Judith Clingan

Judith Clingan AM (born 1945 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian composer, conductor, performer and music educator. Since 1997, she has been the Director of Wayfarers Australia (formerly Waldorf Wayfarers) Australia Wide Choir.

Early life

Judith Clingan was born January 19, 1945, in Sydney, New South Wales to Victor Lawrence Clingan and Marian Dorothy Tasker. She was educated at Hornsby Girls' High School, the University of Sydney, and the University of New South Wales.cite encyclopedia| editor = Suzannah Pearce| encyclopedia = Who's Who in Australia Live!| title = CLINGAN (Judy) Judith Ann| accessdate = 2007-10-06| date = 2006-11-17| year = 2007| publisher = Crown Content Pty Ltd| location = North Melbourne, Vic]

Following her graduation from the University of New South Wales, Clingan moved to Canberra to study languages at the Australian National University. In 1967 she founded the Canberra Children’s Choir (now Canberra Youth Choir) and began composing music for SSA voices. She has studied voice, bassoon and composition at the Canberra School of Music (now ANU School of Music). She studied conducting while living in Hobart from 1972-1974. She studied music education at the Zoltan Kodaly Pedagogical Institute of Music in Kecskemet (Hungary) from 1981-1982.

Career

In 1983 she founded Gaudeamus Music and Performing Arts (now Music For Everyone). She was the director of Gaudeamus for ten years and during this time she remained a composer, writing choral and music theatre works for the group to perform. In 1990 members of Gaudeamus performed her music theatre work Kakadu at the International Society of Music Educators conference in Finland.

In 1991 she began her involvement in Steiner education and since then has written short choral and music theatre pieces for Steiner students.

Clingan founded Voicebox Youth Opera when working in South Australia from 1994-1996 and she composed many music theatre pieces during this time.

In 1997 she founded the choir Wayfarers Australia and the Canberra vocal group The Variables.

She has been the recipient of many awards, fellowships and grants, including a Membership of the Order of Australia for services to music, Churchill Fellowship, Australia Council Composer Fellowship, ANU Creative Arts Fellowship, artsACT Creative Artists Fellowship, Canberra Times Artist of the Year, Sounds Australian award for her composition Kakadu, funding from Arts ACT and Arts SA, commissions for original compositions and numerous residencies in Australia.

Judith is currently the director of Wayfarers Australia, conducts the Canberra Choral Society and The Variables, and is guest conductor for the Canberra Gay and Lesbian Qwire until May 2007.

Selected Works

*Puer natus = The boy that is born : liturgical drama for Christmas, 1968
*A Canticle of light, 1976
*The Lorax (words: Dr. Seuss), 1979
*Lux Mundi, 1985
*Rime of the Ancient Mariner (with Stephanos Malikides), 1985
*Peter Pandemonium (based on J. M. Barrie's story), 1985
*Modal magic : seven songs for a cappella children's choir, 1986
*Francis, or Singing is believing: a mini-opera in three acts, 1986
*Nganbra: a Canberra canticle (libretto: Anthony Hill), 1988
*Terra beata - terra infirma, 1989
*Seven Deadly Sins, 1990
*Kakadu (words: Marian Clingan), 1990
*Birds' Noel, 1990
*Marco : an opera for young people based on the travels of Marco Polo, 1990
*Songs of solitude, 1991
*Mass of hope, 1992
*Mythical beasts, 1992
*Stony tunes, 1994
*A Pawn in the Game, 1995
*Birth pangs : for women's choir (words: David Adam), 1996
*Moomin Magic (based on Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson), 1999
*The Grandfather Clock (based on a book by Tony Hill), 2001
*Spiritus Sanctus Australis, 2001-2002

References