Peter Sculthorpe – Wildbird Music

Peter Sculthorpe Music Fellowship 2015

The Wildbird team is delighted to announce that our Operations Manager, Peggy Polias, has been awarded the inaugural Peter Sculthorpe Fellowship, sponsored jointly by the NSW Government and Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney.

In the words of NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts, Troy Grant: “This Fellowship is in honour of the enormous contribution to Australia’s musical heritage by Peter Sculthorpe AO OBE, who is widely acknowledged as one of the nation’s most significant composers. The fellowship will honour his contribution by supporting the professional development of an emerging NSW-based composer or performer dedicated to producing new Australian music.”

During the coming year, Peggy intends to record her Picnic at Hanging Rock Suite (2011) for digital release; compose, workshop, develop and present a new work Hive for clarinet, viola and piano/keyboards; and embark on various professional development activities, including short courses, and intensive development of the Making Waves listening project co-curated with Melbourne-based composer Lisa Cheney.

We all wish Peggy a great year ahead as the Peter Sculthorpe Fellow.

Peter Sculthorpe (1929 – 2014)

It is with deep sadness that Wildbird writes of the death of Peter Sculthorpe.

Peter Sculthorpe was one of Australia’s finest composers. His work included 18 String Quartets, orchestral, choral, dramatic and chamber music.

The author of Wildbird’s new book The Music of Peter Sculthorpe, John Peterson, and editor Brian Howard, both former students of Peter Sculthorpe, were able to visit him in Wolper Jewish Hospital shortly before his death to give him a copy of the new book on his music. Sculthorpe had eagerly followed the progress of the book and he was clearly pleased to receive the first copy.

Many of Australia’s current principal composers are former students of Peter Sculthorpe and his contribution to Australia’s music through his teaching and his own considerable output was enormous.

He will be greatly missed.