Download biography – ann carr-boyd - Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra

about the composer . . . .
Ann Carr-Boyd has been involved in music and its many manifestations all her life.
Born into a family of professional musicians, she studied piano from an early age with
her father Norbert Wentzel and violin and viola with her Uncle, Charles Wentzel. She
obtained the first Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Sydney, with 1st
class honours, in 1960, and followed this with a Master of Arts, presenting a thesis on
the first hundred years of European musical development in Australia, 1788 to 1888.
Her first formal composition studies took place in London with Peter Racine Fricker
and Alexander Goehr, as recipient of the Sydney Moss Scholarship from Sydney
University. Her early works received performances in London and in 1964 she was one
of four finalists in the British Patron's Fund competition, established to foster
composition of new orchestral works.
Returning to Sydney in 1967 she continued her involvement with music, which has
embraced such areas as broadcasting (including many series of programs about
Australian music and music history); teaching at universities and schools, as well as
privately, and contributing to publications including the Australian Dictionary of
Biography and Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Her compositions cover a broad genre and include keyboard works for piano,
harpsichord and organ; orchestral, vocal and chamber music.
She has had a particular association with music for mandolin and her works now total
about fifteen in this area, including ensemble, orchestral, solo and in one case,
mandolin and string orchestra.
The ensemble works include
Mandolin Music
Music for an Imaginary Italian Film
and Fandango
(and since then, Fandango has been arranged for string orchestra ; guitar trio;
mandolin quartet ; mandolin quintet ; solo mandolin, and oboe and string quartet and now, in this publication )
Fandango has been performed in many countries and in 2008 was voted
No 55 in the top 100 works, in ABC Classic FM's survey of chamber music.
Photo by Scott Wajon, State Library photographer at the concert “Four Generations of Music”, held at
the State Library of New South Wales for Ann Carr-Boyd's 70th birthday, July 2008.