John Rotar Wins Willgoss Prize 2023

John Rotar is the winner of the Willgoss Choral Composition Prize for 2023, for his work, Songs about birds, forests, flowers and mountains as announced by the The Music Performance Unit at the University of New South Wales.

John Rotar is a Brisbane-based composer and conductor. Growing up in a musical family, John’s passion for music started young. He has had over 130 works commissioned, recorded or performed by various leading musicians and ensembles across Australia, Europe and North America. John’s work has garnered him numerous compositional residencies, scholarships and awards, both nationally and internationally. An active performer with a particular love for choirs and choral music, John is the current Artistic Director and Conductor of The Australian Voices and organist at the historic All Saints Church in the CBD of Brisbane.

Songs about birds, forests, flowers and mountains will be premiered by the Corde Chamber Choir in October 2023. Corde, UNSW’s chamber choir has existed as an advanced chamber choir in UNSW’s choral program since 1985. It includes 12- 18 singers singers from across the UNSW campus community, and sings challenging, unaccompanied repertoire. Corde’s recent concert repertoire has included Copland’s In the Beginning, Britten’s Sacred and Profane, Palestrina’s Missa Aeterna Christi Munera, Wesley-Smith’s Who Killed Cock Robin? and Debussy’s Trois Chansons de Charles d’Orleans.

The adjudication panel was chaired by Sonia Maddock, UNSW’s Head of Culture and Choral Director. The premiere will take place at the Sir John Clancy Auditorium, UNSW.

The Willgoss Choral Composition Prize is generously supported by Dr Richard and Sue Willgoss, for rising composers to be celebrated within their community, and to create a lasting contribution to choral composition in Australia.