Paul Stanhope is an Australian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, conductor and music educator, known for his choral and instrumental music.

Early life and education

Stanhope was a student of Andrew Ford, Andrew Schultz and Peter Sculthorpe, and received the Charles Mackerras Scholarship to study at the

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz along with dram ...

in London in 2000.

Composition

In May 2004, he won first place at the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award for his work ''Fantasia on a Theme by Vaughan Williams,'' and in 2010 was featured composer for Musica Viva, resulting in the following report from artistic director Carl Vine:

Paul Stanhope’s contribution as Featured Composer for the 2010 Season set a new benchmark, with every one of his works standing proudly alongside the finest chamber music presented by our touring artists. His music left a powerful and enduring impression upon the year’s concerts, drawing liberal praise from an unprecedented number of our patrons.

In 2011 Stanhope was awarded two APRA Australian Music Centre awards for the instrumental work of the year. In 2018 he was awarded the orchestral work of the year, and won again in 2017 and 2020. In 2013 and 2014 he was the first composer to receive a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship. A commissioned music-drama for large choir and orchestra premiered in 2014 titled ''Jandamarra: Sing for the Country'', based on the life of a North resistance hero of the Bunuba nation of Western Australia.

Conducting and teaching

Stanhope has held the post of musical director with the Sydney Chamber Choir, and guest conductor of Gondwana Voices/Sydney Children's Choir, and since 2014 has been the artistic chair of the Australia Ensemble at

UNSW The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public university, public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, ...

. he is associate professor of composition at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, and artistic director of choral programs at the

Sydney Conservatorium of Music The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) — formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, and known by the moniker "The Con" — is the music school of the University of Sydney. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music ...

Awards and nominations

APRA AMC Art Music Awards

Since 2003 APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) combined with AMC ( Australian Music Centre) to present the Classical Music Awards at an annual ceremony. In 2011 they were re-branded as the Art Music Awards. ! , - ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, Marshall McGuire's ''Arch Window'' (Paul Stanhope) , Instrumental Work of the Year , , style="text-align:center;" ,
, - , rowspan="3",

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, Pavel Haas Quartet's ''String Quartet No. 2'' (Stanhope) , Work of the Year – Instrumental , , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3",

, - , Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge and Stephen Layton's ''Deserts of Exile'' (Stanhope, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra) , Work of the Year – Vocal or Choral , , - , Jane Sheldon, Ensemble Offspring and Roland Peelman's ''The Origin Cycle'' (Stanhope, Elliott Gyger, Kate Neal, Barry Conyngham, Rosalind Page, Elena Kats-Chernin, Nicholas Vines, Dan Walker) , Performance of the Year , , - , rowspan="2",

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, ACO2, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Dale Barltrop's ''Qinoth'' (Stanhope) , Work of the Year – Instrumental , , rowspan="2",

, - , Sydney Chamber Choir and Stanhope's ''Osanna Mass'' ( Clare Maclean) , Work of the Year – Vocal or Choral , , - ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, Brett Weymark, Simon Lobelson, Yilimbirri Ensemble, Gondwana Choirs and Sydney Symphony Orchestra's ''Jandamarra - Sing for the Country'' (Stanhope, Steve Hawke) , Orchestral Work of the Year , , Note: user may have to click on a tab e.g. 'Work of the Year – Instrumental' to access further information.
, - ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, Goldner String Quartet's "String Quartet No. 3" (Stanhope) , Performance of the Year , ,
, - , rowspan="2",

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, rowspan="2", Adelaide Chamber Singers, Carl Crossin's ''Agnus Dei ( Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep)'' (Stanhope, Mary Elizabeth Frye) , Vocal / Choral Work of the Year , , rowspan="2",

, - , Performance of the Year , , - ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, Joshua Davis, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Asher Fisch's "Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra" (Stanhope) , Orchestral Work of the Year , ,
, - ,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, Gondwana Choirs, Luminescence Chamber Singers, Valla Voices, Hunter Singers, Resonance and Lyn Williams' ''I Am Martuwarra'' (Stanhope, Steve Hawke) , Work of the Year: Choral , , , - , rowspan="2",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, Sydney Chamber Choir's ''Requiem'' (Stanhope, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Neela Nath Das, Mary Elizabeth Frye,

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

) , Work of the Year: Choral , , rowspan="2",
, - , Andrew Haveron and Simon Tedeschi's ''Machine Codes'' (Stanhope) , Performance of the Year: Notated Composition , , -

Other awards

* 2004 Winner, Toru Takemitsu Composition Award: ''Fantasia on a theme of Vaughan Williams'' * 2010 First Prize, Albert H Maggs Composition Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanhope, Paul 20th-century Australian classical composers 21st-century Australian classical composers APRA Award winners Living people Winners of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)