Vincent Plush

Vincent Plush (born 18 April 1950, Adelaide) is an Australian composer. He studied at the University of Adelaide under the composer Richard Meale and founded the Seymour Group in 1976. He has taught at the NSW State Conservatorium of Music (now Sydney Conservatorium of Music) and worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Plush was awarded a Harkness Fellowship and spent time at Yale University researching American composers. He writes about classical music for The Australian newspaper and has contributed to Limelight magazine. Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians describes Plush as a "remarkable Australian composer".

Awards

The 2005 Classical Music Awards (now Art Music Awards) were presented by APRA and the Australian Music Centre, at Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, on 18 July 2005.

Selected works

• Australian Folksongs, musical theatre piece for Baritone and Ensemble (Sydney, July 19, 1977)
• The Maitland and Morpeth String Quartet for Narrator and String Quartet (Sydney, April 1, 1979; rev. 1985)
• Facing the Danger for Narrator and Instruments, after the poem Say No by Barbara Berman (1982; Las Vegas, Jan. 18, 1983)
• Grody to the Max for “Val”-(i.e. San Fernando “Valley Girl”) speaker and Trumpeter (1983)
• The Wakefield Chronicles, pageant for Narrator, Solo Trumpet and Trombone, and Ensemble, after Edward Gibbon Wakefield (Adelaide, March 5, 1986)
• The Muse of Fire for Narrator, Baritone, Trumpet, Flute, Piano, Chorus, 2 Brass Bands, Children’s Chorus, and Organ, after Andrew Torning (1986–87)

• Pacifica (1986; rev. 1987; Aspen, July 10, 1988); Concord/Eendracht (Utrecht, May 18, 1990)
• Pilbara for Strings (1991)

• The Wakefield Chorales (1986)
• March of the Dalmatians (1987)

• Aurores for Horn, Piano, and Ensemble (from O Paraguay!; Kensington, New South Wales, July 31, 1979)
• Bakery Hill Rising for Solo Horn and 8 Other Horns (1980; Ballarat, Victoria, Feb. 14, 1981)
• On Shooting Stars—Homage to Victor Jam for Ensemble (Sydney, Sept. 11, 1981)
• FireRaisers, “Concertino in the Style of a Vaudeville Entertainment” for Trumpet and Ensemble (Brisbane, Queensland, Sept. 30, 1984)
• Gallipoli Sunrise for Tenor Trombone and 7 Other Trombones (1984)
• Helices for Percussion Quartet (from The Wakefield Chronicles; 1985)
• The Wakefield Convocation for Brass Quintet (1985)
• The Wakefield Invocation for Trumpet and Organ (1986)
• The Ludlow Lullabies for Violin and Piano (Colorado Springs, Oct. 19, 1989)
• SkyFire for 10 Pianos and Tape (Colorado Springs, Nov. 19, 1989)
• Aunt Kelly’s Book of Tangos for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1990)
• Florilegium I, II, and III (Sydney, Sept. 28, 1990)
• Los Dios de Los Muertos for Percussion Quartet (1990)
• The Love-Songs of Herbert Hoover for Horn Trio (1991)

• Franz Liszt Sleeps Alone
• Piano nocturne (1985; Budapest, March 12, 1986)
• Encompassings for Organ (Canberra, March 16, 1975)

• Estuary (1978)
• Stevie Wonder’s Music for Flute and Tape (Sydney, Nov. 4, 1979)
• All Ears (1985)
• Metropolis: Sydney (WDR, Cologne, Nov. 14, 1988)

• Magnificat for Soprano, Flute, and 3 Vocal Quartets (1970; Sydney, Sept. 8, 1976)
• 3 Carols for Soprano, Contralto, and Children’s Chorus (1978, 1979, 1982)
• The Hymn of the Winstanly Levellers for Speaking/Singing Chorus (Sydney, May 23, 1981)
• Ode to Knocks for Mixed Voices and Instruments (Knox, Victoria, Sept. 6, 1981)
• Letters from the Antipodes: 6 English Reflections on Colonial Australia for Small Chorus (1984; Sydney, July 9, 1989)
• All Ears, radiophonie composition for Voices (Radio 2MBS-FM, Sydney, March 16, 1985)
• The Muse of Fire, pageant for Voices and Instruments (Penrith, New South Wales, Oct. 17, 1987)
• Cornell Ceremonial Music for Brass Instruments and Chorus (Winter Park, Fla., Nov. 10, 1988)
• Andrew Torning’s March to Victory for Small Chorus and Piano (1989)
• The Arraignment of Henry Lawson for Voices and Instruments (1991)