Barry Ernest Conyngham, AM, (born 27 August 1944) is an Australian composer and academic. He has over 70 published works and over 30 recordings featuring his compositions, and his works have been premiered or performed in Australia, Japan, North and South America, the United Kingdom and Europe.[1] His output is largely for orchestra, ensemble or dramatic forces.[2] He is an Emeritus Professor of both the University of Wollongong and Southern Cross University.[3] He is former Dean of the Faculty of the Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne.
Barry Conyngham
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| Born | Barry Ernest Conyngham (1944-08-27) 27 August 1944 (age 79)
Sydney, Australia
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| Alma mater | University of Sydney University of California, San Diego |
| Occupation(s) | Australian composer, academic |
Conyngham was born in Sydney. He was initially interested in jazz,[4] and studied with Raymond Hanson[2] and Richard Meale[5] but turned his attention to orchestral writing in the mid-1960s with encouragement from Peter Sculthorpe. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney in 1967, and a Master of Arts (Hons.)[3] at the same university in 1971. In 1970 he visited Japan on a Churchill Fellowship,[4] where he studied with Toru Takemitsu.[2] This was unusual, as Australian composers typically chose Europe and Britain as their location for further study.
In 1972 he went to the United States on a Harkness Fellowship[6] and gained a Certificate of Post-Doctoral Studies from the University of California, San Diego in 1973. He was a Fellow of Princeton University 1973–74, and Composer-in-Residence at the University of Aix-Marseille in 1974–75. He was a lecturer at the University of Melbourne from 1975 to 1979, then Senior Lecturer 1975–79. He was a visiting scholar at the University of Minnesota, was a Senior Fulbright Fellow in 1982,[3] and that year gained a Doctorate in Music from the University of Melbourne. He became professor and head of the School of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong 1989–94. He was the Foundation Vice-Chancellor of Southern Cross University 1994–2000, based in Lismore, New South Wales.[7]
He was the first musician to hold the chair of Australian studies at Harvard University (2000–2001).[1][7][8]
In 1978 he won the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award (he won it again in 2008). In 1997, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), "for service to music as a composer and to music education and administration".[9]
In 2000 Barry Conyngham was invited to give the second annual Peggy Glanville-Hicks address for the Sydney Spring Festival.[8]
In 2003 he was given a commission by the Ian Potter Music Commission Fellowship.[10][11]
Conyngham has been involved with a number of arts organisations, including the World Music Council, Opera Australia, the Australian Music Centre and the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation.[1] He has also been chairman of the Music Board of the Australia Council.[4]
After retiring from academic life to concentrate on composition and music performance,[8] on 22 December 2010 he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of the VCA and Music at the University of Melbourne.
PUBLISHED SCORES
(Universal Edition London, Vienna. Boosey & Hawkes London, Sydney. Hal Leonard/CoEdition Melbourne.)
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.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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| 1987 | Southern Cross Ice Carving | Best Classical Album | Won | [12] |
| Academic offices | ||
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| New title | Vice-Chancellor of Southern Cross University 1994 – 2000 |
Succeeded by Paul Clark |