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How music has changed over the century since UWA was opened.

To celebrate that century, a CD of UWA 's musical treasures is being created, with music covering not just the past hundred years, but many centuries before.

The CD will feature 16 tracks, all original pieces created by composers who have a UWA association.

The first of these, Cities Lost in Endless Slumber a modern piece for violin, clarinet and piano by graduate Lindsay Vickery, was recorded in the Callaway Auditorium recently.

Graduates and professional musicians Shaun Lee-Chen (violin), Emily Green- Armytage (piano) and Catherine Cahill (clarinet) recorded the five-minute composition in just two hours.

Befitting a piece of modern music, Lindsay Vickery used his electronic tablet to save the notation of the composition.

The CD has $73,000 of funding to commission composers and record their music. The fund was kicked off by Janet Holmes à Court, who offered to commission music for the Winthrop Hall organ. Nine individual donors and UWA Friends of Music quickly added to the fund.

Project co-ordinator Virginia Rowland said the CD would not be sold, but used as a gift throughout 2013. It will be launched at the Alumni Weekend, 8-10 February, with live performances of the works throughout 2013.

Composers include Lindsay Vickery, Cat Hope, Iain Grandage (organ), James Ledger, Jennifer Fowler, David Tunley, Craig Ogden, Cathie Travers and five composition students. They will all be recorded by UWA music alumni.

"Four existing pieces of music have also been donated to the project by Richard Mills, Carl Vine, Iain Grandage and Roger Smalley," Virginia said. "Artists of the calibre of Sara Macliver, Paul Wright, Craig Ogden, Andrew Foote, Sean Lee-Chen, Annette Goerke and Graeme Gilling will record the pieces.

"Award-winning UWA graduate Shaun Tan has generously given permission to use a photograph of one of his paintings on the CD's cover."

The project is developed in consultation with School of Music staff Winthrop Professor Jane Davidson and Assistant Professor Chris Tonkin and Centenary Chair Sue Boyd. Jesse Stack, also from the School, is the project's sound engineer and BA Practicum student Sean Bernard is assisting with the project.

Published in UWA News , 6 August 2012