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Born in 1961, Kent Farbach grew up in a musical family, experiencing a large array of music making in the family home and performing regularly on television from an early age. He received a B.Mus (1989) and M.Mus (1995) from Griffith University, later completing a PhD (2000) and B.Ed (2003) at the University of Queensland. The latter two degrees were included on the Dean's List of Commendations for high achievement.

Farbach's compositional achievements have been acknowledged in Australia and overseas. He was awarded the Amadeus Prize Dublin in 1991 out of approximately 100 international entries, and was presented with his award at Dublin Castle in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Ireland and the English and Russian ambassadors. His commissioned work for the Amadeus prize, 1845: An Irish Elegy, was performed in the National Concert Hall Dublin (1992), and later at the Sydney Opera House by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (1994). He has also been highly commended for his entry in the 1991 International Rostrum of Composers, Paris.

In Australia, he has received commissions from ABC orchestras and has introduced his music to packed audiences at QPAC, Melbourne Concert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Other commissions include works for the Seymour Group (1994), Brisbane Festival Inauguration (1996), Sydney Philharmonic Motet Choir (1996), Perihelion (1997), Brisbane Film Festival (1998), QPIX (1999), Qld Philharmonic Orchestra (2000) and Topology (2001). His work has been awarded numerous prizes, including the Brisbane Chorale Composition Prize (1990), Darling Downs Flute Society Composition Prize (1991), Adelaide Chamber Orchestra Composers' Prize (1992), and the Corbould Composition Prize (1998).

In addition to composing, Farbach has worked extensively in music education. He has held composer/artist in residence positions with the Alice Springs Junior Singers (1995) and Brisbane Boys Grammar School (1999-2000) and has worked as a part-time lecturer with both Griffith University and the University of Queensland (1997-2000). He has given seminars on composition and/or creativity for ASME (2001) and Brisbane Boys College (2004) and has been adjudicator for the Corbould Composition Prize (2000) and the ASME Young Composers Award (2003).

Currently, Kent divides his time between composing, educating and inventing / manufacturing. He owns the rights to a successful invention that has been distributed in Australia and America since 1998, and enjoys the various synergies that exist between composing and inventing.

In June 2004, his chamber work Litanies will be premiered at the Noosa Writers' Festival. He has recently been employed as a piano tutor at St Peters Lutheran College and Brisbane Boys College, and as a classroom music teacher at Kenmore State High School, Brisbane. He maintains an extensive private teaching practice in both piano and composition.

Biography provided by the composer