Nigel Westlake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nigel Westlake
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| Born | 6 September 1958 Perth, Western Australia |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
Nigel Westlake (born 6 September 1958) is a talented Australian composer, musician, and conductor. He is well-known for creating music for movies and TV shows.
Some of the popular films he has scored include Ali's Wedding, Paper Planes, Miss Potter, and the Babe movies. He also wrote the famous theme music for SBS World News.
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About Nigel Westlake
Nigel Westlake was born in Sydney, Australia. His father, Donald Westlake, was a main clarinet player for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Nigel learned to play the clarinet from his father. He left school early to focus on his music career.
By the time he was 17, Nigel was already traveling around Australia and the world. He played the clarinet, bass clarinet, and saxophone for many different groups. These included ballet companies, a circus, and various music bands and orchestras.
In 1983, Nigel studied bass clarinet and composition in the Netherlands. The next year, in 1984, he became a "composer in residence" for ABC Radio National. This meant he was hired to write music for them.
From 1987 to 1992, Westlake was a clarinet player with The Australia Ensemble. Later, he joined a music group called Attacca, which featured the famous guitarist John Williams.
In 2008, Nigel Westlake started the Smugglers of Light Foundation. He created this foundation to honor his son, Eli. The foundation helps young people and Indigenous Australian communities learn about culture through music and film.
Nigel's Family Life
Nigel Westlake is married to Jan Loquet Westlake. They have two sons together. Nigel composed a special music piece called Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli. He dedicated this work to his son, Eli. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed it for the first time in February 2011.
Movies with Nigel's Music
Here is a list of some of the films Nigel Westlake has composed music for:
- Candy Regentag (1989)
- Act of Necessity (1991)
- Antarctica (1991)
- Backsliding (1991)
- Babe (1995)
- Children of the Revolution (1996)
- Wild Australia: The Edge (1996)
- Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
- A Little Bit of Soul (1998)
- Solarmax (2000)
- The Nugget (2002)
- Horseplay (2003)
- Hell Has Harbour Views (2005)
- Miss Potter (2006)
- Stepfather of the Bride (2006)
- Paper Planes (2015)
- Ali's Wedding (and soundtrack) (2017)
- Blueback (2022)
Awards and Recognitions
Nigel Westlake has received many awards for his amazing music.
- In 1985, he won the Jazz Action Society Composition Competition.
- In 1988, he won a Gold Medal at the New York International Radio Festival.
- In 2004, he received the HC Coombs Creative Arts Fellowship from the Australian National University.
- In 2012, the University of New South Wales gave him an Honorary Doctorate of Music. This is a special degree that recognizes his achievements.
AACTA Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards celebrate achievements in Australian film and television.
- 2015 - Nominated for Best Original Music Score for Paper Planes.
- 2017 - Nominated for Best Original Score for Ali's Wedding.
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (AIR Awards) recognize successful independent music in Australia.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Blueback (Original Motion Picture Score) (with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Benjamin Northey) |
Best Independent Classical Album or EP | Nominated |
APRA Awards
The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand. They celebrate great songwriting and music performance.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Refractions at Summer Cloud Bay" | Contemporary Classical Composition of the Year | Won | |
| 1996 | Babe | Best Film Score | Won | |
| 1998 | The Edge | Most Performed Classical Work | Won | |
| Songs from the Forest | Nominated | |||
| 1999 | Babe: Pig in the City | Best Film Score | Nominated | |
| "Laikan" (Australia Ensemble) | Most Performed Contemporary Classical Composition | Won | ||
| 2003 | Horse Play | Best Feature Film Score | Nominated | |
| The Nugget | Won | |||
| 2005 | Piano Concerto – Michael Kieran Harvey | Best Performance of an Australian Composition | Nominated | |
| Six Fish – Saffire Guitar Quartet | Instrumental Work of the Year | Won | ||
| Crystal Spheres – Solarmax film orchestra | Orchestral Work of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Hell Has Harbour Views | Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie | Won | ||
| 2007 | When the Clock Strikes Me - Rebecca Lagos (soloist), Sydney Symphony | Best Performance of an Australian Composition | Won | |
| Miss Potter | Feature Film Score of the Year | Won | ||
| Best Soundtrack Album | Won | |||
| Stepfather of the Bride | Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie | Won | ||
| 2008 | Rare Sugar - The Australia Ensemble and Catherine McCorkill (clarinetist) | Best Performance of an Australian Composition | Won | |
| Glass Soldier Suite – Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Geoffrey Payne (cornet), Jean-Louis Forestier (conductor) | Orchestral Work of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | Missa Solis – Requiem for Eli (with Sydney Symphony Orchestra) | Work of the Year – Orchestral | Won | |
| Performance of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Compassion (with Lior & Sydney Symphony Orchestra) | Work of the Year – Orchestral | Nominated |
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards in Australia. They celebrate excellent music from all different styles.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Road to Xanadu - The Genius That Was China (with Michael Askill) |
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album | Nominated | |
| 1993 | Antarctica | Nominated | ||
| 1996 | Babe | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | Missa Solis: Requiem for Eli (with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) |
Best Classical Album | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Compassion (with Lior and Sydney Symphony Orchestra) | Won | ||
| 2015 | Paper Planes – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) |
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Ali's Wedding (soundtrack) (with Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Lior, Joseph Tawadros & Slava Grigoryan) |
Won | ||
| 2019 | Nigel Westlake: Spirit of the Wild / Steve Reich: The Desert Music (with Diana Doherty, Sydney Symphony Orchestra & David Robertson, Synergy Vocals) |
Best Classical Album | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Blueback – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Benjamin Northey) | Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album | Nominated |
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards
- 2018 - Nominated for Best Original Music for Ali's Wedding.
- 2016 - Nominated for Best Music for Paper Planes.
- 1997 - Won Best Original Music for Babe.
International Film Music Critics Award (IFMCA)
- 2007 - Won Best Original Score for a Comedy Film for Miss Potter.
