:Music Research Group

Research Summary:

I am currently working on adapting sections from my doctoral thesis on
the guitar music of Peter Sculthorpe. This research explores the
emergence of unique syntactical formal and tonal features in his music
as well as situating his works culturally and philosophically.

I am also in the process of arranging Sculthorpe’s work Tropic (for 2
guitars, percussion, violin, clarinet, and double-bass)–with the
composer’s permission–for an ensemble of four guitars.

Recently, Stewart Smith and I collaborated on an adaptation of Rodrigo’s
guitar concerto, Fantasia para un gentilhombre (for guitar and
orchestra) for guitar, harpsichord, and percussion. Our aim is to
develop the repertoire for guitar and harpsichord further through
comissioning a variety of new works for this medium and then recording
them for a CD.

I recently finished the production/editing of a CD of guitar music by
Sculthorpe, Barrios, and Walton that I recorded a few years ago (and
then left unfinished, unfortunately). I am in the process of
corresponding with commercial CD labels.

Recent BA conversion course dissertations that I have supervised include
the following (the titles may not be exact, as I’m just spouting them
off the top of my head). I’m not sure that these BA conversion
dissertations count as “post-graduate” (they are not, strictly
speaking)–but they are quite substantial. At 7,500-10,000 words they
are as big or bigger than some of the honours thesis completed in music
at WAAPA.

Jessica Sardi: Music and Madness, With Particular Focus on Robert
Schumann
Jennifer Stickland: Baroque Vocal Performance Practices
Prue Sanders: The Application of Acting Methodology to the Performance
of a Song-Cycle by Barber

BPA (honours) thesis currently being undertaken under my supervision
include the following:

Laurissa Wylie: An Exegesis of Her Opera
Duncan Gardiner: French Guitar Music of the Mid-Twentieth Century
Sacha McCulloch: A Documentation and Discussion of the Performance and
Practice Strategies of Michael Goldschlager