New CD of Roger
Smalley's chamber music

Smalley -
Through a Glass Darkly

Piano Quintet; Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano; String Quartet No 2. Melba Recordings (2008) MR301112

The Australian String Quartet
Roger Smalley, piano
Darryl Poulsen, horn
Paul Wright, violin

"a fruitful re-engagement with tonality... three meticulously crafted works... Performances are superb throughout. ***** 5 stars

William Yeoman
Limelight Magazine

Sonic Art Ensemble
presents
a Smalley retrospective

August 2007. Sonic Art Ensemble gives its farewell concert with a retrospective of Roger Smalley's works on 20 October 2007. The pieces in the program are Trio (2002), Echo IV (1983), Poles Apart (1992) and Ceremony II (1989).

The ensemble, formerly known as the Seymour Group, has been performing and premiering Australian contemporary music since 1977. The current artistic director is Marshall McGuire.
More information: Sonic Art Ensemble website

Portrait of a composer - Roger Smalley
Saturday 20 October 2007
Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Macquarie Street, Sydney

Morceau de concours
available for download

July 2008.
Download the sheet music
(pdf file 883 KB) for Smalley's
Morceau de concours,
commissioned by the 2008
Sydney International
Piano Competition. Morceau de concours is one of two Australian works that will be played by contestants in the Quarter Finals stage of the competition at Sydney’s Seymour Centre on 21st and 22nd July. (Free download for a limited period of time.)

Roger Smalley's Birthday Tango
receives a Classical Music Award

September 2007. Roger Smalley's piece Birthday Tango (retitled Footwork) has received the 2007 Classical Music Award in the category 'Best composition by an Australian composer'.

The work prompted a judge to comment that 'perhaps if Bartok had written a tango, it would have sounded like this'. Birthday Tango was commissioned by Barbara Blackman to celebrate the Australian Chamber Orchestra's 30th birthday.

Roger Smalley performed at the awards ceremony in Sydney on 12th September, playing his own Three Studies in Black and White.

The Classical Music Awards are presented annually by APRA and the Australian Music Centre. More information: APRA website and the AMC website.

(Click photo for a larger view.)

Selected performances in 2008

Thu 31 Jan – Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle
Sat 2 Feb - Canberra Theatre, Canberra
Sun 3 Feb – The Arts Centre, Melbourne
Mon 4 Feb – The Arts Centre, Melbourne
Tue 5 Feb – Adelaide Town hall, Adelaide
Wed 6 Feb – Perth Concert hall, Perth
Sat 9 Feb – City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney
Sun 10 Feb – Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Mon 11 Feb – QPAC Concert hall, Brisbane
Tues 12 Feb – City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney
Wed 13 Feb - City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney
Thurs 14 Feb- Anita’s Theatre, Wollongong
Strung Out (1987-88)
Australian Chamber Orchestra in its first Australia wide tour of 2008.
Broadcast live by ABC Classic FM

4 April
Piano Quintet (2003)
Grainger Quartet, Gabriella Smart (piano)
Opening Gala Concert, Adelaide Contemporary Music Festival

16 April
Suite for 2 Violins (2007)
FP Aurora Festival Western Sydney, James Cuddeford and Natsuko Yoshimoto.
Broadcast live ABC Classic FM.
Featured Coriole Festival (South Australia) and Japan

Tue 15 April - Union Hall, Maribor
Wed 16 April – Gallus Hall, Kankarjev DOM, Ljubljana
Sun 20 April – Grosser Saal, Musicverein Wein, Vienna
April 21 April – Wigmore Hall, London
Wed 23 April – Grand Hall, Glasgow City Halls, Glasgow
Strung Out (1987-88)
Australian Chamber Orchestra 2008 Festival Tour

16 May
Piano Quintet (2003)
Grainger Quartet, Roger Smalley (piano)
National Library of Australia, Canberra International Chamber Music festival

21 and 22 July
Morceau de Concours (2008)
Sydney International Piano Competition

18 October
Divertimento for flute and string trio (2008)
Australia Ensemble resident at the University of New South Wales
Sir John Clancy Auditorium UNSW

9 November
Toccata for instrumental sextet (2008)
Fellows of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith

16 November
Toccata for instrumental sextet (2008)
Fellows of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Wyvern Music Club, Forestville

23 November
Toccata for instrumental sextet (2008)
Fellows of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
- Verbruggen Hall Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney
Recorded for broadcast by ABC Classic FM.

Selected performances in 2007

August 31
Piano Concerto No 2
The Queensland Orchestra, John Chen (piano), David Stanhope (conductor)
The Queensland Orchestra Studios, Brisbane, Australia

October 20
Trio, Echo IV, Poles Apart, Ceremony II
The Sonic Art Ensemble
Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, Australia