Adam Starr - Composer

January 2012

Boker Or, a string quartet of mine, won Runner Up in the Clefworks Composition Competition, which was nice.
Orchestrating a couple of songs from Joe Camilleri's Black Sorrow days for a concert with Joe and the Stonnington Symphony. Feb 25, Stonnington gardens.
I have begun working on a blog, entitled Welcome2MyStudio, which I am just in the process of adding content to. A new thing for me, hope to go live in the not too distant future.
The (as of yet unreleased) ABC recording made by Frock is receiving airplay, with a good response from listeners and programmers. Check Mango Face out here. Anthony Schulz's piece Gertrude is here. We will be performing for the first three wednesday nights in February of 2012 at Bennetts Lane.
Composing for a gaming project, due for release later in February.

November 2011

Frock have had their ABC recording mastered, and it has been broadcast already.
"Life Before Death" won an Accolade award, which is cool. You can read about it here. Music from the score is on the music page!
I have begun work as a lecturer at NMIT in Fairfield, for their BMUS program. It is a beautiful campus, and very nicely located near all the Brunswick St vegetarian restaurants. I will be taking a music for moving image class, Arranging for Large Ensemble, some guitar students and an ensemble.
Waiting to hear Boker Or, performed and recorded in NY by Grammy Award-winning ensemble Orchestra of Our Time. Exciting!
I have been working on an animation project. I hope to put it up on the site soon, along with music with images.

May 2011

Completed the score to "Life Before Death".
Finished mixing Karen Feldman's album. Mastered!
Frock are preparing to record in August with original lineup, doing a gig or too also (watch this space).

March 2011

Have begun scoring feature-length documentary "Life Before Death".
Finally completed Song Cycle for String Quartet, electric guitar, percussion, spoken word, samples and loops. In rehearsal stage, recording to happen in April. Name of piece: Jerusalem: The Year That Was.
Final recording session for Karen Feldman's album. She will be coming out from Singapore to record the last 3 songs for the album early March.
Been rehearsing with the Henry Kouffman band. Gig at Paris Cat on March 1.
Frock played a beautiful gig on February 6 at the Czech Club. Vibes and accordion unamplified, so it was a wonderful sounding gig. New myspace page here.
Teaching Music Language 3 at Melbourne University. Pop songs, serialism, jazz and other modern delectables.

December 2010

In preproduction for feature-length documentary "Life Before Death". Look out for weekly webisodes in 2011.
Nearly finished my Song Cycle for String Quartet, electric guitar, percussion, spoken word, samples and loops. Recording it with the Silo String Quartet early 2011. One of the 'songs', I Want To Tell You A Secret, premiered at a Melbourne League of Composers concert on October 24, with the Silo String Quartet plus me on guitar and samples.
Doing some arrangements and producing some songs for Karen Feldman in January. Yiddish hits and memories, but with a contemporary edge!
Dance piece Tales of Love choreographed to my original music by Sarah Taylor, performed at the VCA on November 9-12.
On November 10, I played with Alana Bruce's band at the Northcote Social Club, standing next to the unreasonably funky (in all ways) Yoni Z. Did another Bruce gig at Bennetts, where I had the pleasure of hearing some of my horn arrangements live for the first time. Which was great.
Frock played an unbelievable gig on August 31 at the Uptown Jazz Club. An amazing experience playing with the same guys for such a long time. The ensemble is incredibly elastic. New myspace page coming soon.
AJME did a great gig in September at the Czech House, which was also my brother Simon's farewell gig. Another ripper. Check out some illicit looking footage of Erev Shel Shoshanim.

August 2010

Just got back from Adelaide, where I worked with the Australian String Quartet, as part of the inaugural National Composer's Forum. I was one of 5 composers, it was educative, exciting, the others were a good bunch, and I received the best chamber performance I have ever had of a work, Agether, which will be nationally broadcast some time soon.
I Want To Tell You A Secret will premiere at a Melbourne League of Composers concert on October 24. It will be for the Silo String Quartet plus me on guitar and a few samples on CD. Very excited. It is part of the last piece I am writing for my PhD.
Memories of a Chiropdist premiered at the Melbourne Recital Centre, played by the Freshwater Trio, earlier in the year. It has just been played in Canada by the trio on their August tour there.
Scored an audio book for a start-up group in Israel. Hope to put it online once I am sure that I am not violating a confidentiality agreement.
Frock is doing a gig tonight (August 31) at the Uptown Jazz Club in Fitzroy.
AJME is doing a gig on the night of September 4 at the Czech House in North Melbourne. AJME spent the year doing gigs and festivals around Israel, culminating with a concert at Sultan's Pool in Jerusalem.

November 2009

I am going to update this more regularly, so there will be less to add for the month. Have just today finished some guitar arrangements for Indonesian pop band Soulvibe. When the album gets released I will attach a link.
Scored a teaser for a feature film. Details confidential, but you can hear the music here.
Will be doing a jazz gig at Hamarakia on Wednesday December 2nd, 10pm, Jerusalem.

October 2009

Have done several jingles in the past few months for national TV in Australia, produced by Whytehouse Productions. Most recently, one was for a Golf Tournament, which rocked, and the other was for Malvern Star, which tranced!
Wrote and produced a short song for a promotional corporate film produced by MediaFlex, which we recorded at Armstrong Studios, with Doug Brady.
Currently doing some more work with Alana Bruce, co-writing and arranging new material. To listen to some of the brass arrangements I recently did for Alana's first album, click here.
I had the privelege of being Composer-in-Residence at Melbourne High School for Term 2, an Arts Victoria initiative. The project had two parts: the first was to mentor a selected group of composition students, and the second was to write a piece of music for the Winter Concert. This piece, The Taste of Success, premiered at the Melboure Recital Centre in July. It was for a massed choir of 150 voices and an orchestra of 35 plus turntablist. The students from both MHS and Mac.Robertson Girls' High School did a wonderful job.
Using lyrics by Theodore Herzl, I wrote and produced a short song (filmclip directed by Jeremy Weinstein) for Israel's Independence Day Concert, in May.
I arranged a Bach Aria for the Freshwater Trio, and composed a piece based on a Mendelssohn Song without Words which Anna McAlister of the Herald Sun described as being "...odd, clever and funny. It had traces of jazz, gypsy and romantic party pieces, and plenty of humour." (10/07/09)
Have done some work for Old Skool Media, scoring a short film, Vampons, plus beginning work on a zombie film.
For the first time ever, I have done some gigs with poets, both in Melbourne and Sydney. This came about through a commission from Debbie Miller, which required me to set 13 of her poems to music. We recored a CD of the music, which was released with her book In the Cleft of the Rock (published by Black Pepper). Also on the CD were 5 instrumental pieces, examples of which will appear on my music page at some stage soon.
The Australian Jewish Music Ensemble's debut CD, Pazit, was released on Jazzhead, and was launched at Smart Artz Gallery on August 25. Gigs coming up in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv - watch this space.
Frock has had a busy year, doing lots of gigs in support of it's album The Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Highlights include performances at The Queensland Arts Festival and the Stonnington Jazz Festival.
The live CD from the So Many Notes concert was launched at Chapel Off Chapel in June. I was the co-artistic director of the concert, and co-producer of the CD.

February 2009

Completed score to short film Ours, a short film made by Mike Hill.
Begun work on a short film made about vampires.
The new Melbourne Recital Centre has opened. I have seen two concerts so far, one featuring Morton Feldman, the other David Young. A wonderful addition to Melbourne culture. In July, the Freshwater Trio will be playing some arrangements of mine at the MRC. More details as I begin writing!
Started a new ensemble with my brother Simon. We did a recording in January that I am very excited about, will put something online soon.
Currently making sketches for a Song Cycle at the State Library, on an AGL Shaw Fellowship. Expect to complete it later this year.
Frock did our first gig for the year on Feb 1 at the Czech House. We have begun rehearsing material for a recording in March, with ABC Records. For the first time, we are recording covers!

December 2008

Working on a radio show pilot which will involve me writing and producing a song on a weekly basis. The Mishenbergs, directed by Jeremy Weinstein.
In pre-production for Ours, a short film.
Finished brass arrangements for Alana Bruce's EP. They were recorded by Jordan, Eamon and Anton. Mmmmm. Also recorded some guitar parts.
Did the score to Josh Janssen's short film My Spectacular Student Film. It is indeed spectacular!
I completed the score to Lena Kahn's award-winning short film Bassem Is Trying. There is a link to the film on the Productions page.
I was co-artistic director for a great concert (So Many Notes - a concert featuring Jewish Jazz musicians) that played to a packed audience at BMW Edge, on November 16. My 12 minute piece Meditations on a Judeo-Babylonian Ritual Song was performed there by a septet, of which I was part.
My 17 minute piece Three Different Shades Of Yellow premiered at a concert at Gryphon Gallery on November 10. It was written for Electric Guitar, Drumkit and String Quartet.

July 2008

Finished recording the score to US feature Fast Food, directed by John Craven. Music to be on site shortly.
Completed my involvement with The Symphony Services Composer Development Program, which involved working with Richard Mills and Orchestra Victoria. My ten minute piece The Ballad of Alberto and Elliot was performed on July 3 at the Iwaki Auditorium, and will be nationally broadcast on ABC FM. Details TBA.
Almost finished the score to British short film Yoopie Iggies, directed by Daniel Dode.
I completed the score to Lena Kahn's award-winning short film Bassem Is Trying.
My jazz ensemble Frock played a residency at Bennett's Lane Jazz Club over 4 wednesdays in February. Our most recent CD Decadence was recently reviewed as being "...sublime interplay...inventive, intriguing and lively" (Roger Mitchell, Herald Sun, April 13, 2008) and can be purchased online at www.sorelli.com.au/cds.htm
Near completion of a Melbourne short film called Champions, directed by Sarah Burrell-Davis.
I arranged two Scriabbin piano preludes for the Freshwater Trio which Clive O'Connell of The Age described as being "swift and deftly humorous, particularly the first which was more of a re-composition packed with plenty of surprises" (20/6/08)

October 2007

Writing the score to US feature Fast Food, directed by John Craven. Hope to be ready to record in December.
Accepted into The Symphony Services Composer Development Program, which will involve working with Richard Mills and Orchestra Victoria.
Have been working on the score to Canadian feature Krazy Luv, directed by Adrian Keats.
I completed the score to Natalie Krasnostein's play In God's Bedroom, which played four seasons in Melbourne, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, from May to August.
My jazz ensemble Frock played a residency at Bennett's Lane Jazz Club, performing the program from their 4 cds over 4 wednesdays in July. A live CD of new material was recorded at Bennett's Lane in August. Decadence was subsequently launched at The Famous Spiegeltent on October 5. The CD can be purchased online at www.sorelli.com.au/cds.htm
The Man Who Souled The World screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival. One of the cues from the score appears on the music page of this website.

March 2007

Completed orchestrations for a 60 minute program for 20 piece orchestra plus choir. Concert will be at Hamer Hall in April.
Recorded and mixed the score for The Man Who Souled The World, some examples of which will appear on the Music page of this site.
I completed the score to Lena Kahn's short film noire, The Sleeper.
Two noteworthy gigs: firstly, a crazy wedding in Sydney that I flew up for late afternoon, did one set, then returned later that same evening. Secondly, the debut performance of new trio Zion Starr Farrugia at Paris Cat. This was the culmination of three months of writing and rehearsal.

December 2006

The Storm Before The Calm was recorded by the MSO at the Iwaki auditorium (Melbourne) in November. It is a 6 minute piece for Orchestra.
After a few years of study, MMUS in Composition (University of Melbourne) completed in November.
I am still working on the score for the feature film The Man Who Souled The World. Scheduled to record mid January.