Westlake, Nigel

Westlake, Nigel, Australian clarinetist and composer; b. Perth, Sept. 6, 1958. He received training in clarinet from his father, Donald Westlake (1970-78), principal clarinetist in the Sydney Sym. Orch. After studying film music at the Australian Film and TV School (1982), he studied clarinet and contemporary music with Harry Sparnaay in Amsterdam (1983). In 1993 he received an Australia Council grant that enabled him to study composition with Richard Meale and composition and conducting with Richard Mills. From 1975 he was active as a freelance clarinetist. In 1987 he served as composer-in-residence for the ABC Radio. From 1987 to 1992 he was a principal member of the Australia Ensemble, a chamber music septet which toured extensively in Australia and abroad. In 1992 he toured Australia and England with John Williams’s septet Attacca. Westlake has pursued a highly successful dual career as a clarinetist and composer. As a performer, he has demonstrated his mastery of the clarinet in an expansive repertoire ranging from the classics to popular music. As a composer, he has written both serious and lighter scores, proving himself especially adept at film, radio, and television scores.

Works

dramatic: Theater music; film scores, including Antarctica (1991) and Breaking Through (1993); radio and television music. ORCH.: Cudmirrah Fanfare (1985); Antarctica, suite from the film score for Guitar and Orch. (1992); Out of the Blue for Strings (1994). CHAMBER: Omphalo Centric Liecture for 4 Percussion (1984); Onomatopoeia for Bass Clarinet and Digital Delay (1984); Our Mum Was a Waterfall for Soprano Saxophone, Percussion, and Electronics (1984); Fabian Theory for Percussion and Digital Delay (1987); Moving Air for 4 Percussion (1989); Refractions at Summercloud Bay for Bass Clarinet, Alto Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello (1989); Entomology for Chamber Group and Tape (1990); Malachite Glass for Bass Clarinet and 4 Percussion (1990); Call of the Wild for Bass Clarinet, Percussion, and Tape (1992); Tall Tales But True for Violin, Double Bass, 2 Guitars, Piano, Clarinet, and Percussion (1992); Touching Wood for Violin, Double Bass, 2 Guitars, Piano, Clarinet, and Percussion (1992); The Devil’s Marbles for Guitar and Digital Delay (1994); High Tension Wires for String Quartet (1994); Songs from the Forest for 2 Guitars (1994).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire