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Peter McNamara (b. 1980) was born and educated in Sydney's outer western suburbs and is gaining a reputation as one of Australia's emerging talents. In 2003 he graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium with a Bachelor of Music Honours Class I degree, followed by a Master of Music degree specialising in composition in 2006. During the completion of these degrees he studied with Bozidar Kos, Michael Smetanin and Trevor Pearce. He is also currently completing a PhD degree as well as teaching composition at the Sydney Conservatorium.

McNamara's works have been performed by several major orchestras and ensembles in Australia and overseas, including Ensemble Modern, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Insomnio, Orchestra Victoria, Ensemble Offspring, Tokyo Sinfonietta and the 'Stroma' Ensemble. His work Landscape of Diffracted Colours for mixed ensemble and electronics was performed by Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt during 2008, as well as the 2008 Gaudeamus Music Week in Amsterdam and the 2008 ISCM World Music Days conference in Lithuania. His work Distorted Waters for alto flute and cello was performed at the 2009 Gaudeamus Music Week by the Tokyo Sinfonietta. He was also the recipient of the Sibelius Emerging Composer Commission in 2008, where his work The German Hills was performed and recorded for CD release by Ensemble Offspring.

His orchestral work Auftauchen der Nacht was awarded the 2007 Betty Amsden award in the 3MBS-FM National Composer Awards, as well as the 2004 WSOC 2MBS-FM APRA encouragement award, and was broadcast on 3MBS-FM and 2MBS-FM as a result. He has also won the 2MBS-FM composition award for his orchestral work Modes of Deception, written and performed in 2008. McNamara also received a High Credit from the Lepo Sumera International Composition Contest in 2003 for his orchestral work Shadows of Fallacy.

His work for chamber orchestra, Die Nacht fällt , was premiered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2003. This work was also broadcast live on ABC Classic FM as part of the 21st Century Australian Composers Program supervised by Georges Lentz and Brett Dean. His work Die Nacht kommt was premiered by Orchestra Victoria in 2005 as part of the Symphony Australia Composer Development Program with Richard Mills.

McNamara's works have been performed at several major events, including the official reopening of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2001 when his orchestral work Bruit Nuages was premiered by the Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra and subsequently broadcast on ABC Classic FM. McNamara's work Krazny for trombone and electronics was performed at the official opening of the Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2005, and he became the inaugural composer in residence at the Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2006. During this residency McNamara was mentored by Dr Matthew Hindson AM, and his work for small orchestra The Dividing Ranges was premiered at the Aurora Festival, and subsequently by the Stonnington Symphony Orchestra in Melbourne.

Peter McNamara is represented by the Australian Music Centre and has works published with Wirripang. Samples of his music can be downloaded at www.musmap.com by clicking on 'community' and searching the composer database.

Peter McNamara — current to March 2010