Howes he do it... ?

Andrew Howes (born Sydney, 1992) has been composing since he was five, and this week his Morgentanz (Morning Dance) for orchestra (which he wrote at age 15!) gets its world premiere in the prestigious City Recital Hall by the Sydney Sinfonia. A student at the Conservatorium High School, Andrew chose its opening melody from a pile he produced during a period of writing a tune as the first thing he did after getting out of bed each morning.

“The theme is used again and again through the whole piece,” says Andrew. “It became a dance.” Andrew has also written for smaller groups of instruments and for his Dad’s stage band, including an arrangement of the title music for the 1960’s TV show Get Smart. He lists among his favourite composers Claude Debussy, Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi and Danny Elfman, best known for The Simpsons Theme.

So what’s on Andrew’s iPod? Stravinsky ballet suites, Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues on harpsichord, and a large collection of the film music of Henry Mancini, including the Pink Panther theme performed by a barbershop quartet. “I think there’s something you can learn from every single piece of music,” Andrew says. Alas, the battery in his old Pod mini lasts only half an hour, and when it dies, “I listen to things in my head while I walk.” He can also hear music from reading the printed score, but admits that, “I’ll put on the CD if I’m feeling lazy.”

Conductor Richard Gill will interpret the Andrew’s Morgentanz (as well as two dance-like scherzos by Johannes Brahms, born Hamburg, 1833) on Tuesday 17 March as part of the Sydney Symphony’s Discovery Program. The series is great educational fun for young and old.

Discovery Program: Discovery Brahams Tue 17 Mar City Recital Hall, Angel Place, 123 Pitt St, Sydney 2000. (02 8256 2222  or 1300 797 118 www.cityrecitalhall.com) 6.30pm. Tickets from $32. Bookings essential.

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