Houston Dunleavy, B.A., B.Mus. (Melb), M.M. (comp), M.M. (chor. cond.), Cleveland, Ph.D. (comp.), Buffalo.
I was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland within sight of the mountain in the picture above. It's called Slemish, and is one of the places where St. Patrick was supposed to reside. My family was "musical' on both sides, and it was inevitable that I would learn to sing, play piano etc. as a small child.
The N.I. troubles of the late '60s and early '70s forced my parents to move to Australia in order, they felt, to give my sister and I a chance to grow up safely. It was an extraordinarily brave thing to do. They never regretted it, and I was able to expand my musical training at Haileybury College in clarinet and theory as well as in singing.
After graduating from The University of Melbourne with a B.A. in history and a B.Mus. in composition, I started my professional career as a clarinetist and conductor. Then, after an accident almost severed my left thumb, I had to switch to composition full time, and travelled to the USA to complete Masters degrees in composition and choral conducting at The Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Donald Erb (composition) and Gilbert Brooks (choral conducting) then a Ph.D. in music composition from The State University of New York at Buffalo, studying with David Felder and Charles Wuorinen.
While at the Hoy Composers' Course in 1995, I was appointed to The University of Wollongong as Lecturer in Composition. becoming Senior Lecturer and, eventually, Acting Head of The School of Music and Drama. In 2010, I became a freelancer again, teaching at The Australian Institute of Music in Sydney, then in both Sydney and Melbourne, from 2011, eventually becoming Head of the Composition and Production Program. In addition, I became MD of The Sydney Male Choir.
I was Academic Director of the Australian Guild of Music Education, and Musical Director of St Oswald's Anglican Church, Glen Iris, until the end of 2019.
Now I am a freelancer again with time to compose! I am also a member of anarchic free improvisation group Third Rail and am currently Artistic Director of the Southern Cross Philharmonia Orchestra
More details can be found in my Press Kit on the For The Media page
I was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland within sight of the mountain in the picture above. It's called Slemish, and is one of the places where St. Patrick was supposed to reside. My family was "musical' on both sides, and it was inevitable that I would learn to sing, play piano etc. as a small child.
The N.I. troubles of the late '60s and early '70s forced my parents to move to Australia in order, they felt, to give my sister and I a chance to grow up safely. It was an extraordinarily brave thing to do. They never regretted it, and I was able to expand my musical training at Haileybury College in clarinet and theory as well as in singing.
After graduating from The University of Melbourne with a B.A. in history and a B.Mus. in composition, I started my professional career as a clarinetist and conductor. Then, after an accident almost severed my left thumb, I had to switch to composition full time, and travelled to the USA to complete Masters degrees in composition and choral conducting at The Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Donald Erb (composition) and Gilbert Brooks (choral conducting) then a Ph.D. in music composition from The State University of New York at Buffalo, studying with David Felder and Charles Wuorinen.
While at the Hoy Composers' Course in 1995, I was appointed to The University of Wollongong as Lecturer in Composition. becoming Senior Lecturer and, eventually, Acting Head of The School of Music and Drama. In 2010, I became a freelancer again, teaching at The Australian Institute of Music in Sydney, then in both Sydney and Melbourne, from 2011, eventually becoming Head of the Composition and Production Program. In addition, I became MD of The Sydney Male Choir.
I was Academic Director of the Australian Guild of Music Education, and Musical Director of St Oswald's Anglican Church, Glen Iris, until the end of 2019.
Now I am a freelancer again with time to compose! I am also a member of anarchic free improvisation group Third Rail and am currently Artistic Director of the Southern Cross Philharmonia Orchestra
More details can be found in my Press Kit on the For The Media page