Carl Vine facts for kids

Carl Edward Vine (born on October 8, 1954) is a famous Australian composer. He writes contemporary classical music, which is a type of music written in modern times using classical styles. Carl Vine is also a talented pianist.

Since 1975, he has worked as a composer and pianist for many different groups. These include theatre and dance companies. Carl Vine has written a lot of music. His works include eight symphonies and thirteen concertos. He has also created music for movies, TV shows, and plays. From 2000 to 2019, Carl was the Artistic Director of Musica Viva Australia. This is a big organization that supports chamber music. He also directed music festivals like the Huntington Estate Music Festival and the Musica Viva Festival.

In 2005, Carl Vine received the Don Banks Music Award. This is a very important award for musicians in Australia. In 2014, he was given the title Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). This award recognized his great work in music. It honored him as a composer, conductor, and director. It also recognized his help for new musicians. Today, Carl Vine teaches music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He teaches students how to compose music and arrange it for orchestras.

About Carl Vine's Musical Journey

Carl Vine was born in Perth, Western Australia. He started playing the cornet, a type of trumpet, when he was just 5 years old. When he was 10, he began playing the piano. As a teenager, he was very interested in the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen. This led him to explore a modern style of music until the mid-1980s.

He first studied physics at the University of Western Australia. Later, he changed to studying music composition. In 1975, he moved to Sydney. There, he worked as a freelance musician. This means he worked for himself, taking on different jobs. He composed music and played piano for various theatre and dance groups.

Carl Vine became well-known in Australia for his dance music. He wrote music for 25 different dance shows. In 1979, he helped start a music group called "Flederman". This group performed many of his own musical pieces. From 1980 to 1982, he taught electronic music composition. He taught at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Brisbane.

His music collection is very large. It includes eight symphonies and thirteen concertos. He has also written music for films, TV, and theatre. He even arranged the Australian national anthem. He also wrote music for the closing ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

From 2000 to 2019, Carl was the Artistic Director of Musica Viva Australia. This is the biggest organization in the world for chamber music. Chamber music is played by a small group of instruments. As part of this role, he also directed the Huntington Estate Music Festival from 2006. He also directed the Musica Viva Festival in Sydney from 2008. In 2005, he received the Don Banks Music Award. This is the highest honor from the Australia Council for the Arts.

In 2012, his second piano concerto was performed for the first time. It was played by Piers Lane and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Also, the Australian Chamber Orchestra performed his solo song piece, The Tree of Man. This piece was inspired by a novel by Patrick White.

In 2014, Carl Vine was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). This award recognized his important work. It honored him for his contributions to the performing arts. This included his work as a composer, conductor, and artistic director. It also recognized his support for new performers.

Carl Vine lives in Sydney and continues to compose music. In October 2016, his trombone concerto, Five Hallucinations, was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Since 2014, he has also been a senior lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He teaches students how to compose music.

Carl Vine's Compositions

Carl Vine has written many different types of musical pieces. Here are some of his works:

Symphonies

• Symphony No. 1 MicroSymphony (1986)
• Symphony No. 2 (1988)
• Symphony No. 3 (1990)
• Symphony No. 4 (1992; revised 1998)
• Symphony No. 5 Percussion Symphony (1995)
• Symphony No. 6 Choral Symphony (1996)
• Symphony No. 7 Scenes from Daily Life (2008)
• Symphony No. 8 The Enchanted Loom (2018)

Concertos

Concertos are pieces of music for a solo instrument and an orchestra.

• Percussion Concerto (1987)
• Concerto Grosso (for violin, flute, oboe, horn and strings) (1989)
• Gaijin (for koto, strings, and pre-recorded electronics) (1994)
• Oboe Concerto (1996)
• Piano Concerto No. 1 (1997)
• Pipe Dreams (concerto for flute and strings) (2003)
• Cello Concerto (2004)
• Violin Concerto (2011)
• Piano Concerto No. 2 (2012)
• Concerto for Orchestra (2014)
• Five Hallucinations (concerto for trombone and orchestra) (2016)
• Wonders (a cantata for singers and orchestra) (2016)
• Implacable Gifts (concerto for two pianos and orchestra) (2018)
• Zofomorphis (concerto for 4-hand piano duet and orchestra) (2022)

Other Orchestral Works

These are pieces written for a full orchestra.

• Celebrate Celeberrime (1993) (an orchestral fanfare)
• V (2002) (an orchestral fanfare)
• The Tree of Man (2012) (a cantata for soprano and string orchestra)
• Gravity Road (2014) (a tone poem)
• Our Sons (2015) (a cantata for soprano and string orchestra)
• Dreams Undreamt (2024) (an orchestral fanfare)

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments, usually one player per part.

• String Quartet No. 1 (Knips Suite) (1979)
• String Quartet No. 2 (1984)
• String Quartet No. 3 (1994)
• String Quartet No. 4 (2004)
• String Quartet No. 5 (2007)
• String Quartet No. 6 (Child's Play) (2017)
• String Quintet (2009)
• Miniature I Peace (for solo viola) (1973)
• Miniature II (for viola duet) (1974)
• Miniature III (for flute, trombone, piano, percussion) (1983)
• Miniature IV (for flute, clarinet, cello, violin, viola, cello, piano) (1988)
• Sonata for flute and piano (1992)
• Inner World (for solo cello with pre-recorded electronics) (1994)
• Fantasia for piano quintet (2013)
• The Village for piano trio (2014)
• Strutt Sonata for cello and piano (2017)
• Clarinet Quintet (2022)
• Endless (for guitar and string quartet) (2023)

Piano Music

These are pieces written for the piano.

• Piano Sonata No. 1 (1990)
• Five Bagatelles (solo piano) (1994)
• Piano Sonata No. 2 (1997)
• Rash (piano with CD) (1997)
• Red Blues (solo piano) (1999)
• The Anne Landa Preludes (solo piano) (2006)
• Piano Sonata No. 3 (2007)
• Sonata for Piano Four Hands (2009)
• Toccatissimo (2011)
• The Arrival of Implacable Gifts (piano four hands) (2017)
• Piano Sonata No. 4 (2019)
• Five Intermezzi (2022)
• Gothic Fantasy (2023)

Music for Dance

Carl Vine has composed music for many dance performances.

• 961 Ways to Nirvana (1977)
• Incident at Bull Creek (1977)
• Poppy (1978)
• Everymans Troth (1978)
• Scene Shift (1979)
• Kisses Remembered (1979)
• Knips Suite (1979)
• Missing Film (1980)
• Return (1980)
• Donna Maria Blues (1981)
• Colonial Sketches (1981)
• Daisy Bates (1982)
• Hate (1982)
• A Christmas Carol (1983)
• Prologue and Canzona (1986)
• Legend (1988)
• On The Edge (1989)
• Piano Sonata (1990)
• The Tempest (1991)
• Beauty and The Beast (1993)
• Mythologia (2000)
• The Silver Rose (2005)
• Tribe's Desire (2010)

Music for Theatre

He has also written music for plays.

• The Dreamers (play – 1975)
• New Sky (mime by Judith Anderson – 1981)
• Signal Driver (play by Patrick White – 1982)
• Shepherd on the Rocks (play by Patrick White – 1987)
• The Ham Funeral (play by Patrick White – 1989)
• The Master Builder (play by Ibsen – 1991)
• Night on Bald Mountain (play by Patrick White – 1996)
• A Hard God (play by Peter Kenna – 1997)

Music for Film and Television

Carl Vine's music has been featured in movies and TV shows.

• The Dunstan Documentaries (TV) (1982)
• You Can't Push the River (1993)
• Bedevil (1993)
• The Battlers (TV) (1994)
• Urn (short film) (1995)
• What Comes After Why? (short film) (1995)
• White Fella's Dreaming (documentary) (1997)
• Marriage Acts (TV) (2000)
• The Potato Factory (TV) (2000)

Music Recordings

Here are some of the albums featuring Carl Vine's music:

• Carl Vine: The Complete Symphonies, performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
• Carl Vine – Chamber Music Volume 1
• Carl Vine – Chamber Music Volume 2
• Carl Vine: The Piano Music

Awards and Honors

Carl Vine has received many awards for his musical talents.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are given out every year. They celebrate great music in Australia.

Bernard Heinze Memorial Award

The Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award is given to someone who has made a huge difference in Australian music.

Don Banks Music Award

The Don Banks Music Award started in 1984. It honors a very important artist who has contributed a lot to music in Australia.