In 1962, my parents bought a 2.5 acre property at Castle Hill, called ‘Montressor’. In those days, Castle Hill was in the greenbelt of Sydney and many properties, including ours, were mini farms. My parents bought the property from Count and Countess Podlewski-Ronikier, Polish aristocrats who had fled their war-torn homeland in the face of german invasion. The Podlewskis built the house, complete with modest servant’s quarters, formal gardens, piggery, poultry, and fruit tree groves.
However, the very best thing they brought with them from Poland was a grand piano which was included in the sale of the property. This was to change my life forever. From the second I pressed down two notes together, a curiosity about sound combinations was ignited and has never faded.
The Path Ahead
Whilst I henceforth became a profligate composer, I disliked performing (I still do!). This reluctance retarded my professional growth as a musician and, although I never stopped composing, I didn’t take my craft really seriously until, in my late 20s, a friend who enjoyed listening to my compositions suggested I audition for a contemporary music bachelor’s course at Southern Cross University. Something clicked; I auditioned and was accepted – another happenance which changed my life forever.
Composing and Teaching
In my second year of the degree, I was seconded by Theatre Nepean, University of Western Sydney, to write the music for ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, directed by Malcolm Keith. This was the first commission of a whirlwind program of professional composing for the next decade.
Directors I wrote for included Gordon Beattie (‘Bahnhof Kreis’, Theatre Nepean); Bogdan Koca (‘Gunter’s Wife’, Pilgrim Theatre); Dean Tuttle (‘Dial to the Tone’, Belvoir Street Theatre), Chris Burke (‘The Tempest’, Theatre Nepean), Steve Tesich (‘Square One’, Pilgrim Theatre). I became a member of the Sydney Art Theatre, under the auspices of Bogdan. Other productions I wrote music for included ‘Songs from Under the Southern Cross’ Great Britain tour.
Whilst I was in my element composing for all these wonderful productions and directors, the remuneration was not enough to keep body and soul together. I needed to increase my income to invest in more infrastructure to develop a viable independence as a professional artist. So I began teaching in various TAFE music courses, getting more work as my teaching experience expanded.
In my second year of the degree, I was seconded by Theatre Nepean, University of Western Sydney, to write the music for ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, directed by Malcolm Keith. This was the first commission of a whirlwind program of professional composing for the next decade.
Moving forward
Being a teacher largely meant that my professional composing career was put on the backburner, the trade-off being that I was at last earning enough to start seriously saving. When savings hit the golden figure, I built a professional acoustic studio (Rhomboid Studio), bought the awesome Yamaha S6 grand piano, and fitted out the studio with the technical apparatuses essential to make the whole digital shebang thrum.
With these achievements, and the help and encouragement of, and collaboration with, some seriously brilliant people in the music trade, I have resumed my career as a professional composer, which is to say, “I’m back on the block”.
