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==Biography==
==Biography==
Westlane was born in [[Perth]], [[Western Australia]] to clarinettist [[Donald Westlake (clarinettist)|Donald Westlake]]. He studied with his father and later at the [[Australian Film and Television School]] under [[William Motzing]]. In the early years of his career he was a freelance performer and composer, playing throughout Australia and in parts of [[Europe]]. He was a member of the Magic Puddin' Band and was later invited to be a part of the [[Australia Ensemble]], a group of musicians that played new Australian classical music. He remained a composer during this time, writing music on commission for groups including the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] and the [[Royal Australian Navy]] Band. He composed his first film score in 1989, and later was widely recognized with his score for the Oscar-nominated film ''[[Babe (film)|Babe]]''. Other film scores he has composed include ''[[Antarctica]]'', including the award winning 'Penguin Play', ''[[The Nugget]]'' and ''[[Miss Potter]]''.


He has composed symphonies for the [[Australian Virtuosi Orchestra]] and the [[Melbourne Symphony Orchestra]]. In 2004 he was awarded the "[[H. C. Coombs]] Creative Arts Fellowship" at the [[Australian National University]].
Nigel Westlake was born 6th Sept 1958 in Perth, Western Australia, to parents Donald Westlake, clarinettist, & Heather Westlake (nee Sumner) violinist.


His Op. 1, ''Omphalo Centric Lecture'' for percussion quartet, has become one of the most frequently performed works in the percussion repertoire since its composition in 1984. It was premiered by the Sydney-based percussion group Synergy. It was recorded through the use of [[multitrack recording]] by [[Michael Askill]] in 1995 on the album "Onomatopoeia" (Westlake uses the same technique on the album's first track). In 2006, his Percussion Concerto ''When the Clock Strikes Me'' was premiered with Rebecca Lagos and the [[Sydney Symphony]]. In 2007, the newly commissioned clarinet concertino "Rare Sugar" was premiered by [[Catherine McCorkill]] and the [[Australia Ensemble]].
He went to NSW Conservatorium of Music High School, but left school early to pursue a professional career in music, studying clarinet with his father who was principal Clarinet with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.


Westlake is married to Jan Loquet Westlake, and together, they had two sons, Eli and Joel.<ref name="Missa Solis"/> Eli was killed on 7 June 2008 in an apparent [[road rage]] incident at the age of 21.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/footpath-fracas-ends-in-tragedy/2008/06/07/1212259177746.html|title=Footpath fracas ends in tragedy|last=Mitternacht|first=Manuel|coauthors=Kidman, John|date=8 June 2008|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|accessdate=8 June 2008}}</ref> In 2011, Westlake composed ''Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli'' and dedicated it to Eli; it was premiered by the [[Melbourne Symphony Orchestra]].<ref name="Missa Solis">{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/composer-nigel-westlakes-requiem-for-murdered-son/story-e6frg8n6-1226007760677|title=Composer Nigel Westlake's requiem for murdered son|publisher=The Australian|date=18 February 2011|accessdate=19 July 2012}}</ref>
He started freelancing with various orchestras from age 17. As a clarinettist he worked doing recording sessions, chamber music concerts, theatre & ballet performances & tours,
In 1979 he formed a 7 piece instrumental fusion band to play all original material.

Career Highlights:
1978 first professional orchestral recording was Stravinski's "Rite of Spring" playing bass clarinet with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under conductor Willem Van Otterloo.
1979 Toured to China with the Australian Youth Orchestra. Received Australia Council Grant to form his own band to perform original compositions.
1980 Toured to Canada with Flying Fruit Fly Circus band
1982 Studied Film Music at Australian Film & Television school with Bill Motzing
1983 Studied Bass Clarinet In Netherlands with Harry Sparnaay, & composition with Theo Leovendie
1983 First film music commission - to write for a documentary for Film Australia
1984 Composed "Omphalo Centric Lecture" -initially for bass clarinet & 2 percussionist, but later developed for 4 percussion.
1985 Won Jazz Action Society Composition Competition
1986 Joined "Australia Ensemble" , resident at the University of NSW. With this group he toured as a soloist to China, Europe, UK, USA, Russia, India, New Zealand, Japan & throughout Australia.
1987 Composer in Residence for ABC Radio. Composed "Fabian Theory" for percussion & digital delay, & "Moving Air" for percussion quartet.
1988 Won Gold Medal at New York International Radio Festival
1990 Wrote "Malachite Glass for Percussion Quartet & bass Clarinet, & co-wrote score for 4 part documentary "Roads to Xanadu"
1991 Commissioned to write "Antarctica" Imax feature filmscore
1992 APRA music award for best Contemporary Classical Composition. Re-worked Antarctica filmscore into an Orchestral Suite for Guitar & Orchestra - commissioned for John Williams & the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in celebration of the ABC's 60th anniversary.
1992 Invited to join guitarist John Williams group "Attacca" for tours of UK & Australia
1993 Commissioned to write the filmscore of "Imagine" one of the very first 3D Imax movies to be made. Received an Australia Council Grant to study composition with Richard Meale, & conducting with Richard Mills.
1994 wrote "Songs from the Forest" for 2 guitars
1995 Commissioned to write the score for "Celluloid Heroes" - a 4 part documentary in celebration of 100 years of Australian Cinema
1995 commissioned to write the feature filmscore for "Babe" which won the Golden Globe award for "Best film - Musical/Comedy" in 1996
1996 APRA music award for "Babe" filmscore. Wrote "The Invisible Men" for percussion quartet & silent movie, & " Invocations" for Bass Clarinet & Orchestra
1997 commissioned to write filmscore "Babe - Pig in the City".
1998 commissioned to write filmscore for " A Little Bit of Soul"
2000 Commissioned to write Imax feature filmscore "Solarmax" ; Also commissione to write "Piano Concerto" for Michael Kieran Harvey & the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, & "Oscillations" for 2 pianos
2001 Commissioned to write feature filmscore "The Nuggett", & telemovie "Stepfather of the Bride"
2002 Commissioned to write "Piano trio" for Macquarie Trio
2003: Commissioned to write "Six Fish" for Guitar quartet
2004: Appointed "HC Coombes Creative Fellow " at Australian National University. Commissioned by Sydney Symphony to compose a Percussion Concerto.
2006: Relocated to UK to write filmscore for feature film "Miss Potter". Percussion concerto premiered by Rebecca Lagos with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
2007: Commissioned to write "Rare Sugar" clarinet concertino
2008 Formed "Smugglers of Light Foundation"
2008: Sailed the East Coast of Australia
2011: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Premiered "Missa Solis- Requiem for Eli" at Myer Music Bowl
2012: Received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of NSW


His music has been variously described as:
“at the cutting edge of post-minimalism”
‘This is music that exposes the nonsense of pigeon-holing into categories... it is simply good and, above all, intelligent music”
“program music of a high order; so much force, so much descriptive delicacy”
“brilliantly conceived and delivered – the effect was mesmerising”


His Opus 1, ''Omphalo Centric Lecture'' for percussion quartet, has become one of the most frequently performed works in the percussion repertoire since its composition in 1984. It was premiered by the Sydney-based percussion group Synergy. It was recorded through the use of multitrack recording by Michael Askill in 1995 on the album "Onomatopoeia"

Westlake is married to Jan Loquet Westlake, and together, they had two sons, Joel was born 17th October, 1983, & Eli born 22nd July,1986. Eli's life was taken on 7 June 2008, a few weeks before his 22nd birthday.

Westlake composed ''Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli'' and dedicated it to Eli; it was premiered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Myer Music Bowl in Feb, 2011.

Awards & Nominations:
2012 : Winner Art Music Awards / Orchestral Work of the Year / Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli

2012 : Honorary Doctor of Music (honoris causa) awarded by the University of New South Wales

2011 : Winner Limelight 2011 Awards / Best New Composition / Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli

2007 : Winner APRA/AGSC Award / Feature Film Score of the Year / Miss Potter

2007 : Winner APRA/AGSC Award / Best Soundtrack Album / Miss Potter

2007 : Winner / APRA/AGSC Award / Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie / Stepfather of the Bride

2007 : Nomination / World Soundtrack Awards / "When you Taught me How to Dance" from Miss Potter / Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film

2007 : Nomination / International Film Music Critics Association / Best Original Score for a Comedy film Miss Potter

2005 : Winner APRA/AGSC Award / Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie / Hell Has Harbour Views

2005 : Winner APRA / AMC Awards / Instrumental work of the year / Six Fish

2003 : Winner AGSC/ APRA Awards / Best Feature Film score / The Nugget

2003 : Nomination / AGSC/ APRA Awards / Best film score / Horseplay

2002: - Nomination for / Sounds Australian / APRA Awards / Urban Myths

2001: Winner / A.G.S.C. APRA Award / Best music for a soundtrack / Solarmax

1998 : Winner / A.G.S.C. Award / Best Original Music / A Little Bit of Soul

1998: Winner / Jean Bogan Memorial Prize for piano composition / Piano Sonata No. 1

1998 : Winner / APRA Music Award / Most performed Classical Work / The Edge

1997 : Highly commended / Paul Lowin Orchestral Award / Invocations

1997 : Winner / Film Critics Circle of Australia Award / Best Original Music / Children of the Revolution

1997 : Winner / Film Critics Circle of Australia Award / Best Original Music /Babe

1996 : Winner / AGSC Award / Best Original Music / Children of the Revolution

1996 : Winner / AGSC / APRA Award / Best Soundtrack Album / The Edge

1996 : Winner / APRA Music A / Best Film Score / Babe

1996 : Nomination / AFI Awards / Best Original Music / Children of the Revolution

1995 : Winner / AGSC /Best Music / The Celluloid Heroes

1993 : Nomination / ARIA Awards / Best Film Soundtrack / Antarctica

1992 : Winner / APRA Awards / Contemporary Classical Composition of the Year

1992 : 2 Nominations / APRA Award / Contemporary Classical Composition of the Year

1990 : Nomination / APRA Awards / Most Performed Serious Work

1989 : Nomination / APRA Awards / Most Performed Serious Work

1988 : Gold Medal / Best Original Music / New York International Radio Festival.

1986 : Selected as entrant for the Paris Rostrum.

1985 : 1st prize Jazz Action Society Composition Competition

1984 : 3rd prize Jazz Action Society Composition Competition.


==Filmography==
==Filmography==

Revision as of 07:09, 30 August 2012

Nigel Westlake (born 6 September 1958) is an Australian composer, performer and conductor.

Biography

Westlane was born in Perth, Western Australia to clarinettist Donald Westlake. He studied with his father and later at the Australian Film and Television School under William Motzing. In the early years of his career he was a freelance performer and composer, playing throughout Australia and in parts of Europe. He was a member of the Magic Puddin' Band and was later invited to be a part of the Australia Ensemble, a group of musicians that played new Australian classical music. He remained a composer during this time, writing music on commission for groups including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Royal Australian Navy Band. He composed his first film score in 1989, and later was widely recognized with his score for the Oscar-nominated film Babe. Other film scores he has composed include Antarctica, including the award winning 'Penguin Play', The Nugget and Miss Potter.

He has composed symphonies for the Australian Virtuosi Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In 2004 he was awarded the "H. C. Coombs Creative Arts Fellowship" at the Australian National University.

His Op. 1, Omphalo Centric Lecture for percussion quartet, has become one of the most frequently performed works in the percussion repertoire since its composition in 1984. It was premiered by the Sydney-based percussion group Synergy. It was recorded through the use of multitrack recording by Michael Askill in 1995 on the album "Onomatopoeia" (Westlake uses the same technique on the album's first track). In 2006, his Percussion Concerto When the Clock Strikes Me was premiered with Rebecca Lagos and the Sydney Symphony. In 2007, the newly commissioned clarinet concertino "Rare Sugar" was premiered by Catherine McCorkill and the Australia Ensemble.

Westlake is married to Jan Loquet Westlake, and together, they had two sons, Eli and Joel.[1] Eli was killed on 7 June 2008 in an apparent road rage incident at the age of 21.[2] In 2011, Westlake composed Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli and dedicated it to Eli; it was premiered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.[1]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

APRA-AMC Classical Music Awards

The APRA-AMC Classical Music Awards are presented annually by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australian Music Centre (AMC).[3]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2005 Piano Concerto – Michael Kieran Harvey Best Performance of an Australian Composition[4] Nominated
Six Fish – Saffire Guitar Quartet Instrumental Work of the Year[5] Won
Crystal Spheres – Solarmax film orchestra Orchestral Work of the Year[4] Nominated
2007 When the Clock Strikes Me - Rebecca Lagos (soloist), Sydney Symphony Best Performance of an Australian Composition[6] Won
2008 Rare Sugar - The Australia Ensemble and Catherine McCorkill (clarinetist) Best Performance of an Australian Composition[7] Won
Glass Soldier Suite – Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Geoffrey Payne (cornet), Jean-Louis Forestier (conductor) Orchestral Work of the Year[8] Nominated


APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards

The annual APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards are presented by APRA and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) for television and film scores and soundtracks.[9]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2005 Hell Has Harbour Views Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie[10] Won
2007 Miss Potter Feature Film Score of the Year[11] Won
Best Soundtrack Album[11] Won
Stepfather of the Bride Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie[11] Won


References

  1. ^ a b "Composer Nigel Westlake's requiem for murdered son". The Australian. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  2. ^ Mitternacht, Manuel (8 June 2008). "Footpath fracas ends in tragedy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Classical Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  4. ^ a b "2005 Finalists - Classical Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  5. ^ "2005 Winners - Classical Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  6. ^ "2007 Winners - Classical Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  7. ^ "2008 Winners - Classical Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  8. ^ "2008 Finalists - Classical Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  9. ^ "Screen Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  10. ^ "2005 Winners - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  11. ^ a b c "2007 Winners - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.

External links

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