Andrew Ford (born 1957) is an English-born Australian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, writer and

radio presenter A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a rad ...

, known for '' The Music Show'' on

Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors a ...

Biography

Andrew Ford was born in 1957 in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, UK. Ford was composer-in-residence with the

Australian Chamber Orchestra The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975.Verghis, Sharon"Bach with more bite pays off" ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 2 September 2005. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appo ...

(1992–94), held the

Peggy Glanville-Hicks Peggy Winsome Glanville-Hicks (29 December 191225 June 1990) was an Australian composer and music critic. Biography Peggy Glanville Hicks, born in Melbourne, first studied composition with Fritz Hart at the Albert Street Conservatorium in M ...

Composer Fellowship from 1998 to 2000 and was awarded a two-year fellowship by the Music Board of the

Australia Council for the Arts The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

for 2005 to 2006. He was appointed composer-in-residence at the Australian National Academy of Music in 2009. Beyond composing, Ford has been an academic in the Faculty of Creative Arts at the

University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (abbreviated as UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. As of 2017, the university had an enrolment of ...

(1983–95). He has written widely on music and published seven books. He wrote, presented and co-produced the radio series ''Illegal Harmonies'', ''Dots on the Landscape'' and ''Music and Fashion''. Since 1995 he has presented '' The Music Show'' on ABC

. Ford studied at

Lancaster University Lancaster University (legally The University of Lancaster) is a public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several pla ...

with Edward Cowie and John Buller.

Selected works

Music theatre

*''Poe'', opera (1983, premiered 1985,

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

) *''Whispers'' for tenor and chamber orchestra (1990) *''Casanova Confined'' for baritone and backing track (1995) *''Night and Dreams: The Death of Sigmund Freud'' for tenor and backing track (1999) *'' Rembrandt's Wife'', opera (2007–2009)

Orchestral

*Concerto for Orchestra (1980) *''The Big Parade'' (1986) *''Manhattan Epiphanies'' for string orchestra (1999) *''The Furry Dance'' (1999) *''Scenes from Bruegel'' for chamber orchestra (2006) *''Headlong'' (2006) *Symphony (2008) *''Bright Shiners'' for string orchestra (2009) *''Blitz'' for orchestra, (optional) chorus and pre-recorded voices (2011)

Concertos

*Piano Concerto: ''Imaginings'' (1991) *''The Great Memory'' for cello and orchestra (1994) *''The Unquiet Grave'' for viola and chamber orchestra (1997–1998) *''Raga'' for electric guitar and orchestra (2015–2016)

Vocal and choral

*''A Martian Sends a Postcard Home'' for tenor, horn and piano (1986) *''Wassails and Lullabies'' for SATB choir and percussion (1989), recorded by

ABC Classics ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

*''Harbour'' for tenor and string orchestra (1992) *''The Past'' for counter-tenor, flute and string orchestra (with ad lib didgeridoo) (1997), a setting of Oodgeroo Noonuccal's poem 'The Past' and excerpts from James Cook's ship's log *''Learning to Howl'' for soprano, clarinet/sax, harp and percussion (2001) *''Tales of the Supernatural'' for folk singer and string quartet (2002) *''An die Musik'' for SATB choir (2005) *''Elegy in a Country Graveyard'' for SATB choir, brass or concert band (flexible instrumentation) and pre-recorded voices and instruments (2007) *''Domestic Advice'' for soprano and piano (2007) *''A Singing Quilt'' for SATB choir, percussion ensemble and pre-recorded voices (2008) *''Willow Songs: six poems of Anne Stevenson'' for soprano, mezzo-soprano and mixed ensemble (2009) *''Waiting for the Barbarians'' for large chorus (2011), based on the poem by

Constantine P. Cavafy Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Πέτρου Καβάφης ; April 29 (April 17, OS), 1863 – April 29, 1933), known, especially in English, as Constantine P. Cavafy and often published as C. P. Cavafy (), was a Gree ...

*''Last Words'',

song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice ...

for

piano trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of m ...

and soprano (2013 premiered by Anna Goldsworthy, Seraphim Trio,

Jane Sheldon Jane Sheldon is a Sydney-born Australian soprano, largely based in New York City. She was nominated for the 2013 ARIA Award for ARIA Award for Best Classical Album, Best Classical Album for the album ''North + South'' which was recorded with Genev ...

) *''The Drowners'' for baritone and chamber orchestra (2015) *''Missa brevis'' for SATB choir and organ (2015) *''Comeclose and Sleepnow'' for singer and jazz ensemble (2016), to words by

Adrian Henri Adrian Henri (10 April 1932 – 20 December 2000) was a British poet and painter best remembered as the founder of poetry-rock group the Liverpool Scene and as one of three poets in the best-selling anthology '' The Mersey Sound'', along with ...

Brian Patten Brian Patten (born 7 February 1946) is an English poet and author. He came to prominence in the 1960s as one of the Liverpool poets, and writes primarily lyrical poetry about human relationships. His famous works include "Little Johnny's Confessi ...

and Roger McGough

Ensemble

*Chamber Concerto No 3: ''In Constant Flight'' for solo violin and ensemble (1988) *''Ringing the Changes'' for piccolo, bass clarinet and piano (1990) *''Pastoral'' for string octet (1991) *''Tattoo'' for 12 timpani (6 players) and 4 pianos (1998) *''Icarus Drowning'' (1998) *Chamber Concerto No. 4 (2002) *''Sad Jigs'' for string quintet (2005) *''A Reel, a Fling and a Ghostly Galliard (String Quartet No 2)'' (2006) *''Oma kodu'' for clarinet and string quartet (2006) *''Nine Fantasies about Brahms'' for piano trio (2009) *''On Winter's Traces'' for piccolo, bass clarinet, piano and string quartet (2009) for the 30th anniversary of the Australia Ensemble *''The Rising'' (2010) for the Black Dyke Band *''The Scattering of Light'' for piano quartet (2010) commissioned to mark the centenary of the University of Queensland *String Quartet No 3 (2012) for the Brodsky Quartet *String Quartet No 4 (2012) for the NOISE String Quartet *String Quartet No 5 (2013) for the Australian String Quartet *''Uproar'' for 11 trombones and four bass drums (2013) *''Common Ground'' for two string quartets (2014) *''Contradance'' for 11 players (2015)

Instrumental

*''Like Icarus ascending'' for solo violin (1984) *''Swansong'' for solo viola (1987) *''Spinning'' for solo alto flute (1988) *''The Very End of Harvest'' for viola and piano (2000) *''The Waltz Book'' (60 one-minute waltzes for solo piano, 2002; commissioned by Ian Munro) *''War and Peace'' for violin and percussion (2004) *''Chorales from an Ox Life'' for viola and double bass (2007) *''Folly'' for solo piano (2007) *''You Must Sleep, but I Must Dance'' for viola and percussion (2010) *''On Reflection'' for two pianos (2012) *''Once upon a time there were two brothers...''for flute and voice (2013)

Radiophonic

*''Deirdre of the Sorrows'' (1989) *''Elegy in a Country Graveyard'' (2007)

Awards and nominations

Ford's awards include the 2004 Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize (for ''Learning to Howl''), the 2003 Jean Bogan Prize (for ''The Waltz Book'') and the 2012 Albert H. Maggs Composition Award for his work ''Rauha''. His works ''Blitz'' and ''Willow Songs'' were both shortlisted for the 2013 Paul Lowin Prizes, ''Last Words'' was shortlisted for the 2016 Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize, and his radiophonic work ''Elegy in a Country Graveyard'' was shortlisted for the 2007 Prix Italia. He has also had nominations and awards in the Art Music Awards, formerly known as Classical Music Awards (for details see below).Andrew Ford : Represented Artist

Australian Music Centre The Australian Music Centre (AMC), formerly known briefly as Sounds Australian, is a national organisation promoting and supporting art music in Australia, founded in 1974. It co-hosts the Art Music Awards along with APRA AMCOS, and publishes '' ...

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

(APRA). They include the Art Music Awards (until 2009 Classical Music Awards) which are distributed by APRA and the

(AMC). , - , 2004 , , ''Learning to Howl'' – Ford , , Best Composition by an Australian Composer , , , - ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, , ''Tales of the Supernatural'' – Ford – Australian String Quartet, Jane Edwards , , Vocal or Choral Work of the Year , , , - , 2008 , , Ford , , Outstanding Contribution by an Individual , , , - , 2009 , , ''Learning to Howl'' – Ford – Arcko Symphonic Project , , Best Performance of an Australian Composition , , , - ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, , ''A Dream of Drowning'' – Ford –

West Australian Symphony Orchestra The West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Perth, Western Australia. Its principal concert venue is the Perth Concert Hall. WASO also gives concerts at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre. , W ...

, , Work of the Year – Orchestral , , , - ,

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 fact ...

, , ''Blitz'' – Ford –

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). History The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestr ...

, , Work of the Year – Orchestral , , , - , rowspan="2", 2014 , , ''Last Words'' – Ford – Jane Sheldon and the Seraphim Trio , , Work of the Year – Vocal/Choral , , , - , ''String Quartet No. 5'' – Ford – Australian String Quartet , , Work of the Year – Instrumental , ,

Bibliography

*''Composer to Composer: Conversations about Contemporary Music'' (paperback 1993, , hardback 1993, , 2nd edition paperback 1997, ) *''Illegal Harmonies: Music in the 20th Century'' (hardback 1997, , 2nd edition paperback 2002, ) *''Undue Noise: Words about Music'' (paperback 2002, ) *''Speaking in Tongues: The Songs of Van Morrison'' by Martin Buzacott and Andrew Ford (paperback 2005, ) *''In Defence of Classical Music'' (hardback 2005, ) *''The Sound of Pictures: listening to the movies from Hitchcock to High Fidelity'' (paperback 2010, ) *''Illegal Harmonies: Music in the Modern Age'' (expanded 3rd edition paperback 2011, ) *''Try Whistling This: writings about music'' (paperback 2012, ) *''Earth Dances: music in search of the primitive'' (paperback 2015, ) *''The Memory of Music'', Black Inc (2017, )

References

Sources * Joyce Morgan: "A Composer's Subterranean Half-century", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 15 March 2007 *''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music'', 4th edition (1996). New York: Oxford University Press. Notes

External links

*
''The Music Show''
ABC Radio National {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Andrew 1957 births 20th-century classical composers 20th-century English composers 21st-century classical composers APRA Award winners Australian classical composers Australian male classical composers Australian music critics Classical music radio presenters English classical composers English emigrants to Australia English male classical composers English music critics English writers Living people Alumni of Lancaster University Alumni of Cartmel College, Lancaster Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia ABC radio (Australia) journalists and presenters Winners of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians