James Ledger

James Ledger (born 1966) is an Australian composer of contemporary classical music.

Biography

Ledger first rose to prominence with his first orchestral composition Indian Pacific in 1996, which is still regularly performed in Australia. Ledger is also known for his compositions Devils in the Underground for solo trumpet, the violin concerto Golden Years, Chronicles for orchestra, War Music for choir & orchestra, and the song cycle Conversations with Ghosts in collaboration with the musician Paul Kelly.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

From 2007 to 2009 he was the composer-in-residence for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. In 2011 he was named composer-in-residence for the Australian National Academy of Music.^[3]

Works

Orchestra

• Indian Pacific (1996)
• Peeling (2004) for strings and percussion
• Habits of Creaters (2004)
• Horn Concerto (2005)
• Line Drawing (2005) for recorder and strings
• Trumpet Concerto (2007)
• The Madness and Death of King Ludwig (2007) for large ensemble of brass, percussion, and double basses
• Arcs and Planes (2009)
• Chronicles (2009)
• Neon (2010) version for orchestra and chamber ensemble
• Outposts (2011) bassoon concerto
• Two Memorials (for Anton Webern and John Lennon) (2011)
• Golden Years (2013) concerto for violin and orchestra
• News, Weather and Dreams (2014)
• War Music (2015)
• Simpler Times (2015)

Chamber ensemble

• Abandoned Drive-in (2002) for mixed ensemble
• Mean Ol' World (2004) for mixed ensemble
• Two Fanfares (2005) for brass ensemble
• Inscriptions (2006) for piano trio
• Bell Weather (2008) for mixed ensemble
• Rashomon Confessions (2009) for clarinet and string quartet
• Processions (2011) for string quartet
• In Orbit (2011) for mixed ensemble
• Silver Swans (2012) for mixed ensemble
• Igor's Drum (2013) for mixed ensemble
• When Chaplin Met Einstein (2014) for mixed ensemble
• House of Stairs (2014) for piano quartet

Solo

• Devils on the Underground (2010) for trumpet and live electronics
• '"Quickening (2010) for vibraphone and live electronics
• All Hail the Machine (2011) for bass clarinet and live electronics
• See How They Run (2012) for violin and portable audio player
• Blood Water Wine (2013) for cello

References

1. Strahle, Graham (August 10, 2013). "Conversations with Ghosts (Paul Kelly, James Ledger, Genevieve Lacey and ANAM)". The Australian. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
2. Street, Andrew P. (5 September 2013). "Paul Kelly: 'The words are never easy. It's still a beast to wrestle' - interview". The Guardian. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
3. Johnson, Naomi (16 November 2015). "Pedestal: James Ledger". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
4. McCallum, Peter (April 23, 2015). "Anzac Day Salute, Sydney Symphony review: Trans-Tasman commissions honour Anzac legacy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
5. McCarthy, James (April 26, 2015). "Review: ANZAC Day Salute (Sydney Symphony)". Limelight. Retrieved May 6, 2016.

External links

• Official website