Organised Lounge (2011)
(for Percussion Ensemble of 13 Players)

The title of this piece, Organised Lounge, is a play on words in reference to the term ‘organised sound’ invented by French-born composer, Edgard Varèse. Specifically, this piece was created as a companion piece to his famous percussion ensemble work, Ionisation, for 13 players. My work takes the instruments that Varèse utilizes (minus the sirens, slapstick, anvils and lion’s roar, but adding a vibraphone) and the same duration (6 or 7 minutes) with the intention of creating a somewhat different musical result. As the title suggests, the influence of ‘lounge’ music pervades.

The piece was written for Daryl Pratt and the SCM Percussion Ensemble. It was commissioned by The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (with generous support from co-commissioner, Ars Musica Australis), as part of a global project to generate 101 new music compositions over a seven year period to coincide with the lead up to its centenary in 2015.