James Ledger
{{Short description|Australian composer (born 1966)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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| education = Higher Doctorate of Music
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James Ledger (born 1966) is an Australian composer of contemporary classical music, and senior lecturer in composition at the Conservatorium of Music at the University of Western Australia, where he is chair of orchestral composition.
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 and orchestra, and the song cycle Conversations with Ghosts in collaboration with the musician Paul Kelly, for which he won an ARIA award.{{cite web |last=Strahle |first=Graham |title=Conversations with Ghosts (Paul Kelly, James Ledger, Genevieve Lacey and ANAM) |work=The Australian |date=10 August 2013 |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/conversations-with-ghosts-paul-kelly-james-ledger-genevieve-lacey-and-anam/story-fn9n8gph-1226694165060 |access-date=6 May 2016}}{{cite web |last=Street |first=Andrew P. |title=Paul Kelly: 'The words are never easy. It's still a beast to wrestle' – interview |work=The Guardian |date=5 September 2013 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/2013/sep/06/poetry-classicalmusicandopera |access-date=6 May 2016}}{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Naomi |title=Pedestal: James Ledger |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=16 November 2015 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/classic/content/2015/11/16/4352637.htm |access-date=6 May 2016}}{{cite web |last=McCallum |first=Peter |title=Anzac Day Salute, Sydney Symphony review: Trans-Tasman commissions honour Anzac legacy |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=23 April 2015 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/anzac-day-salute-sydney-symphony-review-transtasman-commissions-honour-anzac-legacy-20150423-1mri9o.html |access-date=6 May 2016}}{{cite web |last=McCarthy |first=James |title=Review: ANZAC Day Salute (Sydney Symphony) |work=Limelight |date=26 April 2015 |url=http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/live-reviews/review-anzac-day-salute-sydney-symphony |access-date=6 May 2016}}
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.
In 2019 Ledger won the ARIA Award for Best Classical Album for Thirteen Ways to Look at Birds, another collaboration with Paul Kelly.{{cite web|url=https://themusicnetwork.com/2019-fine-arts-artisan-awards-nominees/|title= Revealed: ARIA's 2019 Fine Arts & Artisan Awards nominees [full list]| website = The Music Network | date = 24 September 2019 | access-date = 24 September 2019 }}{{cite web | url = https://ariaawards.com.au/News/2019/2019-Fine-Arts-Artisan-ARIA-winners-announced | title = ARIA Awards: 2019 Fine Arts & Artisan Winners Announced |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)| date = 10 October 2019 | access-date = 11 October 2019 }}
In 2020, he earned a Doctorate of Music from the University of Western Australia. His Viola Concerto, premiered by Brett Dean and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, won the APRA AMCOS Art Music award in the "Work of the Year – Large Ensemble" category.{{cite web |title=Art Music Awards Winners 2020 |url=https://apraamcos.com.au/awards/2020-awards/art-music-awards/full-list-of-finalists/ |website=apraamcos.com.au |publisher=APRA AMCOS |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=29 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029224505/https://apraamcos.com.au/awards/2020-awards/art-music-awards/full-list-of-finalists/ |url-status=dead }}
Awards and nominations
=ARIA Music Awards=
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.
{{Awards table}}
! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
|2013
|Conversations with Ghosts (with Paul Kelly, Genevieve Lacey & ANAM Musicians)
|Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/ Show Album
| {{won}}
|-
|2019
|Thirteen Ways to Look at Birds (with Paul Kelly)
| {{won}}
|-
|}
=APRA AMCOS Awards and nominations=
- 2006 Best Performance of an Australian Composition (Nominee) – WASO performing James Ledger, Line Drawing
- 2008 Orchestral Work of the Year (Nominee), James Ledger, Trumpet Concerto
- 2011 Work of the Year – Instrumental (Winner), James Ledger, Chronicles
- 2012 Performance of the Year (Winner), James Ledger, Two Memorials performed by WASO
- 2014, Work of the Year, Orchestral (Nominee), James Ledger, Golden Years
- 2020, Work of the Year, Large Ensemble (Winner), James Ledger, Viola Concerto
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 (for Matthew Wilkie)
- 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)
- The Natural Church (2016) for chamber orchestra
- Hollow Kings (2016)
- The Natural Order of Things (2017) for strings
- Viola Concerto (2019) concerto for viola and orchestra
=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
- The Distortion Mirror (2018) for string quartet and live electronics
=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
- Chant (2017) for double bass
- Intended Inventions (2018) for piano
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{official|https://jamesledger.com/}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Classical music}}
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Category:Musicians from Perth, Western Australia
Category:Australian male classical composers
Category:21st-century Australian classical composers
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Academic staff of the University of Western Australia