Featured Composer: Ian Whitney

Ian studied at the Queensland Conservatorium with Stephen Leek and Gerard Brophy. He was also selected to participate in the Australian Youth Orchestra National Music Camp three times, and work written there is currently in the repertoire of the Seven Harp Ensemble, led by Alice Giles, and has received national broadcast on ABC Classic FM. He received the inaugural Australian Youth Orchestra/National Institute of Dramatic Art Composers Fellowship, during which he undertook a residency at NIDA and wrote the score for a production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Jennifer Hagan.

Recently, Ian was selected to participate in the Symphony Australia Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Composers School, with his piece, Hippocampus Dances.

For five years, Ian worked in the Cultural section of the Embassy of Australia, Washington DC.

Ian Whitney's piece, Tanzendanses, was premiered in PLEXUS: We have lift off on 24 February 2014 at fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne.

Tanzendanses (2014)

I. Allemande

II. Courante

III. Sarabande

IV. Gigue

The composer writes: “The four movements of Tanzendanses are lifted from the Baroque suite- the Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Gigue- with the middle two dances stitched together. The traditional tics and mannerisms of each dance were used solely as a jumping off point, with the 'research' into each being very fleeting. The work was commissioned by Monica Curro for PLEXUS and although I haven't undertaken any scholarship in the field, I imagine it's one of a few pieces of Australian chamber music that had its origin in an Annual General Meeting.”