MUSICAL DIRECTOR

DAVID PYE

David Pye is one of Western Australia’s most experienced musicians, working as a composer, percussionist and conductor for the past forty years. As musical director of various organisations, his programming reflects a policy of the encouragement of local composers combined with a practical acknowledgment of the importance of audience and musicians’ enjoyment of their music-making.

In 1983 David founded Nova Ensemble to perform the classical music of the twentieth century and oversaw the development of the group into Western Australia’s leading contemporary music ensemble, commissioning, writing, performing and recording music primarily by local composers.

In 1985 David was first invited to conduct for the West Australian Ballet Company, and in the following year joined the company as Resident Conductor. From 1988 to 1996, David was Musical Director of the West Australian Mandolin Orchestra. David conducted his first program with the Fremantle Symphony Orchestra in 1997, and as a result of the success of this concert, David was appointed Musical Director of the FSO for 1998. Since then he has conducted many programs for the orchestra, highlights including Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and symphonies by Mahler, Shostakovich, Bruckner, Elgar and Sibelius. He has always been keen to find works outside the standard repertoire to broaden the musical horizons of the members.

In 2014 David was also appointed Musical Director of the Philharmonic South-West, travelling to Bunbury weekly for rehearsals. In 2018 David brought his two orchestras together with the Albany Sinfonia to perform Mahler’s 2nd Symphony in Albany. As a composer David has been commissioned by many organisations including Perth International Arts Festival, Tura New Music, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Buzz Dance Theatre, Tetrafide Percussion and Barking Gecko Theatre Company amongst others. He has written a number of works for the Fremantle Symphony Orchestra including Symphony no. 1, tangling, Coffee Concerto, Fantasy for clarinet and orchestra and quinquaginta for the orchestra’s 50th anniversary.