This is a list of 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 Def ...

s of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

contemporary music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included se ...

and/or

film soundtracks A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of ...

. These names are largely drawn from the following: * Music Australia an online service developed by the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "maint ...

(NLA) and the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

(NFSA); *

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 ...

's (AMC) list of "Represented artists"; * lists entitled "Australian Composers" and "Australian Repertoire" published by Australian Choral Conductors Education and Training (ACCET); * the "Catalogue of Australian Organ Compositions 1866–2002" published by the

Organ Historical Trust of Australia The Organ Historical Trust of Australia (OHTA) is a national organisation which works towards: * the protection, conservation and restoration of pipe organs in Australia, * the preservation of records pertaining to their history, the promotion ...

(OHTA); * the "Australian Composers" list; and various other websites and media sources. Wherever possible, dates of birth and death are shown. The pseudonyms used by some composers are listed along with a reference back to their legal name. Personal websites are listed when possible, and entries are cross-referenced to one or more sources to provide further information.

A

Roy Agnew Roy Ewing "Robert" Agnew (23 August 1891 – 12 November 1944) was an Australian composer, pianist, teacher and radio announcer. He was described as "the most outstanding of the early twentieth century Australian composers" by Morris Hinson.Hinso ...

(1891–1944) *

David Ahern David Anthony Ahern (2 November 1947 – 31 January 1988) was an Australian composer and music critic, who became a prominent artist in the avant-garde genre after his best-known work, ''Ned Kelly Music'' was released and performed at the Sydne ...

(1947–1988) *

Hugo Alpen Hugo Alpen (26 October 184220 June 1917) was a German-born Australian composer, choral conductor and singing teacher. Early life Born on 26 October 1842 in Kellinghusen, (then part of Denmark), Alpen came to Australia in 1858 at the age of 16. ...

(1842–1917) *

Ernie Althoff Ernie Althoff is an Australian musician, composer, instrument builder, and visual artist. He was born in Mildura, Victoria in 1950. Career He was involved in the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Alth ...

(born 1950) * John Henry AntillListed at one of the documents "Australian Composers" or "Australian Repertoire
at the ACCET web site
(1904–1986) * Albert Arlen (1905–1993) *

Martin Armiger John Martin Armiger (10 June 1949 – 27 November 2019) was an Australian musician, record producer and composer. He was one of the singer-songwriters and guitarists with Melbourne-based rock band the Sports from August 1978 to late 1981, whic ...

(1949–2019) * Keith Asboe (born 1929)

B

Tony Backhouse Tony Backhouse (born 1947) is a singer, musician and composer from New Zealand and is a key player in the Australasian ''a cappella'' movement. He played in New Zealand bands such as the Crocodiles, and formed Australian ''a cappella'' groups, t ...

(born 1947) *

Don Banks Donald Oscar Banks (25 October 19235 September 1980) was an Australian composer of concert, jazz, and commercial music. Early life and education Jazz was Banks' earliest and strongest musical influence. He learned the saxophone as a boy in Aust ...

(1923–1980) * David Banney (born 1967) *

Michael Barkl Michael Laurence Gordon Barkl OAM (born 9 August 1958) is an Australian composer and musicologist. Biography Michael Barkl was born in Sydney, New South Wales in 1958 into a musical family. He learnt classical piano from the age of seven, lat ...

(born 1958) * Alison Bauld (born 1944) *

Betty Beath Elizabeth Margaret Beath, née Eardley, (born 19 November 1932) is an Australian composer, pianist, and music educator. Life and career Betty Beath was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, and began piano lessons at the age of three. She was twice a ...

(born 1932) * Adolphe Gustave Beutler (1887–5 June 1927) * Ross Bolleter (born 1946) * Anne Elizabeth Boyd (born 1946) * George Frederick Boyle *

Philip Bračanin Philip Bračanin (born 26 May 1942) is an Australian composer and musicologist. Life Bračanin was born in Kalgoorlie, the son of Croatian immigrants. HIs early musical studies were with Miss Olive Ruane, and he graduated from the University ...

(born 1942) * May (or Mary) Hannah Brahe (1884–1956) *

Hooper Brewster-Jones Hooper Josse Brewster-Jones (1887–1949) was a musician, composer, teacher and music critic, born near Orroroo on the Black Rock Plain, South Australia. His parents were William Arthur Jones (c. 1855–1947), a school master, and Rebecca ...

(1887–1949) *

Michael Brimer Michael Brimer (born 8 August 1933) is a pianist, organist, conductor, composer, musicologist, and academic. He was born in South Africa and studied with Eleanor Bonnar, a pupil of Leopold Godowsky. Brimer's school days were spent at the prestigi ...

(born 1933) *

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 ...

(born 1952) * Amanda Gabrielle Brown (born 1965) * Colin Brumby (1933–2018) * Vera Buck (1903–1986) * Thomas (Tom) Edward Bulch (1860–1930) * Warren Burt (born 1949)"Home page"
. Melbourne Composers League. *

Nigel Butterley Nigel Henry Cockburn Butterley (13 May 1935 – 19 February 2022) was an Australian composer and pianist. Life and career Butterley was born in Sydney and learned to play the piano at the age of five. He attended Sydney Grammar School, but musi ...

(1935–2022)

C

* John Carmichael (born 1930) * Leon Caron (1850–1907) *

Ann Carr-Boyd Ann Kirsten Carr-Boyd (born 13 July 1938) is an Australian classical composer and musicologist. She is considered an authority on the history of European music in Australia. Biography Ann Kirsten Wentzel was born in Sydney. Her grandfather W ...

(born 1938) * Jeff Cashen *

Glen Carter-Varney A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

(born 1938) * Tristram Ogilvie Cary (1925–2008) *

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, ...

(born 1957) * Herbert Hedwan Chandler (1865–1941). * Charles Cawthorne (1854–1925) * Alice Charbonnet-Kellermann (1858–1914) *

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

(born 1966) *

Arthur Chanter Arthur Maybee Chanter was an Australian composer, conductor, music teacher, choir master and musician. An accomplished pianist and watercolorist, Chanter was among the earliest music graduates of the University of Melbourne, where he was instruct ...

(1886–1950) *

Deborah Cheetham Deborah Joy Cheetham (born 24 November 1964), is an Aboriginal Australian soprano, actor, composer and playwright. Early life and education Cheetham is a member of the Stolen Generations; she was taken from her mother when she was three weeks o ...

(born 1964) *

David Chesworth David Chesworth (born 1958, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom) is an Australian-based interdisciplinary artist and composer. Known for his experimental and at times minimalist music, he has worked solo, in post-punk groups (Essendon Airport, Whadya ...

(born 1958) * Andrew Chubb (born 1975) *

Zana Clarke Zana Clarke (born 13 October 1965) is an Australian composer. She studied recorder with Ruth Wilkinson and Hans Dieter Michatz and violin with Anne Martoni and Marco Van Pagge, and began to play in youth orchestras at age 12. She graduated fr ...

(born 1965) * Judith Clingan (born 1945) * George H. Clutsam (1866–1951) * Julian Cochran (born 1974) *

Percy Code Edward Percival "Percy" Code (3 July 1888 – 16 October 1953) was an Australian classical composer and musician, specialising in cornet and trumpet. He is best known for his compositions for brass band, including many solo works. Biography Percy ...

(1888–1953) *

Barry Conyngham Barry Ernest Conyngham, , (born 27 August 1944) is an Australian composer and academic. He has over seventy published works and over thirty recordings featuring his compositions, and his works have been premiered or performed in Australia, Japa ...

(born 1944) * Herbert Cosgrove (died 1953) * Vince Courtney (died 1951) *

Kate Crawford Kate Crawford (born 1976) is a writer, composer, producer and academic. Crawford is a principal researcher at Microsoft Research (Social Media Collective), the co-founder and former director of research at the AI Now Institute at NYU, a visiting ...

Ian Cresswell Ian Cresswell is an Australian composer born in 1968. He obtained Bachelor of Music at the Australian National University in 1996 and Master of Music at the University of Queensland in 2002. Cresswell is currently doing postgraduate studies at t ...

(born 1968) *

Ian Cugley Ian Cugley (22 June 19454 November 2010) was an Australian composer. Biography Early life He was born in Melbourne in 1945. He gained early prominence with two orchestral works, ''Pan, the Lake'' and ''Prelude for Orchestra'', which were p ...

(1945–2010) * Leah Curtis * Cesare Cutolo (1826–1867)

D

* Robert Davidson (born 1965) *

Ruby Claudia Davy Ruby Claudia Emily Davy (22 November 1883 – 12 July 1949) was an Australian pianist, composer and educator. She was the first woman in Australia to receive a DMus degree. The daughter of William Charles Davy, a shoemaker and musician ...

(1883–1946) *

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 ...

(born 1961) * George De Cairos Rego (1858–1946) * George Savin De Chanéet (1861–1926) *

John Albert Delany John Albert Delany (6 July 185211 May 1907), usually referred to as John A. Delany, was an organist and composer in Sydney, Australia, a champion of choral music. He has been called "Australia's greatest musician" and "The Australian Gounod". H ...

(1852–1907) * Herbert De Pinna (1880–1936) *

Matthew Dewey Matthew Ingvald Dewey (born 1984) is an Australian classical music composer, singer, and music producer. "Matthew Dewey – Represented Artist Profile", Australian Music Centre Ltd, 2009, webpageAMC Biography Matthew Dewey is an Australian com ...

(born 1984) * Joe Dolce (born 1947) * Paul Doornbusch (born 1959) *

George Dreyfus George Dreyfus AM (born 22 July 1928) is an Australian contemporary classical, film and television composer. Early life and orchestral career Dreyfus was born to a Jewish family in Elberfeld, Wuppertal, Germany. He was the younger of two sons b ...

(born 1928) *

Jon Drummond Jonathan A. Drummond (born September 9, 1968) is an American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jon Drummond is known for being among the world's best starte ...

(born 1969) *

Catherine Duc Catherine Duc is a Vietnamese-Australian composer and producer of music blending elements of ambient, classical, electronica and world music. Her work has been aired on Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Jazz. In 2005 Duc issued her debut ...

E

Ross Edwards Ross Edwards (born 1 December 1942) is a former Australian cricketer. Edwards played in 20 Test matches for Australia, playing against England, West Indies and Pakistan. He also played in nine One Day Internationals including the 1975 Crick ...

(born 1943) * Frederick Ellard (1824–1874) *

Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...

* Harry Lindley Evans (1895–1982) *

Winsome Evans Winsome Joan Evans OAM BEM (born 26 October 1941), is one of Australia's premier early music specialists. Biography She received a Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree in composition from the University of Sydney, where her lecturers included P ...

(born 1941)

F

* Billy Field (born 1953) *

Mary Finsterer Mary Finsterer (born 25 August 1962) is an Australian composer and academic. Life Finsterer was born in Canberra in 1962; her siblings are the actors Anni Finsterer and Jack Finsterer. She graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Music degree from t ...

(born 1962) * Thomas Fitzgerald *Maud FitzStubbs (Mrs Harry Woods) (active 1890's) *

Samantha Fonti Samantha Fonti (born 12 February 1973) is an Australian film composer and classically trained violinist. Fonti was raised and born in Sydney, Australia. She started her classical music training at the age of 3 and completed her Bachelor of Musi ...

(born 1973) * Andrew Ford (born 1957) * Riccardo Formosa (born 1954) *

Grant Foster Grant Foster (born 1945) is an Australian composer, pianist, teacher and novelist. He was the co-founder and inaugural Artistic Director of the Southern Highlands International Piano Competition. His musical is lyrical and romantic, and he is we ...

(born 1945) *

Jennifer Fowler Jennifer Joan Fowler (born 14 April 1939) is a British composer of Australian birth. She was born in Bunbury, Australia, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in music and a Bachelor of Music from the School of Music, University of Western Aust ...

(born 1939) *

Edwin Fowles Edwin Wesley Howard Fowles (17 June 1871 – 29 December 1945) was a barrister, journalist, and member of the Queensland Legislative Council. Early life Fowles was born in December 1871 at Oxley, Queensland, to William Fowles, schoolteacher, ...

(1871–1945)

G

Lisa Gerrard Lisa Germaine Gerrard (; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian musician, singer and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with music partner Brendan Perry. She is known for her unique singing style technique ...

(born 1961) *

Helen Gifford Helen Margaret Gifford OAM (born 5 September 1935) is an Australian composer. On Australia Day (26 January) 1996 she was appointed to the Medal of the Order of Australia, "in recognition of service to music as a composer". At the APRA Music A ...

(born 1935) * Richard Gill (1941–2018) * Paolo Giorza (1832–1914) *

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 ...

(1912–1990) *

Isador Goodman Isador Goodman AM (27 May 19092 December 1982), frequently misspelled Isidor Goodman, was a South African-Australian Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. He became a household name in Australia in the 1930s-1970s, taught at the New South Wal ...

(1909–1982) * Eugene Goossens (1893–1962) * Christopher Gordon (born 1956) *

Tony Gould Tony Gould is an Australian jazz musician, pianist, composer and educator. Gould's many recordings and performances reveal his harmonic view of music and his love of music from both African-American and European jazz traditions, as well as the c ...

Paul Grabowsky Paul Atherstone Grabowsky (born 27 September 1958) is an Australian pianist and composer. Biography Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Grabowsky is a pianist and composer of music for film, theatre and opera. His father Alistair had lived in Pap ...

(born 1958) * Ron Grainer (1922–1981) * George Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882–1961) * Sally Greenaway (born 1984) * Stuart Greenbaum (born 1966) * Emma Greenhill (born 1995) *

Maria Grenfell Maria Grenfell (born 1969) is an Australian music teacher and composer of New Zealand origin. Early life and education Maria Grenfell was born in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia in 1969. She grew up and was educated in Christchurch, New Zealand, where s ...

(born 1969) *

Eric Gross Eric Gross AM (16 September 192617 April 2011) was an Austrian-Australian pianist, composer and teacher. Biography Gross was born in Vienna and emigrated to England in 1938. From the age of fourteen, he worked as a pianist in bands and orches ...

(1926–2011)

H

* Gordon Hamilton (born 1982) *

Ronald Hanmer Ronald Charles Douglas Hanmer (2 February 191723 May 1994) was a British conductor, composer and arranger of light music, who spent his latter years in Australia.Philip Scowcroft6th Garland accessed 20 November 2010 He was best known for his ...

(1917–1994) * Raymond Hanson (1913–1976) *

Ian Keith Harris Ian Keith Harris (born 24 June 1935) is a composer of classical music, arranger, oboist and music educator from Australia. Biography Ian Keith Harris was bornThe biography is based upon the preface by Jennifer Paull t'Autumnal Interlude'publi ...

(born 1935) * Fritz Bennicke Hart (1874–1949) *

Mick Harvey Michael John Harvey (born 29 August 1958) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with Nick Cave, with whom he formed The ...

(born 1958) *

Fiona Joy Hawkins Fiona Joy Hawkins, known professionally as Fiona Joy, is an Australian vocalist and pianist. Her collaborations have included five albums produced by Will Ackerman. Her influences include George Winston, Michael Nyman, Chopin, and Mendelsso ...

(born 1964) * Christian Heim (born 1960) *

Christian Helleman Gorjes Christian Crawford-Hellemann (Christian Helleman) was an Australian composer, conductor and organist. He was born in 1881 to William Thomas and Harriet Ann Crawford-Hellemann in Towrang, NSW Australia. He was an Associate of the Royal ...

(1880–1954) *

Moya Henderson Moya Patricia Henderson (born 2 August 1941 in Quirindi, New South Wales) is an Australian composer. A graduate of the University of Queensland, Henderson was Resident Composer at Opera Australia during their first season at the Sydney Opera ...

(born 1941) * Laurence Henry Hicks (1912–1997) *

Francis Hartwell Henslowe Francis Hartwell Henslowe (1811–1878) was a British-born civil servant, business manager and composer who worked in England, Australia and India. Born in England, Henslowe was the son of Edward Prentis Henslowe (1772–1857) and Cecilia Maria ...

(1811–1878) * Julius Herz (1841–1898) *

Moritz Heuzenroeder Moritz Heuzenroeder (15 July 1849 – 10 November 1897) was a pianist, composer and teacher of music born in Germany who had a substantial career in South Australia. History Moritz Heuzenroeder was born in Ottersberg the youngest son of Dr. Ferdi ...

(1849–1897) * Alfred Francis Hill (1869–1960) *

Matthew Hindson Matthew John Hindson AM (born 12 September 1968) is an Australian composer. Biography Matthew Hindson was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, in 1968. He studied composition at the Universities of Sydney and Melbourne with composers includ ...

(born 1968) *

David Hirschfelder David Hirschfelder (born 18 November 1960, Ballarat, Victoria) is an Australian musician, film score composer and performer. As a musician he has been a member of Little River Band and John Farnham Band. He has composed film scores for many film ...

(born 1960) * Dulcie Sybil Holland (1913–2000) * Alan Holley (born 1954) * Wilfrid Holland (1920–2005) *

Charles Edward Horsley Charles Edward Horsley (16 December 1822 – 28 February 1876), English musician, was the son of William Horsley. He studied in Germany under Hauptmann and Mendelssohn, and on his return to England composed several oratorios and other pieces, n ...

(1822–1876) * May Howlett * Robert Watson Hughes (1912–2007) * Frank Hutchens (1892–1965) * Miriam Beatrice Hyde (1913–2005)

J

* William Garnet James (1892–1977) *

Graham Jenkin Graham Jenkin (born Graham Keith Jenkin, 17 May 1938) is an Australian poet, historian, composer, and educator. Graham Jenkin was born in Adelaide and educated at various country schools and at Prince Alfred College, Wattle Park Teachers Colleg ...

(born 1938) * Alan John (born 1958) * Anthony Linden Jones (born 1959) * Hooper Brewster Jones (1887–1949) * David Joseph (born 1954) * Augustus Juncker (1855–1942)

K

Elena Kats-Chernin Elena Davidovna Kats-Chernin (born 4 November 1957) is a Soviet-born Australian pianist and composer, best known for her ballet '' Wild Swans''. Early life and career Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent (now the capital of independent Uzb ...

(born 1957) * Donald H. Kay (born 1933) *

Norman Kaye Norman James Kaye (17 January 1927 – 28 May 2007) was an Australian actor and musician. He was best known for his roles in the films of director Paul Cox. Early life and education Kaye was born in Melbourne and won a scholarship to study at ...

(1927–2007) * Horace Keats (1895–1945) * Paul Kelly (born 1955) *

Frederick Septimus Kelly Frederick Septimus Kelly (29 May 1881 – 13 November 1916) was an Australian and British musician and composer and a rower who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics. After surviving the Gallipoli campaign He was killed in action in the Battle ...

(1881–1916) * Paul J Kenny (born 1969) *

Gordon Kerry Gordon Kerry (born 1961) is an Australian composer, music administrator, music writer and music critic. Career Kerry studied composition at the University of Melbourne under Barry Conyngham. He then worked for the Sydney Festival and resided ...

(born 1961) *

Henry John King Henry John King (1855–1934) was an Australian composer. King was born in Emerald Hill to English settlers of Tasmania. His father of the same name was a respected musician. He married Mary Ann Hutchens and two years later obtained a scandal ...

(1855–1934) *

Ashley Klose Ashley Klose is an Australian composer, musical artist, teacher and sound producer. Career Klose's work has appeared in a range of film and television productions. At the APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards of 2003 Klose won the trophy for Best ...

* William Robert Knox (1861–1933) *

Douglas Knehans Douglas Knehans (born 1957, St. Louis, Missouri) is an American/Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Austra ...

(born 1957) * Julian Knowles (born 1965) *

Graeme Koehne Graeme John Koehne (born 3 August 1956), is an Australian composer and music educator. He is best known for his orchestral and ballet scores, which are characterised by direct communicative style and embrace of tertian harmony. His orchestral t ...

(born 1956) *

Constantine Koukias Constantine Koukias (born 14 October 1965) is a Tasmanian composer and opera director of Greek ancestry based in Amsterdam, where he is known by his Greek name of Konstantin Koukias. He is the co-founder and artistic director of IHOS Music Theatr ...

(born 1965) * Henry Krips (1912–1987)

L

* Lynette Lancini (born 1970) * Brenton Langbein (1928–1993) * Guglielmo Enrico Lardelli (1857–1910) *

Louis Lavater ] Louis Isidore Lavater (2 March 1867 – 22 May 1953) was an Australian composer and author born in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, of Swedish extraction. He published more than a hundred musical works. He prepared musical settings of popular f ...

(1867–1953) * Le Tuan Hung, Lê Tuấn Hùng (born 1960) *

Stephen Leek Stephen Leek (born 1959) is an Australian composer, conductor, educator, and publisher who specialises in choral music. Early life Leek was born in Sydney in 1959, lived in Brisbane from 1964 through 1969, and then spent the rest of his childho ...

(born 1959) * Dorian Le Gallienne (1915–1963) *

John Lemmone John Lemmone (22 June 1861 – 16 August 1949; also seen as John Lemmoné) was an Australian flute player and composer who was largely self-taught and who at the age of 12, paid for his first flute with gold he had panned himself on the goldfiel ...

(1861–1949) * Georges Lentz (born 1965) * Liza Lim (born 1966) * Carl (or Karl) Ferdinand August Linger (a.k.a. Charles Linger) (1810–1862) * Michael Lira (born 1975) * Alexander Frame Lithgow (1870–1929) *

Jonathan Little Jonathan Little (born December 22, 1984 in Pensacola, Florida) is an American professional poker player who won both the World Poker Tour's Season VI Mirage Poker Showdown and Season VII Foxwoods World Poker Finals and won the WPT Season ...

(born 1965) *

William Lovelock William Lovelock (13 March 189926 June 1986) was an English classical composer and pedagogue who spent many years in Australia. He was the first Director of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Brisbane, and later became the chief music ...

(1899–1986) * David Lumsdaine (born 1931) *

Jack Lumsdaine John Sinclair Lumsdaine (18 November 1895 – 28 August 1948) was an Australian singer and songwriter. His best known songs celebrate Australian personalities Donald Bradman, Phar Lap and Sydney Harbour Bridge. He was highly sought for advertis ...

(1895–1948)

M

* Charles William MacCarthy (1848–1919) * Andrew MacCunn * Hector Roderick MacLean (1851–1935) *

Mary Mageau Mary Jane Mageau (4 September 1934 – 9 January 2020) was an American-born writer, harpsichordist and composer who had lived and worked in Australia since 1974. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and studied at DePaul University, Chicago, and ...

(1934–2020) *

Raffaele Marcellino Raffaele Marcellino (born 1964) is an Australian composer. Biography Raffaele Marcellino graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with merit in 1985. His teachers included Richard Vella, Richard Toop, Gillian Whitehead, Martin We ...

(born 1964) * Stephen Hale Marsh (1805–1888) * Henry Marsh (1824–1885) *

George Marshall-Hall George William Louis Marshall-Hall (28 March 1862 – 18 July 1915) was an English-born musician, composer, conductor, poet and controversialist who lived and worked in Australia from 1891 till his death in 1915. According to his birth certifica ...

(1862–1915) * Arthur Massey (composer) (1861–1950) * John Boswell Maver (born 1932) * Mona McBurney (1867–1932) *

John McAll John McAll is a pianist, composer, arranger and producer with experience ranging from jazz, pop, blues, rock contemporary classical, afrobeat and theatre. John McAll graduated with a Bachelor of Arts University of Melbourne Faculty of VCA an ...

(born 1960) *

Daniel Clive McCallum Daniel Clive McCallum (born 1989 in Sydney, Australia) is a film composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is known for orchestrating and arranging the music for the 2016 Summer Olympic ...

(born 1989) *

David McCormack David Liam McCormack (born 25 October 1968) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as frontman of Brisbane-based rock group Custard,McFarlan'Custard'entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.Spencer et al, (2007McCormack, D ...

Peter Dodds McCormick Peter Dodds McCormick (28 January 183330 October 1916) was an Australian schoolteacher and songwriter, known for composing the Australian national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair". He published under the pseudonym Amicus, Latin for "friend". Ea ...

(1834?–1916) * Brett McKern (born 1972) * Sir William McKie (1901–1984) *

Richard Meale Richard Graham Meale, AM, MBE (24 August 193223 November 2009) was an Australian composer of instrumental works and operas. Biography Meale was born in Sydney. At the time the Meale family lived in Marrickville, an inner suburb of Sydney. Meale' ...

(1932–2009) * Sir Jonathan Mills (born 1963) * Richard Mills (born 1949) * Ernest Edwin Mitchell (1865–1951) * Kate Moore (born 1979) * Stephen Moreno (1889–1953) * Graeme Morton * Ian Munro (born 1963) *

William Murdoch William Murdoch (sometimes spelled Murdock) (21 August 1754 – 15 November 1839) was a Scottish engineer and inventor. Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton & Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engine erector for ten yea ...

(1888–1942)

N

* Ronald O. Nagorcka (born 1948) *

Isaac Nathan Isaac Nathan (15 January 1864) was an English composer, musicologist, journalist and self-publicist, who has been called the "father of Australian music". Early success Isaac Nathan was born around 1791 in the English city of Canterbury to a '' ...

(1792–1864) *

Mike Nock Michael Anthony Nock (born 27 September 1940) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, currently based in Australia. Biography He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Nock began studying piano at 11. He attended Nelson College for one term in 1955.' ...

(born 1940)

O

* Sean O'Boyle (born 1963) * Tony O'Connor (1961–2010) * William Arundel (Bunny) Orchard (1867–1961)

P

Charles Sandys Packer Charles Sandys Stuart Shipley Packer (1810–1883), commonly referred to as Charles S. Packer, was an Australian classical music composer, born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He was a graduate of The Royal Academy of Music in London. Packer was co ...

(1810–1883) *

Frederick Augustus Packer Frederick Augustus Packer (1839–1902) was an Australian composer of Anglican spiritual and romantic music. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, in the United Kingdom He worked as a parliamentary civil servant and music teacher. He was a nephew to ...

(1839–1902) * George Palmer (born 1947) * Katharine "Kitty" Parker (1886–1971) *

Anthony Pateras Anthony Peter Pateras (born 1979) is an Australian-born composer, pianist and electronic musician. He has released several solo albums and collaborated with other artists. Pateras has performed and recorded in Australia, North America and Euro ...

(born 1979) *

Raimund Pechotsch Raimund Leo Pechotsch (June 1864 – 20 January 1941) was a composer of romantic and incidental musical theatre pieces. He was a Roman Catholic who also conducted liturgical music. Life Pechotsch was born in Vienna to parents of Czechoslavakia ...

(died 1941) *

James Penberthy James Penberthy AM (3 May 191729 March 1999) was an Australian composer and journalist. Biography He was born Albert James Penberthy in Melbourne in 1917. He served with the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. He then studied at the Univ ...

(1917–1999) * Michael (Mike) Perjanik * Georgette Augusta Christina Peterson (1863–1947) * Barrington Somers Pheloung (1954–2019) * Linda Phillips (1899–2002) * Alfred Plumpton (1848–1902) * John Polglase (born 1959)

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* Bert Rache (died 1928) * Stephen Rae (born 1961) * Alan Rattray * Alexander Rea (1831–1909) *

Graeme Revell Graeme Revell (born 23 October 1955) is a New Zealand musician and composer. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the leader of the industrial/electronic group SPK. Since the 1990s he has worked primarily as a film score composer. Some of ...

(born 1955) * Ruby Reynolds-Lewis (1881–1964) *

Damien Ricketson Damien Ricketson (born 9 May 1973) is an Australian composer of contemporary classical music. He is best known for his innovative compositional practice and in his capacity as the co-founder and co-artistic director of Ensemble Offspring. He i ...

(born 1973) *

Arthur Rivers Arthur Richard Rivers (1857–1940) was Dean of Hobart from 1920 to 1940. Early life Rivers was born in Teignmouth and educated at St John's College, Oxford. His younger brother was Richard Godfrey Rivers, an artist and gallery curator. ...

(1857–1940) * Sir William Robinson (1834–1897) *

John Rodgers John Rodgers may refer to: Military * John Rodgers (1728–1791), colonel during the Revolutionary War and owner of Rodgers Tavern, Perryville, Maryland * John Rodgers (naval officer, born 1772), U.S. naval officer during the War of 1812, first ...

(born 1962) * Hermann Rosendorff (1860–1935) * David Rumsey (1939–2017)

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* Arline Sauer *

Albert Bokhare Saunders Albert Bokhare Saunders (1880–1946) was a successful and prolific composer of romantic and light classical music. He worked as an arranger for Sydney music publisher W.H. Palings. He worked under various pseudonyms including Albert Earl and ...

(1880–1946) *

Andrew Schultz Andrew Schultz (born 18 August 1960 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an acclaimed Australian classical composer. A musician with a large and widely performed output and an international sphere of activity he has, since 2008, lived in Sydney, New ...

(born 1960) * Schramm, Paul (1892–1953) *

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 ...

(1929–2014) *

Luscombe Searelle William Luscombe Searelle (1853 – 18 December 1907) was a musical composer and impresario. He was born in Devon, England, and brought up in New Zealand, where he attended Christ's College, Christchurch. Searelle began working as a pianist ...

(1853–1907) *

Matthew Shlomowitz Matthew Shlomowitz (born 7 February 1975) is a composer of contemporary classical music and Associate Professor in Composition at the University of Southampton. Biography He was raised in Adelaide, Australia, and studied with at the Sydney Cons ...

(born 1975) * Siede, Julius (1825–1903) *

Thanapoom Sirichang Thanapoom Sirichang is a Tasmanian composer, born in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand. He began his music study at the age of eight by joining the Prince Royals College Ensemble. He studied music with Gain Tepparat and Yutthapol Sakthamjareon unti ...

(born 1981) *

Larry Sitsky Lazar "Larry" Sitsky (born 10 September 1934) is an Australian composer, pianist, and music educator and scholar. His long term legacy is still to be assessed, but through his work to date he has made a significant contribution to the Austra ...

(born 1934) *

Cezary Skubiszewski Cezary Skubiszewski is a Polish-born Australian film and television composer. Among others, he has composed film scores for '' Red Dog'', '' Two Hands'', '' The Sapphires'', and TV series '' Picnic at Hanging Rock''. Career Skubiszewski first m ...

(born 1949) *

Jan Skubiszewski Jan Skubiszewski (pronounced ) (born 1981) is an Australian multi-award-winning composer, record producer, songwriter and sound engineer from Melbourne, Australia. He is also a professional multi-instrumentalist. His work as a record producer and c ...

(born 1981) * Joe Slater (1872–1926) *

Roger Smalley John Roger Smalley (26 July 1943 – 18 August 2015) was an Anglo-Australian composer, pianist and conductor. Professor Smalley was a senior honorary research fellow at the School of Music, University of Western Australia in Perth and honorary ...

(1943–2015) * Michael Sollis (born 1985) * Benjamin Peter Speed (born 1979) * William Stanley (composer) (1820–1902) * Reginald Alberto Agrati Stoneham (1879–1942) * Robert James Stove (born 1961) *

Joseph Summers Captain Joseph "Mutt" Summers, (10 March 1904 – 16 March 1954) was chief test pilot at Vickers-Armstrongs and Supermarine. During his career, Summers flew many first flights on prototype aircraft, (a record of 54 by a test pilot), from the Su ...

(1839–1917) *

May Summerbelle Annie May Constance Summerbelle (1867 – 1947) was an Australian composer of light classical and popular music. She was the third daughter of Captain William and Honoriah Summerbelle of Double Bay. Her sister, Stella Clare, married Francis Jo ...

(1867–1914) *

Margaret Sutherland Margaret Ada Sutherland (20 November 189712 August 1984) was an Australian composer, among the best-known female musicians her country has produced. Career Margaret Sutherland's father was George Sutherland, a journalist and writer and membe ...

(1897–1984)

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* Peter Tahourdin (1928–2009) *

Henry Tate Sir Henry Tate, 1st Baronet (11 March 18195 December 1899) was an English sugar merchant and philanthropist, noted for establishing the Tate Gallery in London. Life and career Born in White Coppice, a hamlet near Chorley, Lancashire, Tate wa ...

(1873–1926) *

George Tibbits George Tibbits (January 14, 1763 – July 19, 1849) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. He was born in Warwick, Rhode Island on January 14, 1763. He pursued classical studies and e ...

(1933–2008) *

Katia Tiutiunnik Katia Tiutiunnik (born 19 March 1967 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian composer, scholar and violist. She is of Russian, Ukrainian and Irish descent. Education Katia Tiutiunnik's high school education was completed at Our Lady of Mercy Col ...

(born 1967) *

Richard Tognetti Richard Leo Tognetti AO (born 4 August 1965) is a leading Australian musician recognised internationally as a violin soloist, ensemble player, leader, composer and arranger, conductor and artistic director. He is currently artistic dire ...

(born 1965) *

George William Torrance George William Torrance (25 July 1835 – 20 August 1907) was an Irish composer, mainly of church music, who was resident in Australia for many years. Early life Torrance was born in Rathmines, Dublin and became a choirboy at Christ Church Cat ...

(1835–1907) * Theodore Tourrier (1848-1929) *

Ernest Truman Ernest Edwin Philip Truman (29 December 1869 - 6 October 1948) was an Australian organist and a composer of light romantic era classical music. Early life Truman was born was in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. Son of Edwin Philip Truman, ...

(1869–1948) *

Costas Tsicaderis Costas Tsicaderis (6 January 1945 – 23 December 2004) was a Greek-Australian singer-songwriter. Biography Costas Tsicaderis was born in Katerini in the north of Greece in 1945, and his family migrated to Australia in 1954, when Costas was ...

(1945–2004) * Walter J. Turner (1884–1946) * Joseph Twist (born 1982)

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* Lindsay Vickery (born 1965) * Carl Edward Vine (born 1954) * Nicholas Vines (born 1976) * Alexander Voltz (born 1999)

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* Don Walker (born 1951) * Simon Walker (1961–2010) *

Felix Werder Felix Werder AM (24 February 19223 May 2012) was a German-born Australian composer of classical and electronic music, and also a noted critic and educator. The son of a distinguished liturgical composer, he composed all his life. His published ...

(1922–2012) *

Martin Wesley-Smith Martin Wesley-Smith (10 June 1945 – 26 September 2019) was an Australian composer with an eclectic output ranging from children's songs to environmental events. He worked in a range of musical styles, including choral music, operas, computer m ...

(1945–2019) * Fred Werner (active 1895–1912) *

Nigel Westlake Nigel Westlake is an Australian composer, musician and conductor. As a composer for the screen, his film credits include the feature films ''Ali's Wedding'', '' Paper Planes'', ''Miss Potter'', ''Babe'', '' Babe: Pig in the City'', '' Children of ...

(born 1958) * Alfred Wheeler (1865–1949) * Lawrence (Laurie) Whiffin (1930–2012) *

Gillian Whitehead Dame Gillian Karawe Whitehead (born 23 April 1941) is a New Zealand composer. She is of Māori Ngāi Te Rangi descent. Her Māori heritage has been an important influence on her composing. Early life Whitehead was born in Hamilton in 1941. ...

(born 1941) * Stephen Whittington (born 1953) * Christopher Willcock (born 1947) *

Malcolm Williamson Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson, (21 November 19312 March 2003) was an Australian composer. He was the Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death. Biography Williamson was born in Sydney in 1931; his father was an A ...

(1931–2003) *

David Worrall David Richard Worrall (born 12 June 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Barrow. A versatile and aggressive player, he is able to play wide right or in central midfield. Worrall began his career at ...

(born 1954)

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Yitzhak Yedid Yitzhak Yedid ( he, יצחק ידיד) is an Israeli-Australian contemporary classical music composer and improvising pianist, the recipient of numerous awards. Biography Yitzhak Yedid was born in Jerusalem, Israel to a sephardic Jewish famil ...

(born 1971)

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* Alberto Zelman (1832–1907)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Composers

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

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See also

References