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Composer in Residence

Elena Kats-Chernin Elena Kats-Chernin

Queensland Symphony Orchestra Director of Artistic Planning Richard Wenn has announced that Elena Kats-Chernin will be joining the orchestra as our Composer in Residence.

Mr Wenn said it was a great thrill to have such a hugely talented composer collaborate with the QSO during 2011 and into 2012. "We look forward to presenting many of her works in full versions, as premieres and Australian first performances over the next season," Mr Wenn said. "The richness and range of her compositions will bring us many challenges that we will relish. Elena is a joy to work with and will spend time in Brisbane and with the orchestra to devise new compositions for future seasons.

"We have one or two surprises from Elena Kats-Chernin during this partnership which will be announced during 2011. This is an important stage of Kats-Chernin's career, her international profile is growing fast and we are proud to be associated with her in this exciting time."

Ms Kats-Chernin is a composer in her prime. Having studied in Moscow, Sydney and Hanover, where her composition teacher was Helmut Lachenmann, she has risen to become one of Australia's most sought-after and prolific composers.

Ms Kats-Chernin's work featured in the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games. She also won the 2003 Green Room and Helpmann Awards for the score to Wild Swans, a production by the Australian Ballet.

Ms Kats-Chernin said she was thrilled to be joining the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. "I am aware that the orchestra at the moment is going from strength to strength and I am terrifically excited and hopeful about this wonderful opportunity to contribute in a positive way to the orchestra's endeavours in the beautiful Queensland," she said. I feel humble about being chosen out of the rich tapestry of Australian composers. It will be the first time for me to embark on such a residency, a remarkable and very rare opportunity for a composer.

"I look forward to hearing my pieces performed by QSO, to some reworking of my pieces and to writing completely fresh material."

Ms Kats-Chernin's relationship with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra began in 1995. Since then she has regularly collaborated with the orchestra, which commissioned and premiered her works Displaced Dances (2000) and Re-Inventions (2005).

In 2012 Ms Kats-Chernin will headline the orchestra's 20/21 series, which explores the music of the 20th and 21st centuries.