Amy Dickson (born 1982) is an Australian
classical saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
player.
Early life
Dickson was born in Sydney. She began to play piano at the age of two, and saxophone at the age of six.
She initially played 'some jazz' in her youth, but eventually focused her saxophone training entirely on the classical repertoire.
She made her concerto debut at age 16, playing the ''Concerto pour Saxophone Alto'' by
Pierre Max Dubois
Pierre Max Dubois, sometimes given as Pierre-Max Dubois (1 March 1930 – 29 August 1995) was a French composer of classical music, conductor, and music educator. He was a student of Darius Milhaud, and though not widely popular, was respected ...
, with Henryk Pisarek and the
Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra. Dickson became a recipient of the James Fairfax Australian Young Artist of the Year. She subsequently moved to London, where she took the Jane Melber Scholarship to study at the
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...
with
Kyle Horch. She also has studied at the
Conservatorium van Amsterdam
The Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) is a Dutch conservatoire of music located in Amsterdam. This school is the music division of the Amsterdam University of the Arts, the city's vocational university of arts. The Conservatorium van Amsterdam ...
with Arno Bornkamp.
During this time, she became the first saxophonist to win the Gold Medal at the Royal Overseas League Competition, the
ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards, and the Prince's Prize. Amy's UK studies were supported by a grant from the
Tait Memorial Trust.
Career
In 2005 and 2011, Dickson performed for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings at the Teatru Manoel in Valletta, Malta, and the Perth Concert Hall, Australia. She has also performed at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, St James’ Palace in London and for former Australian Prime Minister John Howard at Parliament House, Canberra. In October 2013, Dickson won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Classic Brits awards, the first saxophonist to be so honoured.
Dickson has commissioned new works from such composers as
Brett Dean
Brett Dean (born 23 October 1961) is an Australian composer, violist and conductor.
Biography
Brett Dean was born, raised and educated in Brisbane. He started learning violin at the age of eight, and later studied viola with Elizabeth Morgan ...
,
Ross Edwards (composer),
Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Joshua Sculthorpe (29 April 1929 – 8 August 2014) was an Australian composer. Much of his music resulted from an interest in the music of countries neighboring Australia as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of Aborigin ...
,
Graham Fitkin
Graham Fitkin (born 19 April 1963) is a British composer, pianist and conductor. His compositions fall broadly into the minimalist and postminimalist genres. Described by ''The Independent'' in 1998 as "one of the most important of our younger co ...
,
Steve Martland
Steve Martland (10 October 1954 – 7 May 2013) was an English composer. He helped to curate the Factory Classical label of Factory Records, featuring contemporary British composers.
Life and music
Martland was born in Liverpool, and studied co ...
,
Huw Watkins and
Matthew Hindson.
She has also arranged concertante works by
Philip Glass and
John Tavener
Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious works. Among his best known works are '' The Lamb'' (1982), ''The Protecting Veil'' (1988), and '' Song ...
, originally composed for other solo instruments, for saxophone.
Now resident in London, she is an ambassador of the Australian Children’s Music Foundation and of The Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts.
Discography
Albums
Awards and nominations
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
History
The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...
) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
, -
,
AIR Awards of 2013
, ''Catch Me If You Can''
, Best Independent Classical Album
,
, -
,
AIR Awards of 2015
The AIR Awards of 2015 (or Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards of 2015) is the tenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at The Meat Market, North Me ...
, ''Island Songs''
, Best Independent Classical Album
,
, -
,
AIR Awards of 2020
The 2020 AIR Awards was the fourteenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards ceremony (generally known as the AIR Awards). It took place on 1 October 2020 in Adelaide.
The nominations were revealed on 7 July 20 ...
, ''In Circles''
, Best Independent Classical Album
,
, -
ARIA Music Awards
The
ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of
Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
!
, -
,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, ''Catch Me If You Can'' (with
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008.
The MSO relies on f ...
)
, rowspan="3" ,
Best Classical Album
,
, rowspan="2" ,
[ARIA Award previous winners. ]
, -
,
2015
, ''Island Songs'' (with
Sydney Symphony Orchestra)
,
, -
,
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
, ''Ross Edwards: Frog and Star Cycle / Symphonies 2 & 3''
(with
Colin Currie
Colin David Currie (born 25 September 1976) is a Scottish virtuoso percussionist. He is the founder and leader of the Colin Currie Group, an ensemble dedicated to performing and recording the music of Steve Reich.
Biography Early years
Col ...
,
Lothar Koenigs
Lothar Koenigs (born 1965 in Aachen, Germany) is a German conductor.
Biography
Koenigs grew up in Aachen, in West Germany; as a young boy, he was a chorister at Aachen Cathedral, where he sang all of Anton Bruckner's masses and motets, and dev ...
,
Yvonne Kenny,
David Zinman
David Zinman (born July 9, 1936, in Brooklyn, NY) is an American conductor and violinist.
Education
After violin studies at Oberlin Conservatory, Zinman studied theory and composition at the University of Minnesota, earning his M.A. in 1963. H ...
,
Sydney Symphony Orchestra,
Markus Stenz
Markus Stenz (born 28 February 1965, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate) is a German conductor. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik Köln with Volker Wangenhein and at Tanglewood with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa.
Stenz has ...
&
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008.
The MSO relies on f ...
)
,
,
References
External links section
Official website of Amy Dickson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Amy
1982 births
Living people
Australian saxophonists
Classical saxophonists
Women saxophonists
21st-century saxophonists
People educated at Redlands, Cremorne