Don Banks


Donald Oscar Banks was an Australian composer of concert, jazz, and commercial music.

Life and career

Jazz was Banks' earliest and strongest musical influence. He studied composition privately with Matyas Seiber, who was himself much interested in jazz, from 1950-1952. He became a friend and associate of Gunther Schuller and was much involved with Tubby Hayes, writing several compositions for him.
In the 1950s Banks was the secretary to Edward Clark, head of the London Contemporary Music Centre.. He was chairman of the Society for the Promotion of New Music in 1967-68, and held several other posts in London whilst living in Purley, Surrey.
He returned to Australia in 1972, as Head of Composition and Electronic Music Studies at the Canberra School of Music. He remained there till 1977, then had a series of educational positions. In 1978 he was appointed Head of the School of Composition Studies at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music.
Banks's best-known works include Nexus, his major 'Third Stream' composition, the Sonata da Camera for flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, viola, and cello ; a Horn Concerto ; a Trio for horn, violin, and piano ; and a Violin Concerto.
He died at his home in the Sydney suburb of McMahons Point, after an eight-year battle with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. He left a widow, Valerie, and a son, Simon. The Don Banks Music Award, funded by the Australia Council for the Arts, is named after him

Compositions

Orchestral works

Banks is credited for composing music in the following films: