LEE BRADSHAW 1977-  


Images for String Quartet (composed 2019)

“’Images’ for String Quartet is a work which finally came together in 2019.

Each movement is based on three distinct ideas composed at various times over the course of 25 years - beginning with the first in 1995.

Despite several attempts to strong-arm these seemingly disparate entities into something more cohesive, the quartet was nearly discarded - until the idea occurred of having all three ideas coexist in a kind of musical photo album - each like an ‘image’ drawn from a different era of my life.

No longer was it necessary to create crosstalk between them - nor to discard them.

Each movement is a finite snapshot - a moment in time - and like a photograph, each is unchangeable. Including them all in one collection allows them their unique characters, and honours the notion that all of these small utterances are mine.

It allows me to trace a path of my own evolving voice over the course of all those years.

As someone who rarely gives titles - here it seemed appropriate to offer a name.

‘Images’.”

Lee Bradshaw is an Australian composer, based in Melbourne. He has studied composition with Larry Sitsky (1998, Australian National Academy), Roger Smalley (1997, UWA), Nigel Butterly and Anthony Payne (1996, UWA). During High School he studied viola with Lawrence Jacks from 1991-1997, beginning with a scholarship at Perth Modern School.

His first instrumental music teacher Geoff Conrau likely had the most positive and lasting impact on him, by encouraging an exploration of composition.

As a student, Lee was commissioned to write three scores for dance theatre ensemble Physical Architecture is Dancing’s productions; “Alice” (Artrage, 1995), and “4 Walls” (PICA, 1996). The resultant works; “4 Walls” string quartet and the “Fission” string quartet - were both premiered featuring ex-Head of Strings (UWA) Paul Wright on violin.

Notable commissions and performances include:

“Opera” for piano - performed at the Octagon Theatre by Michael Kieren Harvey (1997). Commissioned to compose Trio for Flute, Viola and Contrabasso by the Montenegrin Music Centre (2009); the work was subsequently recorded by Zoran Markovic and Ivan Vukcevic for National Archives of Montenegro. Commissioned to compose “Pluto” for the Western Australian Youth Orchestra (2012), and subsequently travelled to WA to conduct and record the orchestra for their major sponsor Woodside. Commissioned to compose Sonata for Piano for Anna Sleptsova; head of keyboard studies at Edith Cowan University (2017), premiered in 2018 at the Singaporean International Piano Competition by Anna Sleptsova (visiting guest judge).

Lee’s Sonata for Violin and Piano was the first Australian composition to be recorded on the Stuart & Sons Pianos at Newcastle University featuring violinist Sophie Rowell (Concertmaster, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) and Alexy Koltakov (piano). “Via Crucis” for solo violin performed by Baiba Skride during the 360 Concert Series in Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (2020).

Lee’s compositions have been performed by Artists such as: Baiba Skride, Ivan Vukčević, Anna Sleptsova, Sophie Rowell, Alex Koltakov, Michael Kieran Harvey, Iain Grandage, Erica Kennedy and Paul Wright.

Current projects include a Violin Concerto, Electric Guitar Concerto and an Industrial Fusion Opera “Tales from the Abattoir”.