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Dr Richard Mills, Artistic Director of West Australian Opera, will give an insight into the realities of life as a working composer in Australia when he presents the first public lecture in the 2011 series, the Power of Music .

Dr Mills is one of the country’s most frequently commissioned and performed composers, and is well qualified to speak on this subject. His extensive catalogue of compositions spans orchestral and choral works, chamber music, instrumental works and works for stage, such as ballet and opera.

John Allison, editor of Opera magazine, once remarked, “Mills is that rare thing, a real opera composer whose music adds something to words and drama and who understands opera from the inside out." (May 2007)

In his lecture, “The Composer and the Public Imagination”, Dr Mills will explore the relationship between musical creativity and its social milieu through the ages. He will pose and answer a series of questions that will illuminate and clarify our perceptions of the prevailing circumstances for contemporary Australian composers.

TITLE: The Composer and the Public Imagination
WHEN:   6.30pm, Monday 4 April 2011
WHERE: Callaway Music Auditorium, UWA. The nearest car parks are P1 via Winthrop entrance and P23 off Hackett Drive.
COST:   This is a free public lecture. All welcome.

Light refreshments will be served after the lecture. Please RSVP your attendance to [email protected] or 6488 1340.

Media references

Kaye Hill (School of Music)  (+61 8)  6488 8536