Nigel Westlake


Nigel Westlake is an Australian composer, musician and conductor.

Biography

Westlake was born in Perth, Western Australia to clarinettist Donald Westlake. He attended the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, but left the school early to pursue a professional career in music, studying clarinet with his father. Eventually, he studied at the Australian Film and Television School under William Motzing. In the early years of his career he was a freelance performer and composer, playing throughout Australia and in parts of Europe in recording sessions, chamber music concerts, theatre and ballet performances, as well as tours. He was a member of the Magic Puddin' Band and was later invited to be a part of the Australia Ensemble, a group of musicians that played new Australian classical music. He remained a composer during this time, writing music on commission for groups including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Royal Australian Navy Band. He composed his first film score in 1989, and later was widely recognized with his score for the Oscar-nominated film Babe. Other film scores he has composed include Antarctica, Penguin Play, The Nugget and Miss Potter.
He has composed symphonies for the Australian Virtuosi Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In 2004 he was awarded the "H. C. Coombs Creative Arts Fellowship" at the Australian National University.
His Op. 1, Omphalo Centric Lecture for percussion quartet, has become one of the most frequently performed works in the percussion repertoire since its composition in 1984. It was premiered by the Sydney-based percussion group Synergy. It was recorded through the use of multitrack recording by Michael Askill in 1995 on the album "Onomatopoeia". In 2006, his Percussion Concerto When the Clock Strikes Me was premiered with Rebecca Lagos and the Sydney Symphony. In 2007, the newly commissioned clarinet concertino "Rare Sugar" was premiered by Catherine McCorkill and the Australia Ensemble.

Career highlights

APRA-AMC Classical Music Awards

The APRA-AMC Classical Music Awards are presented annually by Australasian Performing Right Association and Australian Music Centre.

APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards

The annual APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards are presented by APRA and Australian Guild of Screen Composers for television and film scores and soundtracks.

Other

Westlake is married to Jan Loquet Westlake, and together, they had two sons. One of them, Eli, died in 2008 in a road rage incident, a few weeks before his 22nd birthday. Westlake composed Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli and dedicated it to Eli. It was premiered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Myer Music Bowl in February 2011.