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on this page: overview

major works / premieres:
Variations for Orchestra (premiere 2002)
Ammerseelieder (premiere 2005)
Threnos for horn and wind orchestra (premiere 2007)
Euphonium Concerto (premiere 2008)
Resonance for unaccompanied 'cello (premiere 2009)
Eat Pianist septet: piano, strings, winds (for ballet)
Prometheus and Pandora septet: piano, strings, winds (for ballet)
Landscape Visions
Passacaglia and Gigues double-bass and chamber orchestra
Legends of the Old Castle harp and wind orchestra (premiere 2014)
Violin Concerto (premiere 2015)
Shoalhaven-Lieder for high voice and orchestra
Triptych for saxophone and orchestra (premiere 2023)
Clarinet Concerto

current projects:

Viola Concertino

full list of compositions

residencies:
Bundanon
The Brahmshaus, Baden-Baden

Lee Bracegirdle:
First Prize recipient: Kodaly International Composers' Competition
Musical Director: Australian Chamber Ballet;
Principal Guest Conductor: Orquesta Sinfónica de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba
retired Associate Principal Horn: Sydney Symphony Orchestra;

Lee Bracegirdle earned his Bachelor and Master degrees at the Juilliard School,
studied conducting at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria with Michael Gielen,
and was awarded an Honorary Diploma by the Kodaly Academy and Institute in Chicago.
He has held positions as principal horn in orchestras in Germany, America and Australia,
and has had an extensive career as an instrumentalist, composer, conductor and arranger.
As a composer he is represented by The Australian Music Centre
His Variations for Orchestra, Ammerseelieder, Threnos, Euphonium Concerto,
Legends of the Old Castle and Violin Concerto are published by C.F. Peters.

Link to performances of Lee Bracegirdle's compositions at YouTube



Variations for Orchestra (2000)
received its world premiere in 2002 by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Richard Gill in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. CD recordings of this performance
are available through The Australian Music Centre

click here to listen to a performance on Youtube

click here to read the SSO's program notes for this performance

Richard Gill

Radio station 2-MBS FM published an article/interview with Lee
in their March, 2002 issue of "Fine Music" magazine.
Read Blow me down, it's a serialist! on the
reviews / press reports page.

In their reviews of the world premiere, Sydney's newspapers acclaimed:
"Bracegirdle's Variations exhibit ingenious, multi-coloured scoring,
with never a dull moment. This is clever stuff!"

Sydney's North Shore Times, in its end-of-year concert summary
described Variations as "Best Australian work" of 2002

Orchestras can hire score and parts from the publisher C.F. Peters

Ammerseelieder

Ammersee (Lake Ammer) with Kloster Andechs and the Zugspitze

Ammerseelieder (Songs of Lake Ammer) (2005)
were premiered by the S.S.O. in 2005 as part of their
bi-annual "Festival of Contemporary Music". Commissioned by Symphony Services International, this
work is a cycle of 5 songs for low voice and orchestra based on Bracegirdle's own original texts.
The texts were inspired by scenes and experiences near Lake Ammer in Bavaria.
The world premiere was directed by Dutch conductor Reinbert de Leeuw,
and the soloist was the French-Australian baritone Didier Frédéric.

click here to listen to a recording of this performance on Youtube
click here for reviews of the world premiere performance
click here to order a piano-vocal score from J.W. Pepper

Reinbert de Leeuw	Didier Frédéric

Threnos (2007) for Solo-Horn, Winds and Percussion
was premiered and recorded in 2007 by William Purvis, horn soloist, with the
American Wind Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Robert Boudreau
click here to purchase a CD recording of Mr Purvis' performance with the AWSO

click here to read a brief analysis of the work by Richard Seraphinoff
in his book "Guide to the Solo Horn Repertoire"

click here to order a complete set of parts from C.F. Peters,
to order a solo part with piano reduction,
or to order a conductor's score

William Purvis

Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra (2007)
Lee's SSO colleague, Scott Kinmont (Associate Principal Trombone) suggested in 2003
that he compose a solo work for Euphonium, the instrument that he plays
with as much passion and flair as the trombone.
For years Scott had bemoaned the fact that this instrument, most often employed in the
brass band medium, had been neglected in the genre of the orchestra.
(see: article from Sydney's Daily Telegraph: "Rare Works Please")
The concerto was premiered in 2008 with Scott as soloist,
accompanied by the SSO, conducted by Matthew Coorey
as part of the orchestra's 2008 "Meet the Music" concert series.

Sydney's music critics wrote:
"Bracegirdle has come to the Euphonium's rescue! - jubilation / colourful, ingenious orchestration"

"an evocative new work destined to occupy a special place in the instrument's repertoire"

click here to listen to this performance on YouTube
click here to order from J.W. Pepper
click here to order directly from the publisher, C.F. Peters

Mr. Bracegirdle being interviewed during "pre- concert talk" with the SSO's education director Margaret Moore	the composer with soloist Scott Kinmont and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the world premiere of "Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra"- Sydney Opera House, February 27, 2008	Scott Kinmont	Matthew Coorey

Resonance for unaccompanied cello
was premiered by the SSO's former principal cellist Timothy Walden
(now principal cello of London's Philharmonia Orchestra)
at Melbourne's "Spring Early Music Festival" in October, 2009 -

recordings of this performance are available from the Australian Music Centre
or directly from Mr Bracegirdle (contact details on the home page of this website)
or click here to listen to a recording at YouTube

click here to order the sheet music from the Australian Music Centre

Timothy Walden perrforming the premiere of Resonance

choreographed music:

His compositions for ballet, Eat Pianist and Prometheus and Pandora
have been choreographed by Adrian Dimitrievitch
for the Australian Chamber Ballet, where Lee is Musical Director and Composer-in-Residence.
Eat Pianist is based on a comedy/horror/suspense/cabaret story developed by Mr. Dimitrievitch.
Mr. Bracegirdle created both the synopsis and music for Prometheus and Pandora,
based on a contemporary interpretation of the classic Greek mythology.

Landscape Visions (2010)
a work for full orchestra inspired by scenery
at selected places in Lee's home state of New South Wales.
Utilising a vast instrumental pallette, 4 contrasting movements portray
musical manifestations of Australian native landscapes.

in New South Wales' Blue Mountains: the Jamison Valley

Passacaglia and Gigues (2011)
for solo double bass and chamber orchestra.
Composed at the request of Lee's SSO colleqgue, principal double-bassist Kees Boersma.
The stately 3/4 rhythm of the ancient street dance "passacaglia"
gives way to macabre jigs and cool jazz episodes.
Scored for solo double-bass, strings, winds, orchestral percussion and drum kit.

Kees Boersma

Legends of the Old Castle (2012)
for solo harp, winds and percussion was commissioned by
the American Wind Symphony Orchestra..

During his 2012 residency in the Brahmshaus in Baden-Baden
Lee was inspired by the ruins of Hohenbaden Castle and its ancient legends,
and by the sounds of the aeolian harp, or "wind-harp" installed in the Knights' Hall of the castle.

Louise Johnson, accompanied by the S.S.O. performed
the premiere in July, 2014 conducted by Simone Young.

download the SSO printed program for this concert
read The Legend of the Grey Woman
read The Legend of the Marble Staute and the Cross
read Sydney Morning Herald review

Click here to order the solo part with piano accompaniment from the publisher C.F. Peters,
or to hire the full set of orchestral parts
click here to order the version with piano accompaniment from Musikforum Demond

click here to listen to Ms Johnson's performance

Louise Johnson

Simone Young

the aeolian harp at Hohenbaden Castle was built and installed by Rüdiger Oppermann

The American Wind Symphony Orchestra in their Louis Kahn-designed floating stage, "Point-Counterpoint II"	The "Old Castle", Schloss Hohenbaden, overlooking the city of Baden-Baden	The "Rittersaal" ("Hall of Knights") in the "Old Castle"	The aeolian harp installed in one of the windows of the Rittersaal

Park Stickney's performance of
Legends of the Old Castle in Baden-Baden:
February, 2017

The harpist renowned for breaking rules and boundaries when it comes to this instrument
performed the European premiere of "Legends" in the place where the inspiration for the work arose.
With the original "Old Castle" perched high above the city and within plain sight of the concert hall,
audiences in Baden-Baden were transported back centuries to the
world of medieval sagas by Mr Stickney's dramatic interpretation.
- contemporary music returns to its spiritual roots,
accompanied by the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, conducted by Thomas Rösner

click here to listen to this performance
click here for reviews of this performance



news:
Legendary jazz/classical harpist Park Stickney
performed the 'American premiere' of Legends of the Old Castle
in Havana, Cuba on June 15, 2024
accompanied by the National Concert Band of Cuba
under the direction of Igor Corcuera
For more information, view the concert's printed program

Park Stickney	Igor Corcuera-Cáceres

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2012),
composed at the request of Sydney Symphony Orchestra's
former concertmaster Michael Dauth was premiered in May, 2015.
Mr. Dauth was accompanied by the Sydney Youth Orchestra
under the direction of chief conductor Alexander Briger.
The concerts took place in the Verbrugghen Hall of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
and in the Parramatta Riverside Theatre.

click here to watch a video of this performance on Youtube
click here to download the composer's program notes
click here to download radio station 2MBS-FM "Fine Music" magazine article about the premiere
click here to download the SYO's printed program for the concerts

Click here to hire orchestral parts or to purchase the solo part with piano accompaniment from publisher CF Peters
click here to purchase the conductor's score from Alfred Music
click here to purchase the conductor's score from Ficks Music
click here to purchase the conductor's score from Stretta Music

Michael Dauth, violinist	Alexander Briger, conductor

Shoalhaven-Lieder (2017)
a song-cycle for high voice and orchestra
based on philosophic poetry on the subjects of life, love and death.
The cycle is comprised of 8 songs using texts by
Clive James, Heinrich Heine, Adolf Friedrich von Schack, James Agee and Charles Waterstreet -
Lee began sketches while in-residence at Bundanon and continued work
during his 2014 residency in the Brahmshaus, Baden-Baden.
Completed: 2017 in Sydney

Adolph Friedrich von Schack	James Agee	Clive James	Heinrich Heine	Charles Waterstreet

Triptych for saxophone and orchestra (2018)
After hearing his compositions, prominent Sydney-based saxophonist Christina Leonard
requested from Lee a solo work for Saxophone and Orchestra, which Lee completed in 2018.
The work is structured in the form of ancient 3-part paintings known as
"triptychs", often found on church altars.
These paintings depict a story-line flowing from left to right,
where the outer wings are shorter 'introduction and finale' sections
placed astride a larger, more developed middle section.
The soloist is required to play both alto and soprano saxophones.

The world premiere performances took place in 2023 in the cities of
Camagüey and Santa Clara, Cuba with local soloist Henry Hernández.

click here to watch a video of this performance.

This project was assisted by a grant from the Australia Council,
the arts fundng and advisory body of Australian Federal Government

Christina Leonard	Henry Hernández

Clarinet Concerto (2021)

A three-movement work using full orchestral accompaniment
including strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, harp and celesta
Composed in consultation with 3 of Lee's colleagues:

Francesco Celata	John Bruce Yeh	Dimitri Ashkenazy

current composition project:

Concertino for Viola and Orchestra (2025)

in consultation with, and dedicated to his
Sydney Symphony Orchestra colleague Tobias Breider

Tobias Breider

List of compositions

1997: Odd Couples (tango for ballet) - [violin, 'cello, horn, piano] 1997: Devastated (tango for ballet) - [violin, 'cello, horn, piano] 1998: Fanfare for the Extraordinary Individual - [3 trumpets, 3 horns, 3 trombones, tuba] 1998: Divertimento for Orchestra 2000: Variations for Orchestra 2002: Eat Pianist (ballet in 3 scenes) - [septet: flute, oboe, horn, violin, viola, 'cello, piano + full orchestral version] 2003: Prometheus and Pandora (ballet in 3 acts) - [septet: flute, oboe, horn, violin, viola, 'cello, piano] ----------- full orchestra version 2004 / "Suite Box" (chamber orchestra suite from the ballet, 2004) 2003: Resonance - [unaccompanied 'cello] 2005: Fanfára Miniatura - [brass quartet] 2005: Ammerseelieder - [low voice and orchestra] 2007: Threnos [solo horn, winds and percussion] - dedicated to the memory of Jerome Ashby 2007: Euphonium Concerto 2010; Landscape Visions [full orchestra] 2011: Passacaglia and Gigues - [solo double-bass and chamber orchestra] 2012: Legends of the Old Castle - [solo-harp, winds and percussion] 2012: Violin Concerto 2017: Shoalhavenlieder - [high voice and orchestra] 2018: Triptych - [saxophone and orchestra] 2021: Clarinet Concerto 2025: Concerrtino for Viola and Orchestra

residencies at Bundanon 2003 / 2013

The Bundanon Trust, a foundation created in 1998 through the bequest of the Australian
artist Arthur Boyd, selected Lee for their "Artists-in-Residence" program in 2003 and 2013.
In the secluded, inspirational environment of this historic property on the South Coast of New South Wales
he joined other performing and graphic artists in an intensive creative atmosphere
in order to bring to life new works. Compositions that emerged through these residencies
have been Euphonium Concerto, Resonance and Shoalhavenlieder

link to Lee's profile on Bundanon's artists-in-residence page

Bundanon photo albumn:

2003 residencies
the historic Boyd family home "Bundanon"	inside Arthur Boyd's studio	The Artists' Centre, with residences and studios
artists-in-residence August 2003: L.B., photographer Jennifer Gough-Cooper; painters Jennifer Joseph and Anthony Pelchen	in the studio of Patrick Shirvington with his works	artists-in-residence L.B., Patrick Shirvington and Hitomi Utami with Polly Boyd
L. B. and "Sugarpuss" - an installation work by artist-in- residence Hitomi Utami	L.B. at work in the "Writer's Cottage" with sketches for Euphonium Concerto - [photo by Jennifer Gough-Cooper]	Wilhelmina the wombat: permanent resident under the Writer's Cottage
2013 residency
the Musicians' Cottage, Lee's 2013 residence	in the workshop of the Musicians' Cottage with sketches for Shoalhaven-Lieder	with fellow residents Kit Lagréze (painter) Kay Armstrong (choreographer); and Bundanon staff Gary Hogan and Onni with Lagréze's drawings

residencies in the "Brahmshaus", Baden-Baden

During Spring of 2012 and 2014 Lee was composer-in-residence at "the Brahmshaus" in Baden-Baden, Germany
The Brahms Society, formed in 1966 to preserve the only surviving house in Germany
where Johannes Brahms had lived, selects composers from around the world
to take part in its residency program. This historic building, that Brahms described as
"the beautiful house on the hill" was his summer residence from 1864-1875.
In providing this service to composers, the society's aim is to
"continue Brahms' tradition of aiding of young artists in their creative development"

His works that were conceived and/or developed here are
Legends of the Old Castle and Shoalhaven-Lieder.

The "Brahmshaus" at Maximillianstrasse 85, Baden-Baden	L.B. in the apartment that was Brahms' summer residence, now part of the Brahmsmuseum	the composers' studio and workshop	horn calls from the balcony to Lichtental