NEWS
I am very pleased that my work, Sport of Kings, has been selected as the D Grade Test Piece at the 2027 National Band Championships in Canberra next March. There will be performances by 11 bands from across Australia and Tonga.Sport of Kings was written for the Moonee Valley Brass Band and their (then) director Wally Pope in 2011. As Moonee Valley has one of Australia's major horse racing centres, it seemed appropriate to write a three movement suite evoking the sport of horse racing.
The work is now represented by BrookWright Music.
For more information about the Nationals, click on the banner.Movements 2 and 3 of my Euphonium Sonatina have also been selected for the National Band Championships in the Open Brass Solo Section.
The work is represented by Reed Music.
It is exciting to say that I have now signed a contract with Brookwright Music (UK) to represent my brass band music. Brookwright Music is an innovative publishing company founded by UK composer Andrew Wainwright and I am looking forward to my brass music being more readily available around the world.
I am very pleased that Brookwright Music (UK) have published my work King - Concertino for Solo Trombone and Brass Band.
The work is a homage to the renowned conductor Dr David King and was commissioned and recorded by the wonderful Dr Brett Baker with the Flowers Band.
To purchase score and/or parts click HERE
To purchase the CD click HERE
My work Hammerblow, brilliantly performed by HD Duo - Dr Michael Duke and Michael Howie, is included in the list of Australian works curated by Cameron Lam. To see the list and information click on the logo
I'm very proud and pleased that the wonderful trombonist Brett Baker has recorded my new work 'King - Concertino for Trombone and Brass Band' with the Flowers Band. The picture below is from their website. The Concertino was commissioned by Brett and is a homage to my good friend David King. The recording The Heroic Trombone is now available!
Just posted on YouTube is the performance of my saxophone ensemble work Twelve performed by the Sydney Conservatorium Saxophone Ensemble conducted by Dr Michael Duke at EURSAX 2024 in Trento, Italy. Written in 2012 for 12 players, it is 12 movements, each a minute long (some went a little longer!) Thank you Michael and the ensemble for an excellent performance.
View here
I'm very proud that my brass band work Prayers and Tribulations was a finalist for the 2024 Art Music Awards in the category 'Work of the Year - Large Ensemble'.
The work was commissioned by the New York Staff Band and their director Derek Lance and was premiered by them on their tour of the UK in 2023. The also recorded the work and it is available on CD - a wonderful recording!
In my 40 odd years of composing I don't think a brass band work has ever been nominated, let alone a finalist, for the Art Music Awards, so this is a first!
I am most grateful to the New York Staff Band and Derek Lance and the work's short-listing for the Awards is also a recognition of their fine musicianship, commitment to new work and ability to realize challenging contemporary music.
The work can be heard live on this link
A new CD - GOLD - by the wonderful Australian Chamber Choir, directed by Douglas Lawrence,
featuring all Australian composers! It includes a beautiful performance of my I Had A Dream.
Buy HERE
The wonderful HD Duo - Dr Michael Duke, saxophone and David Howie, piano - have released their latest CD 'Bird Spirit Dreaming' on the Da Vinci Classics label and I am very pleased that they have included two works - a beautiful version of Endless Ripple 2 and a powerful version of I Touched Your Glistening Tears (with Julian Smiles, cello). Also works by my teacher Peter Sculthorpe, Ross Edwards, Lyle Chan, Matthew Orlovich and one of my students, Matthew Hindson! Please BUY the CD
This recording of I Touched Your Glistening Tears is featured in the February Art Music Playlist in Limelight Magazine
Listen here
I am very pleased that my new brass band work, Prayers and Tribulations, has just been released on CD in the USA.
'Worship The King' - New York Staff Band cond. Derek Lance. It was commissioned by the New York Staff Band.
It is an outstanding performance!
It is also available on Apple Music BUT I am not a fan of streaming sites as they pay composers a pittance! So please buy the CD and the money will at least go to the wonderful New York Staff Band.
Finalist in the Art Music Awards 2022
My choral work, Pandemic, premiered at St Benedikt Church, Ebenhausen, Germany in 2021 by the Theodor Schüz Ensemble and Quartet Berlin-Tokyo conducted by Philipp Amelung, has been selected as a Finalist in the Art Music Awards 2022 'Work of the Year: Choral' presented by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre.
Pandemic was the 6th movement from 'Shadow and Hope - a Cantata from Six Continents in the Age of Pandemic' commissioned by the Municipality of Icking for the Ickinger Konzertzyklus Festival.
The performance of Pandemic can be seen here on
(PS Congratulations to Paul Stanhope for receiving the award - he is an excellent composer!)
The Nurses at Vung Tau - Opera
Review July 3, Jenna Robertson in 'Loud Mouth'
My comment…
Reviews can be a mixed blessing! Of course, it all depends on the reviewer - their ability to understand the complexity and depth of a musical composition, their ability to critically discuss the music without the myopia of their personal biases and prejudices (this is a hard one for anybody!), their ability to be articulate and actually describe accurately what they have seen and heard and their ability to hear and see the 'big picture' of a work, its structure, its place in the genre and its potential, ie. its life in a different or more sympathetic setting (ie, better performers, better venue, better presentation - better music! etc).
So, to get an excellent review by Jenna Robertson (who I don't know!), published in 'Loud Mouth' by the Music Trust (an arts advocacy organisation founded by Richard Letts AM), was a great surprise and delight. Not only did she critically describe the opera - presentation, libretto and music - with much articulateness and insight informed by an obvious knowledge of music theatre and opera, she also gave very helpful and accurate criticism for improvement.
I have had many reviews over the past 40 years, good and bad and some you wondered if the reviewer was even present at the concert! When you get a 'good' critique, it is a very pleasant and welcome revelation - thank you Jenna!!
Read Jenna's full review HERE
THANK YOU to all the cast, ensemble, crew, conductor Patrick Pickett and especially to Libby Lewis - soprano, librettist and creative drive behind the opera!
We are all looking forward to the next production!
Libby Lewis and me at an interview at 4MBS (Brisbane) with the very charming Gary Thorpe OAM, General Manager and host.
Read the article about The Nurses at Vung Tau in the Catholic Leader
At the first rehearsal of The Nurses at Vung Tau.
BB, conductor Patrick Pickett and librettist and lead soprano Libby Lewis
I am thrilled that my orchestral work, Let There Be Light was selected as the winner of the Tampa Bay Symphony '5th Annual Call For Scores Competition' (USA).
Two further performances will be given by the Tampa Bay Symphony conducted by Mark Sforzini on February 22 and 27.
My duo work, Hammerblow, for saxophone and piano is now available on a Da Vinci Classics CD 'Music of the Commonwealth'.
An amazing performance by HD Duo - Michael Duke, saxophone and David Howie, piano - thank you!
Listen here on 
My choral work, Remember Them, using texts by WW1 poets, McCrae and Binyon, is to be released on 
(USA) in 2022, performed by Coro Volante conducted by Brett Scott.
67 composers writing new works for 67 ANAM musicians, all to be premiered in October 2021 (assuming Melbourne is not still in lockdown!! ): )
I am writing a solo trombone work called Memento for NSW trombonist Jarrod Callaghan.
I'm very pleased to be one of four composers (from 46 international entries) shortlisted as a finalist for the Tampa Bay Symphony '5th Annual Call For Scores Competition' (USA).
My orchestral work, Let There Be Light, will be performed in January 2022.
The work had to be influenced by the pandemic and the program note is:
Across the USA, people came together on the night of April 1, 2020 by placing candles, luminaries and other forms of light outside of their homes to show support for, and honor workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. The goal, participants said, was 'to send a message of love, strength and hope to doctors, nurses, first responders and anyone who is facing COVID-19 head on'.
The name of the nationwide event was “Let There Be Light.”
In The Sunshine was performed by the Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester in Helsingborg, Sweden conducted by David Björkman on August 20, 2020
Very privileged that the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has posted a Youtube video (with wonderful visuals) of my work, In The Sunshine, to honour our health workers.
My solo piano work, An Endless Ripple, performed by the brilliant Michael Kieran Harvey, is now available on the new Move Records CD, MOVE 50.
REVIEW: ‘Brenton Broadstock’s piano piece, An Endless Ripple also written for this project and performed by Harvey, shares a similar space/time trajectory. The rippling melodic motifs in the right hand gradually spread their reach. They are accompanied in the left hand by an unwavering undercurrent of descending chords. Recurring notes in the right hand have harmonic-like resonance which evokes the feel of sustenance Broadstock seeks. This ‘simple act of caring creates an endless ripple’ as he says, where the dynamic is resolutely contained. It’s beautiful!’
Mandy Stefanakis April 28, 2019 ‘Loud Mouth’
It's a wonderful honour to be included in the Camberwell High School alumni 'hall of fame'.
What a privilege it was to go to such an excellent public school!