The Peggy Glanville-Hicks Composers House Trust is excited to announce that Jae Laffer and Olivia Davies are the two Australian composers awarded the Prelude residencies for 2023, Prelude is a national network of long-term residencies for Australian composers, housed in historic buildings and providing time and space for the creation of new work. The historic houses are in Perth, WA and Sydney’s Paddington.
In 2023, Western Australian Laffer will spend 12 months in Gallop House, Perth, while Davies, also originally from Western Australia, will take up residence in the Peggy Glanville-Hicks House in Sydney for the year. Both successful applicants are provided with sole occupancy of the houses as well as a stipend to cover living costs and travel.
Composer Peggy Glanville Hicks (1912 – 1990) bequeathed her terrace home in Paddington (Sydney) NSW as a haven for composers and, since 1994, it has housed 28 different Australian artists for long-term residencies. In 2016 the National Trust of Western Australia offered Gallop House in Perth as an additional residency, and the two are now the centre pieces of the Prelude Program, a national network of residencies.
Prelude is open to Australian composers in all musical genres and practices, including world music, jazz, new classical/art music, pop, film and rock. Residencies can be for research and development or for the creation of new work.
The two composers in residence in 2023 are:
Gallop House, Dalkeith WA. A two-storey Victorian-style home built in 1877, nestled on the Swan River in Perth.
- Jae Laffer is a songwriter, producer and musician. He recorded six albums as lead singer and songwriter of The Panics, collecting numerous awards along the way including an ARIA and Triple J Album of the Year. He has subsequently release two solo albums and will spend his time in Gallop House working on a third with a series of collaborators.
Peggy Glanville-Hicks House, Paddington NSW. A beautifully restored terrace house in the heart of Sydney.
- Olivia Davies recently won the prestigious award for Work of the Year: Large Ensemble at this year’s AMC/APRA Art Music Awards for her piece “Stratus” which was commissioned and premiered by the WA Symphony Orchestra. During her time in the Peggy Glanville Hicks House, she will work on a range of new commissions and collaborations. Responding to the news composer Olivia Davies said “I’m so grateful to have received this residency. I’m really looking forward to being in the house and having the time to focus on creating new music as well as reconnect with peers and make new connections. For me it’s an incredible opportunity for growth.”
Prelude is a unique collaboration between Bundanon Trust, Peggy Glanville-Hicks Composers Trust, The National Trust of Western Australia, the National Trust of South Australia, APRA AMCOS and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts.
