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Thomas Fitzgerald (composer)
Encyclopedia
Dr Thomas Fitzgerald is an Australian Composer
, Musical Director, Conductor and Musician
.
Thomas Fitzgerald completed his Doctoral Thesis in Composition at the University of Wollongong in 2005. He also holds a Master of Music and Bachelor of Music (Hons) from Melbourne University. A graduate student of Indiana University
and New York City
, he returned to Australia after a period of study and professional activity in the USA. Educational appointments have included sessional lecturer at Melbourne University, Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar, M.L.C. Kew and Wesley College.
Thomas has composed a diverse range of music works Concert and Musical Theatre Events, electronic broadcast media and for Film and Television. These include productions with Patrick White
for the A.B.C., and award winning scores for ABC Television Natural History Film Unit. He has scored for Feature Films and Multi Media projects, including Snapshot, Stanley and The Good Cook and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999 for his film score in Turtle World.
, Dionne Warwick
, Sting, James Taylor
, Nancy Wilson
, and Sammy Davis, Jr.
., as well as Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras and contemporary ensembles on violin. Thomas has worked extensively in New York City, on Broadway for musicals, such as Evita, in recording studios, and in contemporary music Concerts.
. Musical Theatre Production credits include Les Misérables
in Australia, as Conductor/assistant Musical Director/Orchestra Leader, and The Phantom of the Opera
as musical consultant.
Thomas composed the music for Chika, a documentary performance created by Mayu Kanamori
. The ABC Radio National program of Chika was a finalist in the Radio Feature, Documentary or Broadcast Special category of the 2004 Walkley Awards
for Excellence in Journalism.
Thomas was awarded the ABC Radio
Arts/Australia Council New Media
Artist in residence
for 2005 and a Peggy Glanville Hicks Composer Fellowship. Shower Songs - Canaries in the Mineshafts, a radiophonic musical composition created during the composer's residency premiered on ABC Radio National networks on December, 2005. In 2007, he was appointed a trustee of The Peggy Glanville-Hicks
Composers' House.
And the Music Caught Fire: The Rebirth of Irish Music - 'The Awakening' and 'The Roaring Tiger, two programs exploring the renaissance of Irish Music presented by Thomas Fitzgerald and Siobhan McHugh were broadcast in March 2007 on ABC Radio National.
Thomas Fitzgerald's recent project, The Peacesong Tapestries, was broadcast on SBS Radio World View. The 23 week program culminated with a concert, which showcased the songs of peace created for the program as part of the Harmony Day 2008 celebrations in Sydney.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, Musical Director, Conductor and Musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, he returned to Australia after a period of study and professional activity in the USA. Educational appointments have included sessional lecturer at Melbourne University, Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar, M.L.C. Kew and Wesley College.
Thomas has composed a diverse range of music works Concert and Musical Theatre Events, electronic broadcast media and for Film and Television. These include productions with Patrick White
Patrick White
Patrick Victor Martindale White , an Australian author, is widely regarded as an important English-language novelist of the 20th century. From 1935 until his death, he published 12 novels, two short-story collections and eight plays.White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, shifting narrative...
for the A.B.C., and award winning scores for ABC Television Natural History Film Unit. He has scored for Feature Films and Multi Media projects, including Snapshot, Stanley and The Good Cook and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999 for his film score in Turtle World.
Concert performances
Thomas Fitzgerald's concert performances include working with well-known artists such as Elton JohnElton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
, Sting, James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, Nancy Wilson
Nancy Wilson (singer)
Nancy Wilson is an American singer with more than 70 albums, and three Grammy Awards. She has been labeled a singer of blues, jazz, cabaret and pop; a "consummate actress"; and "the complete entertainer." The title she prefers, however, is song stylist...
, and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
., as well as Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras and contemporary ensembles on violin. Thomas has worked extensively in New York City, on Broadway for musicals, such as Evita, in recording studios, and in contemporary music Concerts.
Musical Director
Thomas has conducted Symphony Orchestras and directed productions for The State Orchestra of Victoria, The ABC Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra Ensembles in Australia & the United States. He has directed/conducted several major television broadcast, live Concert Events for Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Channel 7 Christmas Concert & MoombaMoomba
Moomba is Australia's largest free community festival and one of the longest running festivals in Australia. Held annually in the city of Melbourne, Australia, Moomba is celebrated during the Labour Day long weekend , and has been celebrated since 1955...
. Musical Theatre Production credits include Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
in Australia, as Conductor/assistant Musical Director/Orchestra Leader, and The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
as musical consultant.
Composer and Musical Director
Australian projects include Composer and Musical Director for The Opening Ceremony, Melbourne International Festival of Arts, and creating music and sound design for major Television Advertising Commercials. As director of One Earth Orchestra, Thomas has brought together an exciting new Australian music ensemble of eighteen (plus) musicians, that workshop and perform the new works of International and Australian composers, such as Steve Reich, Stephen Ingham, David Baker, Keith Humble, Peter Sculthorpe and Thomas Fitzgerald. The expressive style blends contemporary electric sounds, orchestral and tribal textures, frequently incorporating improvisation within scored sections of material, spoken word, and collaboration with multimedia artists.Thomas composed the music for Chika, a documentary performance created by Mayu Kanamori
Mayu Kanamori
is an artist working mostly in photography, documentary photography, and still photography video art, often using photographic projection and story telling with emphasis on performance using interviews and narration....
. The ABC Radio National program of Chika was a finalist in the Radio Feature, Documentary or Broadcast Special category of the 2004 Walkley Awards
Walkley Awards
The annual Walkley Awards, under the administration of the Walkley Foundation for Journalism, are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. Finalists are chosen by an independent board of eminent journalists and photographers. The awards cover all media including...
for Excellence in Journalism.
Thomas was awarded the ABC Radio
ABC Radio and Regional Content
ABC Radio and Regional Content is the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for radio output and regional content.-Origins:...
Arts/Australia Council New Media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
Artist in residence
Artist in residence
Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....
for 2005 and a Peggy Glanville Hicks Composer Fellowship. Shower Songs - Canaries in the Mineshafts, a radiophonic musical composition created during the composer's residency premiered on ABC Radio National networks on December, 2005. In 2007, he was appointed a trustee of The Peggy Glanville-Hicks
Peggy Glanville-Hicks
Peggy Glanville-Hicks was an Australian composer.- Biography :Peggy Glanville-Hicks was born Melbourne in 1912. At age 15 she began studying composition with Fritz Hart in Melbourne...
Composers' House.
And the Music Caught Fire: The Rebirth of Irish Music - 'The Awakening' and 'The Roaring Tiger, two programs exploring the renaissance of Irish Music presented by Thomas Fitzgerald and Siobhan McHugh were broadcast in March 2007 on ABC Radio National.
Thomas Fitzgerald's recent project, The Peacesong Tapestries, was broadcast on SBS Radio World View. The 23 week program culminated with a concert, which showcased the songs of peace created for the program as part of the Harmony Day 2008 celebrations in Sydney.
- Works (selected)
- Sonic Code
- Endless Flight
- Fast Travel
- Blues for the Avant Garde
- Double rainbow
- Reconciliation Symphony
- Heliotrope
- Multimedia performance
- Film / TV
- Snapshot
- Stanley
- The Good Cook (1997)
- Turtle World (1996)
- Pa (2001)
- Wildscreen (1996)
- Opera / Theatre
- The Three Tenants
- Child Support - 110 Bed Nights
- Midsummer Nights Dream
- Festivals
- River Spectacular - Melbourne Moomba Festival
- Channel 7 Christmas Concert with the City of Melbourne
- Lighting up Flinders Street Station - Opening Night Ceremony for Melbourne International Festival of Arts
- Radio
- Patrick White
- Shower Songs - Canaries in the Mineshafts
- And the Music Caught Fire: The Rebirth of Irish Music
- Chika
- The Peace Song Tapestries
- Recordings
- 'CHIKA' soundtrack {Thomas Fitzgerald 2008} Thomas Fitzgerald (Violin/Keyboards), Satsuki Odamura (Koto), Anne Norman (Shakuhachi), Toshinori Sakamoto (Taiko Drums)
- Spirit {Thomas Fitzgerald 1997} One Earth Orchestra
- Short cuts : Chitter chatter (Thomas Fitzgerald 2003)
- Platypus Dreaming {Thomas Fitzgerald producer}
- String of Pearls : Deborah Conway : Tom Fitzgerald—violin
- Wave : Rosie Westbrook : Tom Fitzgerald—violin
- peter schaefer ensemble : Tom Fitzgerald—violin / string quartet leader
- Heliotrope : Geoff Pressing : Tom Fitzgerald—Soundtracks and Music
- Billy Miller Victoria : Tom Fitzgerald—violin
- Grants & Awards
- Pa - Best Original Music Award, 2002 Sienna International Festival. Best short film at Venice Film Festival 2002
- Midsummer Nights Dream - Melbourne Theatre Critics Award for Best Musical Composition & Direction.
- Turtle World - Film score nominated for an Academy Award in 1999
- Chika - The ABC Radio National program of “Chika” was a finalist in the Radio Feature, Documentary or Broadcast Special category of the 2004 Walkley Awards for **Excellence in Journalism.
- ABC Radio Arts/Australia Council New Media Artist-in-Residence for 2005
- Peggy Glanville Hicks Composer Fellowship 2005