One of Australia’s best known and most performed composers, Ross Edwards AM (born 1943) has created a unique sound world that seeks to reconnect music with elemental forces and restore such qualities as ritual, spontaneity and the impulse to dance. Deeply rooted in the Australian landscape, his music draws on birdsong, the drones of summer insects and a belief in music’s healing power. Born and raised in Sydney, he studied with Richard Meale, Peter Sculthorpe, Sandor Veress and Peter Maxwell Davies. His catalogue spans symphonies, concertos, opera, ballet, choral, children’s and film music, including the saxophone-and-percussion double concerto Frog and Star Cycle. Honoured with the Order of Australia, two Keating Fellowships and numerous Art Music Awards, Edwards marked his 80th birthday in 2023 with premieres including Vespers for Mother Earth and the Sydney Symphony’s Bennelong Caprices, and continues composing from Sydney and the Blue Mountains. www.rossedwards.com
