Peter Billam, Composer
England, 1948 - 1974
Born in Hammersmith, London, 18 August 1948.
Studied piano.
Attended Kingston Grammar School, acquiring 9 O-levels, 3 A-levels,
and 2 S-levels, and taking up the guitar.
Moved to South Kensington in 1966, to study Theoretical Physics
at Imperial College, London University.
Changing to folk guitar, played professionally around the folk clubs of London.
Graduated in 1969 with a 1st class Honours BSc and ARCS,
and took up a PhD project in computational magnetohydrodynamics
at Imperial College.
Quit the PhD project after one year, to play the electric guitar professionally.
Between 1970 and 1973,
tours of England and Holland with Continuum,
2 LP's on RCA Records, numerous recording sessions.
Involved in the avant-guarde music scene
with Malcolm Fox, Jonathan Lloyd, Simon Bainbridge, Howard Davidson,
Oliver Knussen, etc, composing, and playing several premieres.
Also involved in the free-jazz scene, playing with several ensembles
(including Tony Gartell), and recording an LP with Bob Downes and Harry Miller.
Biel-Bienne, Switzerland, 1974 - 1980
In 1974, left the London music scene and went to Switzerland to work
as an electronic engineer for Soundcraft
(later Filtek) in Biel.
Changed back to the classical guitar, studying with Michel Rutscho
at the Conservatorium of Bienne,
and composition with Daniel Andres.
Beginning of serious compositional activity.
In a duo with Franz Anderegg, numerous concerts around Switzerland
(mainly Dowland, Schubert, Carissimi, etc);
also accompanying Gwynneth Kennedy in concerts in Spain.
Arrangements of
Italian songs and
Schubert songs
for guitar accompaniment.
Performances of
Sadhana
and
Melody with Accompaniment
at concerts
(review)
of the
Société Internationale de Musique Contemporaine
in Geneva.
Composition of
Divisions on an Italian Ground
for flute and guitar.
Performance of
Concert Study
by Urs-Peter Schneider and Erica Radermacher.
In 1979, quit electronic engineering to study guitar full time,
either in Paris (with La Goya) or in London (with Patrick Bashford);
however, stricken with tendinitis because of the increased practice load,
forced to give up the guitar.
La Chaux-De-Fonds, Switzerland, 1980 - 1981
Worked as Musical Director of the Théâtre Populaire Romand, composing all the music for their productions, rehearsing and training the actors, and even acting.
Geneva, Switzerland, 1981 - 1983
Worked as record producer, recording LP's by William Naboré (pno),
Steve Kanoff (clr), Catherine Collard (pno), Kim Walker (bsn),
and also co-arranged, recorded, and re-mixed the first LP by
Switzerland's premier new-wave group Film de Guerre.
Worked as computer programmer for the Brown-Boveri corporation,
and for Compusoft S.A.
Studied voice with Heidi Raymond, flute with Verena Bosshard.
Gave composition and theory lessons.
Hobart, Tasmania, 1983 - 1985
Lectured in composition and electronic music at the Conservatorium of Hobart.
Nubeena, Tasmania, 1985 - 1988
Part-time and later full-time teaching at Tasman District High School. Coached the local teenage rock'n roll group. Private teaching of guitar, piano, tin whistle. Formed a local recorder group, and The Lottah Singers choir. Wrote a BBC-microcomputer-based Tin Whistle tutor. Much composition, numerous arrangements of folk tunes, etc.
Hobart, Tasmania, 1988 - 1993
Moved to Hobart to work as Computer Systems Programmer
for the State Library.
For four years was Musical Director of the
Hobart Society of Recorder Players,
conducting their fortnightly meetings and public appearances.
Also conducted three joint recorder weekends between the HSRP
and the Lanceston Recorder Society.
Sang bass for two years
with Opus Eight, later the
Jane Franklin Consort.
Several full-length concerts, including as soloist for TUMS, and ABC
radio broadcasts.
Composed Decision, for eight-voice choir.
Began singing lessons with Lyall Beven.
Composition of
A Suite of Curves
for trombone (or horn) and piano;
premiered in April 1990 by Andrew Sweeney and Stephanie Abercrombie.
For one year was on the Committee of the Tasmanian Chapter of the
Australian National Choral Association.
Received coaching in choral conducting from John Nickson.
Left the Library to work as a Systems Administrator
for the Tasmanian Treasury and the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Much private study of the recorder, with several public appearances
including as soloist with the Derwent Symphony Orchestra
(in Corelli's Christmas Concerto)
and with TUMS (in Purcell's Come, Ye Sons of Art).
Composition of
Two Recorder Duets, and
Handwriting
for ten brass instruments
and a transcription of it for piano.
Composition of
Piano Study, and of
Three Songs for voice and piano.
Melbourne, 1993 - 1994
Moved to Melbourne to work as Senior Consultant with the Fulcrum Consulting Group. Sang regularly with Jennifer Marten-Smith. Composition of Trombone Quintet.
Hobart, Tasmania, 1994 -
Guest tutor at Recorder '95 in Melbourne, and at Recorder Week '96 in Wellington, NZ. Founded P J B Computing; developed the muscript music-typesetting software. Interview with John Crawford on ABC-FM. Composition of Solo Suite, Trombone Quintet for two pianos. Worked for two and a half years as Computer Systems Administrator for the CSIRO Division of Marine Research.
Composition of the
Three Songs, the
Four Dances, the
Poet in the Clouds, and
Tres Casidas del Divan del Tamarit.
Founded
pjb.com.au.
During 1999 underwent radiotherapy for an occult primary,
probably in the nasopharynx.
In 2000 composition of
Three Suites 1) for solo line,
2) for piano,
3) for piano and solo line, and
Wechsel der Zeiten
for choir;
In 2001 composition of
Die Gestundete Zeit and the
Three Duets;
In 2003 composition of
Three Preludes for piano and the
Second Solo Suite.
In 2006-8 composition of the Guitar Duet, the choral piece We Who Mourn and the Trio With Guitar.
In 2010-16 composition of more major works: the Twelve Canons, the Flute Trio, the Twenty Studies for piano, the Music for Strings, the Two Encores for Strings and the Album for Choir.
Also published many arrangements, including Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue for four hands, his Cello Suites for flute or recorder, an authoritative edition of Telemann's Twelve Flute Fantasias for recorder, Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht arranged for piano, and many many others.
Some reviews for Music Forum magazine, and some contributions to theory such as Scriabin's Scales, a compilation of Leitmotifs of Wagner's Ring and a history of music in europe After the War, and others. See: gitlab and youtube.
Back to www.pjb.com.au or to www.pjb.com.au/mus . . .