One of Australia's most distinguished composers, Ross Edwards lives and works in Sydney. For more than two decades his commitment to the ideal of music as a positive and regenerative force within society has led him to explore beyond the confines of Western Art Music.

Edwards' distinctive sound-world interfuses shapes and patterns from nature with a variety of musical resources which reflect and celebrate Australia's cultural diversity.

In his maninya (dance-chant) pieces, Edwards has pursued an ideal of wholeness - a reintegration of mind, body and spirit and a restoration to 'serious' music of such qualities as lightness, spontaneity and the impulse to dance. Naturally these works have attracted choreography, notably Stanton Welch's recent success with the ballet Maninyas, based on the violin concerto of the same name, for the San Francisco Ballet.

Such works as Yarrageh - Nocturne for Percussion and Orchestra (1989) and Pond Light Mantras (1991), evince Ross Edwards' strong belief in the therapeutic power of music. These works, which have been described as 'contemplation objects in sound', are characterised by a timeless austerity much influenced by birdsong and the mysterious polyphony of the insect chorus in the Australian bush.

Edwards is perhaps best known for his orchestral music. The most recent compositions include Enyato III (1995) composed for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's European Tour in 1995, Concerto for Guitar and Strings (1995) for John Williams and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony No. 2 (Earth Spirit Songs) (1997) for soprano Yvonne Kenny and the Sydney S.O. The acclaimed ABC Classics CD, featuring the Sydney S.O. performing Symphony No. 1 (Da Pacem Domine) (1991) received the highest accolade as Editor's Choice in the 1996 Cannes Classical Awards in France, having already won an Aria award in Australia.

Recordings of Edwards' chamber music have also been released by Tall Poppies Records, the most recent of which, Raft Song at Sunrise, was voted Best Recording of an Australian Composition in the 1998 Classic FM Recording of the Year Awards.

By no means restricted to the concert hall, Ross Edwards' music is frequently used to accompany dance and film, a list of credits which notably includes the original score for the feature film Paradise Road directed by Bruce Beresford. His Dawn Mantras was telecast at the dawn of the new millenium from the sails of the Sydney Opera House to worldwide acclaim.

Ross Edwards has twice received an Australian Creative Fellowship from the Australia Council and in 1997 he was awarded the Order of Australia. He is currently at work on his Third Symphony for the 2001 Melbourne International Festival of the Arts.

>> Associated Links:
Ross Edwards official site