George Dreyfus (born 22 July 1928, Wuppertal, Germany) is one of Australia’s most distinctive composers. Fleeing Nazi persecution, his Jewish family emigrated to Melbourne in 1939. Trained as a bassoonist, he played in the J.C. Williamson opera seasons and joined the ABC’s Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 1953, later studying in Vienna. Largely self-taught as a composer, he became a leading figure in Australian new music, writing symphonies, operas and chamber works alongside celebrated film and television scores, most famously the theme for the 1970s series Rush. His German-premiered operas include Rathenau (1993) and Die Marx Sisters (1996). Honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia (1992) and with the Bundesverdienstkreuz (2002), Dreyfus marked his 90th birthday in 2018 and has remained active into his nineties.
