Michael's aim as a composer is to engage the craft of composition and the eclectic nature of musical experience to create compositions of a unique character. Diverse musical experience provides a wealth of viewpoint and musical consideration, which supply the craftsman with tools, sound-worlds and ideas for blending new music. This diversity embraces not only contemporary art music practices such as poly-rhythms, poly chords, pointillism and extended techniques, but popular and ethnic musical nuance and gesture. Inspirations for new works are found in music itself of course, but also in ideas of science, the love of nature and from the Bahai Sacred Writings.

Michael consciously uses his particular musical experiences (Hard Rock, Bebop, Funk, Classical, Flamenco, and Eastern musics) as springboards for creativity. He has recently produced a body of works for cello, guitar, and piano and a new work for orchestra, which particularly draws on his eclectic musical palette. His works for guitar Eclectic Fantasies, aim to embody his own musical imagination. These range from colourful modernist pieces to a jazz nocturne, a furious latin piece, a raga-like rhapsody and a quintessential guitar piece filled with idiomatic ideas. Michael is currently undertaking a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane Australia. He has a separate website and blog for this creative practice study at www.mongrelmusic.ning.com. All of his new works can be perused in a variety of formats where available including video, audio, pdf scores along with his written papers and analyses.

Works for cello have been of particular interest in recent years, an instrument whose voice is as warm and varied as the human one. Michael has written many pieces for cello solo including: a Suite using Bach's as a point of departure and moving swiftly into contemporary ideas, energetic and uplifting; the evocative 'Earthshine' for cello and reverb, the popular 3 ...ianas: works for guitar and cello, a set of Lorca songs with soprano and guitar, and many others.

Michael's works have been performed Australia, China, Japan, the U.S., Canada, Germany, Switzerland, & Austria. Amongst the performers of his concert music are Cellists Louise King, Trish O'Brien, guitarist Alexandr Semyonov, Duo Australis, Austrian violin virtuoso Bijan Khadem-Missagh, and the Southern Cross Soloists.

Listen to one of Michael's orchestral works : "The Reef" Symphonic Suite

Sarah Bande for soprano, cello and guitar

ENQUIRES FOR PERFORMANCE SCORES AND PARTS AND COMPOSER WORKSHOPS CAN BE DIRECTED TO THE COMPOSER AT michaeldknopf@gmail.com

Commissions


Michael welcomes commissions from both professional artists and community and student musicians. Fees are negotiated privately. The Australia Council Music Board publishes a suggested rate of for composition commissions.

Scores


A complete list of original compositions by Michael Knopf is contained in this PDF file.

Michael has recently been notified of of receiving the Zavod Jazz Classical Fusion Composer's Award administered by Melbourne University. Last year, Michael also received first prize in the Zavod Jazz Classical Fusion Performer's Award in September 2010 and is the only musician to have received both awards. The performer's award was administered by Monash university and funded by Dame Murdoch.

The awards were given based on work that Michael had prepared and submitted for his professional doctorate at the Queensland Conservatorium. The composer's prize was for his composition The New Earth - Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra and the performer's prize was for Michael's recording of Esfahan a work for an ensemble of traditional Persian, Jazz, and Classical musicians and pre-recorded sounds with Michael on guitars. Michael and his ensemble flew to Melbourne to perform Esfahan at Blackwood hall.

Michael's new choral work Be Silent was also recently performed by the Brisbane Chamber Choir under the direction of Graeme Morton as part of the Brisbane Contemporary Church Music Festival at St. John's Cathedral in Brisbane.

Recent Releases

Michael Knopf 'Zafron Road Project'

Listen / Buy Now

Michael Knopf 'Guitar Chant'

Listen / Buy Now with $5 from each sale going to Medicins sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders).

Contact

Get in touch with Michael for any enquiries regarding Composition Commissioning or Concert bookings - for Solo performances or with his band Centauri

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