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Ben Hoadley : Associate Artist


Photo of Ben Hoadley

Photo: Charles Brooks

Ben Hoadley holds degrees in bassoon performance from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the New England Conservatory in Boston. He received a Master of Music in composition with First Class Honours from the University of Waikato where he was awarded the Lilburn Composition Prize, and has held fellowships to the Australian National Academy of Music, Tanglewood Music Centre and the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall.

Since returning from the USA, Ben has divided his time between Australia and New Zealand, lecturing at the University of Auckland from 2007 to 2022, and since 2019 at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is regularly invited to teach at institutions throughout Australasia and abroad, including a residency at the University of Louisville, USA in 2017.

Ben's compositions include: the chamber opera "Miss Brill", premiered at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2018 as part of the Resonate series; "Huia" for organ and orchestra, premiered by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra; "Turakirae" for clarinet and orchestra, premiered by the Auckland Chamber Orchestra in 2018 and recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2020; works commissioned by the Sydney Omega Ensemble, Professor Jack C. Richards, and a bassoon quartet commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's bassoon section that has been performed worldwide.

In 2020 he completed a string quartet written with assistance from a Creative NZ grant, a work for solo oboe commissioned by the Teach to Learn foundation in Boston for Afghani oboist Shaiq Ahmad Noori, and the sextet "Cave Dances", commissioned by Chamber Music NZ and performed at ten centres across New Zealand by principal players from the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

In 2021, "Four Preludes" for piano quartet was premiered at the Akaroa International Music Festival and "Zig-Zag Road" for violin and piano was commissioned for the Australian National Academy of Music for their "ANAM Set" series. Ben is currently writing a concerto for double bass to be performed by the Auckland Youth Orchestra in 2023 as part of their 75th birthday celebrations.

Ben has received first prize in the NSW Flute Society Composition Award (2020), the SOUNZ/Brass Band Association NZ Composition Prize (2020) and the Philip Neill Memorial Award from the University of Otago (2021).

One of Australia's most versatile bassoonists, Ben has appeared as guest principal with many of the country's professional orchestras, as a recital and concerto soloist and chamber musician on modern and historical bassoons. His special interest in Australian and New Zealand repertoire has led to a number of new works for bassoon. These include a collection of pieces by Gillian Whitehead which he has recorded on the Atoll CD "Arapātiki", a finalist in the 2014 NZ Music Awards. Ben has also recorded the CD "Southern Invention" featuring Australasian music for bassoon and piano. Ben premiered Alex Taylor's critically acclaimed bassoon concerto in 2014, subsequently performing and recording it with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. In 2017 Ben gave the Australasian premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina's "Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings" with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra.


Ben Hoadley — current to December 2022

Selected Commissions

  Work Commission Details
Digital sheet music sample Burlesque Suite : for two clarinets and piano (2021) Commissioned by St. Peter's College, Auckland for performance by Marlon Sullivan, Alex Martin and Sunny Li in the 2021 NZCT Chamber Music Contest.
Digital sheet music sample Kawhia : for two bassoons and piano (2018) Commissioned by Professor Jack C. Richards for Long Nguyen
Digital sheet music sample Three River Pieces : for flute, bassoon and violoncello (2017) Commissioned by Petrina Slaytor
Lurch : for solo bassoon (2016) Lurch was written for performance by the composer at a Dada-themed banquet conceived by Judy Millar for the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation in May 2016.
Digital sheet music sample Four Preludes : for clarinet, bassoon and piano (2016) Commissioned by Petrina Slaytor
Digital sheet music sample Midsummer Night's Music : for clarinet, viola and piano (2014) Commissioned by Sydney Omega Ensemble.