Community Centre, Melbourne, and regular workshop presenter at the Darebin Music Feast where participants have been playing her music for the Federation Bells.

Wendy is primarily concerned with using the timbral qualities of instruments to inform the ideas of the works. She has been influenced by the intellectual rigour of both counterpoint and serial techniques, but is searching for a way to include the passion of the Romantics through the use of ‘grand gesture’ and melodic motifs.
She believes that art music should engage with the real world, removing itself from its self proclaimed rarefied atmosphere separate from our every day lives.

email: wsuiter@shoal.net.au

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