COMPOSERS

Nigel Westlake

NIGEL WESTLAKE

A West Australian composer, Nigel Westlake(1958 – ) was born into a musical
family with his father Donald Westlake, a professional clarinettist. Nigel
followed in his father’s footsteps performing on clarinet in Europe and
Australia while developing as a composer.

He produced his first film score in 1989 and is well known today for his scoring of Babe (1995), which received a Golden Globe award and was nominated for an Oscar,
and more recently Miss Potter (2006).

As well as his film music, Nigel has composed concert works for a wide
range of instruments many of which involve orchestra, and he is the recipient of numerous Australian awards, including an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of NSW in 2012.

In the year prior, his Missa Solis – Requiem for Eli was premiered by the Melbourne
Symphony Orchestra, a personal response composed in memory of his 21-year-old son who was tragically and senselessly killed in a road rage incident.

Performances by CAM:

3rd April 2022: ‘Beneath the Midnight Sun’ (UK premiere)