BIOGRAPHY

Tom has a reputation in Brisbane as a versatile composer whose focus is finding a musical home between many and varied streams, such as ‘pop’ and ‘classical,’ acoustic and electronic, concerts and records, and even ‘serious’ and ‘fun’.  He is the recipient of various government grants, commissions, is a prizewinner in national composition competitions, and has traveled internationally to pursue his interest in modern music.

He has been involved with and composed music for a number of groups in Brisbane (and more broadly) pioneering new music; these include The Australian String Quartet and Collusion Music. His musical alter ego Praxis Axis is used for Tom’s creation of electronic music and sound design, and a preoccupation with found sounds.  Tom regularly performs as a member of the Brisbane group Boss Fight, a band dedicated to live recreations of iconic videogame music.

In 2015, Tom’s music was premiered around Australia and internationally, including a saxophone concerto with the Strasbourg Philharmonic and the Melbourne Metropolitan,  and new works for Plexus (Melbourne). Tom also arranged Josh Pyke’s music for the Sydney Symphony.

Presently Tom works at home in his composition studio completing a PhD in composition, under Robert Davidson at UQ, as well as freelance jobs for local artists.  Tom teaches music and production at various institutions including UQ, the Queensland Conservatorium and Brisbane JMC Academy.

Composer website:  www.thomasgreenmusic.com

Featured Works

Gossamer Parley, for Saxophone Quartet

Featured in Playlist 4: Visual Waves (30/4/2015)

Dubophone, for Saxophone Orchestra

Featured in Playlist 11: Saxophone Waves (30/11/2015)

Piano Grains, for prepared piano and electronics.

As a composer I’ve become very interested in a broad variety of music technologies. In fact, I tend to think of myself as a technologist; one who is just as interested in 19th century wood and brass music technology – like a piano – as contemporary electronic music. I think this is evident in Piano Grains. I’m also fascinated by glitch. In this piece, preparing the piano is, for my purposes, a kind of glitch. It’s called Piano Grains because in this piece I rely very heavily on granular synthesis, a variety of digital sample synthesis. Using this method a small segment of the audio recording (perhaps just a few milliseconds) can be repeated at a periodic or variable frequency, giving rise to sounds which are reminiscent of the original but also strikingly new. Combining this approach with a prepared piano, which is at once familiar and foreign, as well as various other synthesis techniques and acoustic timbres, I hoped to create a piece which goes in the gaps between a number of traditions which are special to me.

Featured in Moving Waves – June 2016

The Black Sun And The Blue Moon, for voice, violin, clarinet and piano.

Nervous is a multi-disciplinary work conceived by sculptor Heather B Swann; its music by Thomas Green.  It was installed and performed at the National Gallery of Australia in 2016. Each sculpture has a musical representation with corresponding emotions. The sculptures become dynamic during a performance as the performers engage with them.

Featured in Vocal Waves (September 2017).