Dr Graeme Wright Denniss has had a long and varied career as a performer, music educator and composer. A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, he studied Piano and French Horn (double majors) and Composition, being Student of the Year in his final undergraduate year. After 20 years of orchestral experience including 14 years as the Principal Third Horn in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Graeme returned to Brisbane where he completed his PhD in Composition at the University of Queensland. For four years he was a member of the brass quartet, Buzz, which was part of the Musica Viva in Schools programme in Queensland and Northern NSW.

His compositions have been performed and recorded by the Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, the Queensland Philharmonic and Youth Orchestras, as well as a wide variety of professional and student/amateur musicians and ensembles. In 1987 he won the Dorian le Gallienne award for “Songs of the Priestess of the Moon”, and in 2003 he received an Australia Council grant for “Wrestling Kali”, performed by Brisbane group Topology. A number of his compositions appear on the AMEB and ANZCA syllabuses.

Recent premiere performances include “The Melting Point” for Cor Anglais and Strings, “Songs of the Ming Dynasty” for Soprano and Strings, both performed at the 4MBS Festival of Classics 2009 and 2010 with the Corda Spiritus Chamber Orchestra; “Suite Botanica” for French Horn and Piano performed at the International Horn Symposium 2010.

In July 2010 Graeme gave a series of presentations on how to teach composition at the Music teachers Conference in Cairns, as well as presenting his new publications for solo piano and workshopping his new three volume series for Brass Ensemble.