Biography
Conyngham was born in Sydney. He was initially interested in jazz, [4] and studied with Raymond Hanson [2] and Richard Meale [5] but turned his attention to orchestral writing in the mid-1960s with encouragement from Peter Sculthorpe. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney in 1967, and a Master of Arts (Hons.) [3] at the same university in 1971. In 1970 he visited Japan on a Churchill Fellowship, [4] where he studied with Toru Takemitsu. [2] This was unusual, as Australian composers typically chose Europe and Britain as their location for further study.
In 1972, he went to the United States on a Harkness Fellowship [6] and gained a Certificate of Post-Doctoral Studies from the University of California, San Diego in 1973. He was a Fellow of Princeton University 1973–74, and Composer-in-Residence at the University of Aix-Marseille in 1974–75. He was a lecturer at the University of Melbourne from 1975 to 1979, then Senior Lecturer 1975–79. He was a visiting scholar at the University of Minnesota, was a Senior Fulbright Fellow in 1982, [3] and that year gained a Doctorate in Music from the University of Melbourne. He became professor and head of the School of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong 1989–94. He was the Foundation Vice-Chancellor of Southern Cross University 1994–2000, based in Lismore, New South Wales. [7]
He was the first musician to hold the chair of Australian studies at Harvard University (2000–2001). [1] [7] [8]
In 1978, he won the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award (he won it again in 2008). In 1997, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), "for service to music as a composer and to music education and administration". [9]
In 2000, Barry Conyngham was invited to give the second annual Peggy Glanville-Hicks address for the Sydney Spring Festival. [8]
In 2003, he was given a commission by the Ian Potter Music Commission Fellowship. [10] [11]
Conyngham has been involved with a number of arts organisations, including the World Music Council, Opera Australia, the Australian Music Centre and the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation. [1] He has also been chairman of the Music Board of the Australia Council. [4]
After retiring from academic life to concentrate on composition and music performance, [8] on 22 December 2010 he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of the VCA and Music at the University of Melbourne.
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