Louisa Trewartha

As one of the recipients of the 2022 ABC Classic and ABC Jazz Composer Commissioning Fund, Louisa was recently joined by Sydney Braunfeld (SYD), Fletcher Cox (SYD), Amanda Tillett (ADL), and Karina Filipi (MEL) at Iwaki Auditorium Melbourne to record her latest work for brass quintet: Suite Water

ABOUT THE WORK: “As a country-dweller I am very drawn to nature, often inspired by it in my compositions. Having gone through flooding in my hometown of Castlemaine in 2022, this is the catalyst for writing a suite about Australia’s relationship to water. Each movement focusses on a different aspect of human interaction with water”:

Mvt 1: Winter to Spring (light, gentle, blossoming, rich): as the weather warms, the days get longer, and the snow and ice melt

Mvt 2: The Res (whimsical, fun): swimming, blowing up lilos, relaxing

Mvt 3: Farm in Drought (stressed, thirsty): struggle, still waiting for the skies to open

Mvt 4: The City Floods (cynical, strict, changing metre): poor engineering and political choices lead to devastation

Mvt 5: We Shall Drink (warm, hymn-like, beautiful): a song of gratitude to the drinking water

It’s wonderful to learn that many VCE Music Performance students are performing my works that were added to the syllabus this year (2023), AND some students are performing works that aren’t on the syllabus. How Cool! As well as Footprints at Gantheaume Point (Trombone), Flugelhorn Concerto (Trumpet), and Fire Line Suite (Soprano Sax) I would like to recommend:

Instinct (Horn in F)

Trentham Falls in Early Summer (Trumpet)

The Joker has a Heart of Gold (Trumpet)

Trewartha Trumpet Concerto (Trumpet in C)

Though having worked as a casual with Orchestra Victoria since 2009, Louisa will this year be on a full-time contract for the remainder of the year as Tutti trumpet. So far this has meant playing a ballet season of Don Quixote, a chamber concert, and recently stepping up to lead the offstage trumpets in two concert performances of Tannhäuser at Hamer Hall. Before the mid-year break the orchestra will play three ballets seasons.

Someone clever from SSO put together this snazzy interview about my fanfare Inspire where I discuss the work and how it came together.

You can hear the fanfare performed this Sunday by the Melbourne Conservatorium Brass staff in the closing concert of their 2023 Brass Festival in the beautiful Ian Potter Southbank Centre. Details here.

Three works have been added to the list. Available to purchase on this website:

Footprints at Gantheaume Point (2022) for trombone, listen HERE

Fire Line Suite (2022) for soprano saxophone

And the

Flugelhorn Concerto (2015) for … yup, you guessed it… flugelhorn can be purchased HERE

I’m delighted to share with you my Sydney Symphony Orchestra fanfare Inspire, commissioned as part of the 50 Fanfares Project. Conducted during this recording session by the amazing Jessica Cottis and performed by the incredible brass of SSO.

To ‘inspire’ means to breathe in. This piece is about the glint of hope for the natural world that we witnessed in 2020. The resilient response of nature to a brief moment of human pause should inspire us. This fanfare uses breath through brass instruments to attest to and archive this moment, and so continue to inspire.

This work was made possible through the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s 50 Fanfares Project and was commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, supported by Rosemary Swift, in memory of Leon Garry OAM. 

I recently accepted an offer of becoming a Yamaha Artist. An exciting opportunity for me to move across to Yamaha instruments. Shout out to the folks there and at Ozwinds for helping me find the right instruments. Check out my Artist page here.

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I recently received such lovely feedback about a piece I wrote last year called Shimmer for Daylesford resident Max Primmer. It’s incredible when the audience AND even the musicians are moved by the work. Commissioned by Miranda from Homophonic! for the Respect Project.

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Donate now to keep this awesome project going.

…have performed Trewartha’s Glamfare. You can watch the performance here:

The work was originally performed at the 2014 Brass Composition Concert held at South Melbourne Town Hall: