Kate Neal - Biography
Australia, 1972
Kate studied Early Music (Recorder) at the Victorian College of the Arts graduating with a Bachelor of Performance 1996. During this time she also studied composition with Mary Finsterer, Mark Pollard and Brenton Broadstock.
Kate received a NUFFIC scholarship from the Dutch Government in 1998 and moved to The Netherlands to study composition with Louis Andriessen, Martijn Padding and Gilius van Bergeijk at the Koninklijk Conservatory, and Carnatic (Sth Indian) music studies with Rafael Rainer at the Sweelink Conservatory, Amsterdam.
In 2000 Kate was awarded equal first prize in the International Young Composers Meeting and a special mention in the Henriette Bosmans prize.
She returned to Melbourne, Australia in 2003, establishing her events company Dead Horse Productions. In August 2005 Kate received a scholarship from the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Siena Italy and studied under Maestro Corghi and Ensemble. In 2006 Kate was the recipient of the Hephzibah Tintner Fellowship, working in conjunction with Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
The Dead Horse Band was established in 2004, and has become a major vehicle for Neal’s compositions. The ensemble comprises of: string quartet, piano, el. guitar, el. bass and drums. The Dead Horse Band has just recorded its first CD.
In July 2006 Kate worked as orchestrator for the new Greg Mclean film Rogue, and was an Artist in Residence at the Atlantic Centre for the Arts, Florida under Syd Hodkinson.
In 2007 Kate presented new works at the Arts Centre (Full-Tilt); The Forum Theatre; Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, and received a scholarship from the ASPEN music festival where she premiered a new piano trio. Kate was awarded a project fellowship from the Australia Council for the Arts in August 2007 to develop the large-scale theatre work Semaphore.
Kate worked as a sessional composition teacher in the Music Department of the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, during 2005-2007, and also lectured in Music and Image at the Centre for Ideas. Kate is currently undertaking further post-graduate study at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester UK.
Recent Commissions and Performances include:
- Dead Horse Band performing - ‘Particle Zoo’, ‘Dead Horse 1 and 3’, ‘Concave City - Arrangement, ‘The Gift’: 2007 Melbourne International Festival, Full Tilt;
- ‘Ge-Hi Trio’ – Aspen Music Festival; ‘Semaphore’ – Forum Theatre;
- ‘Concave City & A Love Story for Two Cars’ – Nth Melbourne Meat Market;
- ‘Dead Horse 1’ – Dead Horse Band, Melbourne Festival 2006;
- ‘String Trio’ – Melbourne Festival 2005;
- ‘Mechanical Sympathy’ - Brass Quintet + drum & bass ANU 2005;
- ‘Concave City’ – ANAM String Orchestra conducted by Brett Dean 2004;
- ‘Solo’ – for solo violin, Melbourne Festival 2003;
- ‘Little Fury II’ – Dead Horse Ensemble, World Wide Warehouse 2003, 2004;
- ‘Rabid Bay’ for Michael Kieran Harvey and ensemble, World Wide Warehouse 2004;
- ‘Little Fury I’ - Ballet, D’Ereprijs Ensemble, Holland 2002;
- ‘Fanfare for the Debutante' - Ensemble Royale Holland 2001;
- ' Copernicus’ - Symphony Australia New Voices TSO 2001;
- ' Exodus ' - film score, Holland 2002;
- 'HYRAX'' - Ian Potter Foundation – Melbourne Festival 2000;
- 'Jos Ei Nyt Niin Million ' - INDICTUS Dance Company Finland 2002.
The Dead Horse Band are: Caerwen Martin, cello; Phil Collings, drums; Aaron Barnden, violin; Phoebe Green, viola; Zac Johnson, violin II; Elliot Folvig, guitar; Chris Hale, bass.