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Mark Holdsworth : Associate Artist

Random Audio Sample: Hellfire : wind quintet by Mark Holdsworth, from the CD Selected Works by AMC Represented Artists, vol. 119.


Photo of Mark Holdsworth

Mark Holdsworth is an Australian composer based in Perth. His music is characterised by a keen sense of drama and narrative, and a vivid personal voice that often asks questions pertaining to our humanity. Holdsworth's output depicts a strong conviction in the capacity of music to divulge abstract aspects of the human experience.

Holdsworth's compositions include a substantial catalogue of orchestral works as well as repertoire for large ensemble, chamber ensemble, and soloist. He is regularly commissioned and performed by Australia's most feted ensembles including: the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, Australian String Quartet, and Arcadia Winds. Holdsworth's music has reached broad audiences across Australia and also internationally.

In 2020, Holdsworth was selected by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for their new major commissioning project '50 Fanfares'.

In 2019, he was appointed the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's 2019/2020 Cybec Young Composer in Residence. During his residency, Holdsworth's music received acclaimed premieres at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, the Metropolis New Music Festival and an exclusive cultural event for the Sultan of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, Crown Princess Mangkubumi, Indonesian royal delegates and Australian government officials.

Holdsworth is a graduate of the University of Western Australia's Conservatorium of Music where he studied with James Ledger and Dr. Christopher Tonkin. He holds a Bachelor of Music, a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours), and a Master of Music. He is also the recipient of various accolades including the inaugural Arcadia Winds Composition Prize (2018), Australian Postgraduate Award (2017), Rupert Thackray Prize for Music Education (2016), and Dorothy Ellen Ransom Prize for Composition (2014).

Holdsworth is a passionate advocate of music education and is involved in the development of resources for young Australians in partnership with institutions including the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Songbook Project.


Mark Holdsworth — current to May 2020

Selected Commissions

  Work Commission Details
Digital sheet music sample Calon Arang : for clarinet in Bb, violin, viola, cello, & piano (2022) Commissioned by the Omega Ensemble for the 2022 CoLAB: Composer Accelerator Program
Digital sheet music sample Diabolus : for solo cello (2021) Commissioned by The ANAM Set, Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM).
Digital sheet music sample Excelsior : fanfare for orchestra (2021) Made possible through the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's 50 Fanfares Project, supported by Peter Howard.
Cri de Coeur : orchestra (2019) Commissioned by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Cerberus : Concertino for bass trombone and orchestra (2019) Commissioned the TSO's Australian Composers School.
A Hero's Journey : full orchestra (2019) Commissioned by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.