Brett Dean facts for kids

Brett Dean (born 23 October 1961) is an Australian musician who is famous for composing, playing the viola, and conducting orchestras. He has written many musical pieces and performed all over the world.

Early life and musical start

Brett Dean grew up in Brisbane, Australia. He started playing the violin when he was 8 years old. Later, he focused on the viola. He studied music at the Queensland Conservatorium. In 1982, he was the top student there. He also won an award in 1981 from the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards.

Career highlights

From 1985 to 1999, Brett Dean played the viola in the famous Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This is one of the world's best orchestras!

In 2000, he decided to work as a freelance musician. This meant he could choose his own projects. He moved back to Australia. He helped plan classical music programs for big events like the Sydney Festival and the Melbourne Festival.

As a composer and musician, he travels a lot. He is often invited to perform and share his music. He was a special composer for the National Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan. He also held a creative role with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in Switzerland.

Brett Dean was the artistic director for the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. His brother, Paul, who is also a musician, took over this job in 2010.

In 2011, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra celebrated Brett Dean's 50th birthday. They honored his work as a composer, performer, and teacher.

Brett Dean is married to Heather Betts, an artist. Their daughter, Lotte Betts-Dean, is a mezzo-soprano, which is a type of singer.

His musical works

Brett Dean started composing music in 1988. At first, he worked on music for films and radio. He also enjoyed improvising music. Since then, he has written many pieces. Most of his music is for orchestras or small groups of instruments called chamber music. He has also written concertos, which are pieces for a solo instrument with an orchestra.

One of his most well-known works is Carlo. It is for strings, samples, and tape. This piece was inspired by the music of an old composer named Carlo Gesualdo.

His first opera, Bliss, was based on a book by Peter Carey. It was first performed in 2010 by Opera Australia. An opera is a play where most of the words are sung.

Brett Dean's music often creates exciting and changing soundscapes. He uses complex rhythms for individual instruments. He likes to explore musical extremes, from very loud and powerful sounds to almost silent parts. He also uses modern playing techniques. His music often includes interesting percussion, sometimes even using everyday objects.

Many of his works are inspired by books, politics, or art. They often carry a message beyond just the music. For example, Water Music and Pastoral Symphony are about environmental issues. Vexations and Devotions talks about how much information we deal with in modern society.

In 2013, his work "The Last Days of Socrates" was performed by the Berlin Philharmonic. This piece was for a bass-baritone singer, a choir, and an orchestra.

Awards and recognition

Brett Dean has received many awards for his music. His clarinet concerto, Ariel's Music, won an award from UNESCO in 1995. His piece Winter Songs won the Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize in 2001. Moments of Bliss was named Best Composition at the Australian Classical Music Awards in 2005.

He has been a "composer-in-residence" many times. This means he works closely with an orchestra or festival for a period. Some places include the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Wigmore Hall.

In 2007, he received an honorary doctorate from Griffith University. This is a special degree given to honor his achievements.

In 2008, he won the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. This was for his violin concerto, The Lost Art of Letter Writing. This is a very important award in music.

He also won the Melbourne Prize for Music in 2013.

In 2023, he won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Orchestral Composition for his Cello Concerto. He was also nominated for another award in 2024.

He has also received awards like the Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award (2009) and the Don Banks Music Award (2016) for his outstanding contributions to music in Australia. His opera Bliss was nominated for Helpmann Awards in 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Brett Dean para niños