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Featured Composer: Kate Moore

Kate Moore is an award-winning composer of new music. Active on the international scene her works have been performed in venues including Carnegie Hall, The Sydney Opera House and The Concertgebouw and international festivals including The Holland Festival, The Bang on a Can Marathon, ISCM World Music Days, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, MATA and The Canberra International Chamber Music Festival among others.

She has written for ensembles including The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Groot Omroepkoor, Philharmonie Zuidnederland Orkest, Slagwerk Den Haag, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, The Amsterdam Cello Octet, The New European Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble, Crash Ensemble, Icebreaker Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, The Bang on a Can All-Stars, Icebreaker, The Calder Quartet, Contemporaneous, Wild Up, Grand Band, Twosense, Ensemble Offspring, Synergy Percussion, Ensemble Klang, Asko|Schoenberg Ensemble, Trio Scordatura, The Song Company, Ensemble Lucilin, Ensemble Syntonia, Orkest De Ereprijs among others.

She has been commissioned to make film scores for 3D interactive cinema ICINEMA UNSW directed by Dr Del Favero, including i-land/ atmoscape, Scenario, Cassandra, Firewall, Deep Heat, Deep Sleep, Limbo, TodtnaubergDescartes among others. She has also worked with Dance companies including Leine Roebana, The Korzo Theater and The Australian National Choreographic Centre. She is currently working with the Ken Unsworth Studio to create a series of new multimedia works including live music, dance and kinetic installation.

Her work has been described as “Mahlerian allure and emotionality’ – de Volkskrant, “a giant tsunami of sound” New York Times, “a fascinating exercise in micro- and macro- rhythm” Sydney Morning Herald, “from the haze she creates, graceful, ambling melodies emerge and evaporate, and those give the music its allure.” New York Times, “her intent seems to be to create a dream, an alternative reality” UT San Diego.

Her major work Sacred Environment, a 40’ oratorio, commissioned for the 2017 Holland Festival, was premiered by The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Choir at The Concertgebouw Amsterdam. In 2014 her 40’ cello concerto was premiered by The ASKO Schoenberg Ensemble with soloist Ashley Bathgate, at the Tivoli Vredenburg in Utrecht and in 2010 her 60’ major work Violins and Skeletons for four string quartets was premiered by The Calder Quartet at The Carlsbad Festival of Music in California.

In 2014 her Grammy and Eddison nominated album Dances and Canons was released on ECM New Series followed by an international album release tour. Other albums include 2017 Herz Trio Stolz, 2016 Stories for Ocean Shells Ashley Bathgate, Cantaloupe, 2016 Sliabh Beagh The Stone People, Lisa Moore, Cantaloupe, 2014 House of Shards and Shadows Susie Tell Me A Story, Susanna Borsch, Karnatic Lab Records, 2012 Broken Rosary Close your eyes and I’ll close mine, Anna McMichael & Tamara Cislowska, Tall Poppies, 2012 Ridgeway Big Beautiful Dark Scary, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Cantaloupe, 2012 Debris & Alchemy Ensemble Klang Records, 2010 The Open Road The Open Road Ensemble.

In 2017 she was the recipient of the Matthijs Vermeulenprijs for her work The Dam. In the same year she was awarded a Civitella Ranieri Fellowship and artist residency in Umbria Italy, a Yaddo Fellowship in The United States, her work Fern was shortlisted for the International Rostrum of Composers and she was awarded an APRA Art Music Commission. In 2015 she received The William and Mary Greve Foundation John J. Tommaney Fellowship to attend the Boston Symphony Orchestra summer residence program at Tanglewood. Other awards include 2013 Carnegie Hall Commission for the work The Art of Levitation, 2012 The Hague Toptalent Netherlands, 2012 Norton Stevens Fellowship MacDowell Artist Colony United States, 2010 ISCM World Music Days for her work Sensitive Spot, 2010 De Komeet Culture Prize Netherlands for a collection of pieces including Eclipsed Vision (2006), Rain (1998) and Uisce (2007), 2008-12 Dorris Burnett-Ford Scholarship University of Sydney Australia, 2010 The Carlsbad Festival of Music composer prize United States, 2009 People’s Commissioning Fund at Bang on a Can, 2009 Fonds Podiumkunsten commission for Klepsydra, 2009 selection for MATA festival for Sensitive Spot, 2003 Apeldoorn Young Composer Award, Netherlands, 2001 Australian National University Medal Australia, 2001 ANU Honours Scholarship Australia, 2000 Franco-Australian Composition Competition ANU/Conservatoire De Paris for her string quartet Sketches of Stars, 1998-2001 Howard-Allen Memorial Prize Australia, and 1997 Artexpress Australia.

In 2013 she was awarded a Ph.D. from The Sydney Conservatoium of Music, University of Sydney, Australia. Other academic credentials include 2004 Masters from The Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Netherlands and 2001 Bachelor of Music with 1st class honours and the university medal from ANU School of Music. Further to this she has been a composition fellow at the 2015 Tanglewood Music Centre, 2007 Bang on a Can Summer Institute, 2003 Apeldoorn International Masterclass Series, 2003 Apeldoorn Young Composer Meeting and 2001 Paris Conservatoire.

She is a devoted and passionate educator and in 2017 was a guest composition teacher at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Australia. Further to this, in 2016 she was Guest teacher/ lecturer at The Royal Conservatory of The Hague Netherlands, 2016 University of Southern California LA USA, 2016 Monash University Melbourne, 2015 Australian National University School of Music Australia, 2015 West Australian Academy of Performing Arts Edith Cowan Perth Australia, 2015 Sydney Conservatorium of Music Sydney Australia, 2014 Chapman University California USA, 2014 Pomona College California USA, 2014 Peabody Conservatory (Johns Hopkins University) Baltimore USA, 2011 New York University USA, 2010 The Sydney Conservatorium of Music Australia, 2008 Sichuan Conservatorium of Music Chengdu China, 2008 International Conference Women’s Music Beijing Conservatorium China, Baulkham Hills Selective High School and Ravenswood School for Girls in Sydney.

She has been composer in residence at 2017 Civitella Ranieri Italy, 2017 Yaddo America, 2015-2016 EKWC (European Ceramic Workshop), 2015 The Canberra International Festival of Music Australia, 2015 Bundanon Artist-in-residence Australia, 2014 Piano Spheres, California, United States, 2014 November Music, Netherlands, 2014 Bogliasco Foundation Italy, 2012-13 Dakota Theater Netherlands, 2012 MacDowell Colony United States, 2012 Montsalvat Australia, 2009 Laughing Waters Australia, 2008 Sichuan Conservatorium Chengdu China, 2007 Bang on a Can Summer Festival United States, 2007 Inishlacken Ireland, 2006 Bundanon Australia, 2003 Apeldoorn International Masterclass Series Netherlands, 2003 Apeldoorn Young Composer Meeting Netherlands, 2001 Conservatoire de Paris, 2001 Floating Land Festival Noosa Australia.

In addition to her studies as a composer, she studied cello with David Periera at the ANU school of Music and with Susan Blake, Sarah Jeffreys and Dorothy Sumner and electroacoustic composition at The Australian Centre for Arts and Technology with David Worral and Tim Kreger. Her works are represented by Donemus and The Australian Music Centre and are registered with APRA AMCOS. Other interests include playing chamber music, drawing and painting, art history, archeology and culture, studying languages and playing the piano.