Tony Gould
[composer and piano]

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Melbourne-born musician Tony Gould is well known and admired in both classical and jazz musical circles. His decision to make a career in music came relatively late as he had no formal training as a child (however his parents both played piano 'by ear' - his father only in F# major as there was a lesser number of black notes with which to contend!

As a musician, Tony is characterised by a desire to encompass as broad a range of activities as possible, aiming to reduce often prejudiced judgements about the relative worth of different musical styles. Thus he lectures in jazz studies at the VIctorian College of the Arts and as 'The Sun' newspaper's cheif music critic for classical concerts for a number of years. His performances cover an equally wide range. He has accompanied such eminent jazz musicians as Clark Terry, Mark Murphy and Ernestine Anderson yet he is equally at home playing Bach and Mozart and has been guest soloist with both the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Elizabethan Melbourne Orchestra. Tony is also active in the academic world - he has completed B. Mus, MA and PhD degrees.

In the 1990s Tony bcame more active as a composer. He has fullfilled commissions for the Victorian Arts Centre, the Hamilton Arts Festival, and the Solitaire Tuba Ensemble, and has written works for horn and piano and tuba and piano. In addition he has written music for two award winning CSIRO documentary films and has released a recording of Australian poetry and original music with actor John Stanton.

Unlike many 'academic' composers, Tony's music has wide appeal, placing primary emphasis on rhythm, melody and harmony. He draws from a wide range of musical influences including Bach, Mahler, Stravinsky, Bartok, Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans. His style of composition is marked by rhythmic vitality and a particular sensitivity to harmony.