Nigel Westlake
Nigel Westlake (born 6 September 1958) is an Australian composer, performer and conductor.
Biography
Nigel Westlake was born in Perth, the son of 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 ABC television 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's 21-year old son Eli was killed on 7 June 2008 in an apparent road rage incident.[1]
Filmography
- Candy Regentag (1989)
- Act of Necessity (1991)
- Antarctica (1991)
- Backsliding (1991)
- Babe (1995)
- Children of the Revolution (1996)
- Wild Australia: The Edge (1996)
- Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
- A Little Bit of Soul (1998)
- Solarmax (2000)
- The Nugget (2002)
- Horseplay (2003)
- Hell Has Harbour Views (2005)
- Miss Potter (2006)
- Stepfather of the Bride (2006)
Awards and nominations
APRA Classical Music Awards
The APRA Classical Music Awards are presented annually by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australian Music Centre (AMC).[2]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | When the Clock Strikes Me - Rebecca Lagos (soloist), Sydney Symphony | Best Performance of an Australian Composition[3] | Won |
2008 | Rare Sugar - The Australia Ensemble and Catherine McCorkill (clarinetist) | Best Performance of an Australian Composition[4] | Won |
Glass Soldier Suite – Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Geoffrey Payne (cornet), Jean-Louis Forestier (conductor) | Orchestral Work of the Year[5] | Nominated
|
APRA-AGSC Awards
The annual Screen Music Awards are presented by APRA and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) for television and film scores and soundtracks.[6]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Miss Potter | Feature Film Score of the Year[7] | Won |
Best Soundtrack Album[7] | Won | ||
Stepfather of the Bride | Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie[7] | Won
|
References
- ^ Mitternacht, Manuel (2008-06-08). "Footpath fracas ends in tragedy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Classical Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "2007 Winners - Classical Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "2008 Winners - Classical Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ "2008 Finalists - Classical Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ "Screen Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ a b c "2007 Winners - Screen Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.
External links
- Nigel Westlake at IMDb
- Nigel Westlake discography at Discogs
- Rimshot Music