Katy Abbott (born 1971) is an 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 ...

. Abbott writes music for orchestra, chamber ensemble and voice. Her work reflects her interests in contemporary Australian cultures and often explores notions of home, place, humour and connection.

Biography

Abbott's compositions have been broadcast and performed in the UK, Europe, Asia and the US and featured in Australian and International music festivals including the International Alliance of Women in Music (IAWM) conference in Beijing the International Rostrum of Composers in Wroclaw, Poland, and the Melbourne, Perth and Canberra International Festivals. Abbott studied with Stuart Greenbaum,

Brenton Broadstock Brenton Thomas Broadstock (born 1952) is an Australian composer. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day in 2014 for "significant service to music as a composer, educator and mentor". Biography Broadstock was b ...

and Linda Kouvaras at University of Melbourne, where she completed her PhD in 2008. Several of Abbott's compositions have appeared on the

AMEB The Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) is a federated, privately funded corporation which provides a program of examinations for music, speech and drama in Australia. The organisation had its beginnings at the Universities of Melbourne ...

and ANZCA syllabi. Her compositions are published by Reed Music, Promethean Editions (NZ), the Australian Music Centre and Morton Music. Abbott is currently based in Melbourne and holds the post of Lecturer in Composition at

Melbourne Conservatorium of Music The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music is the music school at the University of Melbourne and part of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne City Centre on the Southbank campus of the University of Melbourne. Degree ...

, University of Melbourne.

Selected works

Orchestral

* 2014 ''Introduced Species'' for orchestra, commissioned by

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 ...

together with Albert H. Maggs Award * 2012 ''Life Is But A Dream'' for orchestra, commissioned Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra * 2009 ''The Peasant Prince'' for narrator and orchestra, commissioned

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian performing arts organisation comprising 75 full-time musicians, established in 1936. Based in Adelaide, South Australia, the orchestra's primary performance venue is the Adelaide Town Ha ...

and Symphony Australia * 2001 ''Before the Beginning, After the End'' for string orchestra, composed for the 50th birthday of

Chamber

* 2017 ''Hidden Thoughts: Reality's Near Edge'', for The Song Company an
Syzygy Ensemble
(12 musicians) * 2017 ''Earth Lullaby'', for Shakuhatchi and String Quartet * 2017 U''n''dercu''r''renT II, for trumpet in Bb, trombone, electric guitar and loop pedals * 2015 ''Re-echo'', for vibraphone and cello * 2013 ''Midnight Songs'' for flugel horn, trombone and acoustic guitar, commissioned b
Ensemble Three
* 2006 ''No Ordinary Traveller'', song cycle for mezzo-soprano and mixed trio, text by Jacki Holland, commissioned b
Halcyon
and Arts Victoria

Solo voice and instrumental

* 2013 ''Follow Me Through The Shadow'' trio for soprano, mezzo-soprano and cello. Text by Jen Storer. Composed fo
Halcyon Ensemble
* 2011 ''The Domestic Sublime'' for soprano and piano, commissioned by Sydney Conservatorium of Music/Ars Musica Australis, text by

Chris Wallace-Crabbe Christopher Keith Wallace-Crabbe (born 6 May 1934) is an Australian poet and emeritus professor in the Australian Centre, University of Melbourne. Life and career Wallace-Crabbe was born in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond. His father was Ken ...

, winner of the 2013 ‘Gold Medal for Art-Song’ (Boston Metro Opera) and finalist in 2013 APRA-AMCOS Art Music Awards (vocal category) * 2010 ''MultiSonics'', for solo bassoon *2007 ''Egyptian Register'', for mezzo-soprano and piano, text by

Ern Malley The Ern Malley hoax, also called the Ern Malley affair, is Australia's most famous literary hoax. Its name derives from Ernest Lalor "Ern" Malley, a fictitious poet whose biography and body of work were created in one day in 1943 by conservativ ...

* 2006 ''It Is Just The Heart,'' for soprano and string quartet, commissioned by

Australia Council 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 ...

Awards

* 2018

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 ...

New Music Fellow * 2013

Boston Metro Opera Boston Metro Opera was a semi-professional American opera company based in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts. The company specialized in contemporary works and operated from 2008 to 2015. It also sponsored and ran the Boston-International Co ...

'Gold Medal for Art Song' for ''The Domestic Sublime'' (2011) * 2012

International Alliance for Women in Music The International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) is an international membership organization of women and men dedicated to fostering and encouraging the activities of women in music, particularly in the areas of musical activity, such as compos ...

Sylvia Glickman Memorial Award * 2011 Albert H. Maggs Composition Award

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Katy Australian composers 1971 births Living people Winners of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award Australian women composers 21st-century women composers 21st-century Australian women musicians