Christopher Healy
Biography
Christopher J. Healy (b. 24 September 1990) is an Australian composer.
He completed his Bachelor of Music degree in composition at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University under the tutelage of Gerard Brophy, receiving several awards including the Alan Lane and A.G. Francis Prizes. Chris has also been awarded an honours degree with first class by the University of Queensland, where his outstanding academic and creative work was further recognised through the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence. He is currently [2021] undertaking a Ph.D. in music composition at the University of Queensland and is the recipient of an Australian postgraduate award.
Despite his young age, Chris’s music has been performed all around Australia as well as overseas (notably in the U.S., France and The Netherlands). Professional commissions include private supporters (for smaller works), but also well-known organisations and ensembles such as 4MBS, Camerata of St. Johns, the BRON Saxophone Quartet, BoB - Best of Brass, Ensemble Francaix, and Ensemble Fabrique.
To date, he has written more than 80 works for varying instrumentations, most of which have been performed and which include many different instrumentations, from solo instrumental works to full symphony orchestra scores, and even an 80-minute chamber opera based on an original story and libretto, The King's Horse. All these compositions are based on a thorough (but still developing) understanding of Western classical and contemporary art music infused with his own artistic sensibilities.
Having had multiple works read by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in their exploration of contemporary Australian music, Chris is now also actively seeking out and engaging with diverse performers, audiences and settings. The most recent project in this regard is the first ever Australian brass quintet concerto, commissioned by BoB – Best of Brass and targeted at regional community ensembles with several different accompaniment instrumentations (orchestra, symphonic band, brass band, flexible ensemble). This guarantees not only multiple performances (10-15 are planned over the next few years), but also engagement with a larger number and variety of collaborators, a wider audience reach, and a greater geographical spread.
Artistically, Chris’s music seeks to both engage and challenge audiences, combining the warmth of lyrical melodies with extended harmonies, contemporary textures and sometimes unusual musical forms. He is mainly interested in producing a meaningful experience for performers and audiences, therefore avoiding mere gimmickry and instead engaging modern compositional techniques when and where they are effective and in service to the underlying musical idea.
Chris is currently a recipient of wisdom (aka student) of the highly-respected composer Daron Hagen. He aims to continually learn with each new work and, where possible, develop close collaborative encounters with performers.
Works for Winds
Resources
- "Category:Healey, Christopher." IMSLP. Web. Accessed 8 August 2021
- Christopher Healy Website Accessed 6 July 2020