Alexander Voltz

Alexander Voltz
Born (1999-04-13) 13 April 1999 (age 25)
Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
EducationBrisbane Boys' College
University of Queensland (BMus, BA)
OccupationComposer
Organization(s)Australian Monarchist League
Quadrant
Political partyLiberal Party of Australia

Alexander Donald Kenneth Voltz (born 13 April 1999) is an Australian composer.[1] He is also known for his political stance as a monarchist.[2][3][4] In 2024, Voltz won the Symphonic Category of the George Enescu International Competition for his orchestral work Dunrossil Elms.[5][6]

Education

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Voltz was born in Toowoomba, Queensland and grew up in Brisbane. He attended Brisbane Boys' College and later studied composition, history and writing at the University of Queensland, where he graduated with both a Bachelor of Music with Honours (First Class) and a Bachelor of Arts.[7][8][9] He studied composition with Robert Davidson, Cathy Likhuta and Nicole Murphy, and received the mentorship of Brenton Broadstock and Brett Dean.[1][10][11]

Voltz has attributed his earliest opportunities and successes to the support of his family, in particular his father, the musician Bradley Voltz.[12][13] John Curro and the Queensland Youth Orchestras have also been noted as championing Voltz's early music.[14]

Career

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Voltz's music has been performed and supported by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Opera Queensland, Australian Youth Orchestra, Ensemble Offspring, Flinders Quartet and others.[1] He is twice a semi-finalist of the composition division of the Bartók World Competition.[15][16]

In 2021, Voltz independently produced his first opera, Edward and Richard: The True Story of the Princes in the Tower.[17][18] He was also commissioned as part of the Australian National Academy of Music's The ANAM Set, which he described as "a census of contemporary Australian art music".[19]

In 2022, Voltz served as Emerging Composer-in-Residence with Camerata – Queensland's Chamber Orchestra, was a recipient of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Composer Commissioning Fund, and placed second in the Harlow Chorus' 2022 Young Composer Competition.[20][21][22][23] The following year, he commenced as the founding Music Editor of Quadrant.[24]

In 2024, Voltz won the Symphonic Category of the 19th George Enescu International Competition for his orchestral work Dunrossil Elms. The competition's jury consisted of, among other composers, Magnus Lindberg, Jennifer Higdon and Pascal Dusapin.[25]

Monarchism

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Voltz is a Spokesperson for the Australian Monarchist League.[26] Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, he appeared across national Australian media outlets, presenting the League's perspectives.[27] In 2024, he was the League's principal spokesperson during King Charles III and Queen Camilla's tour of Australia.[28][29]

Voltz directed The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Concert, Australia's largest musical tribute during the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[30][31]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Alexander Voltz". Australian Music Centre.
  2. ^ Koziol, Michael (2022-09-11). "For Australia's young monarchists, confidence about a future under Charles". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  3. ^ Clun, Rachel (2022-09-13). "King Charles III not guaranteed to be on $5 note: assistant minister". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  4. ^ "Australia now has an Assistant Minister for the Republic: Here's what that means". YouTube. Special Broadcasting Service. 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  5. ^ Lee, Dana (2024-09-03). "Australian prizewinner at the 2024 George Enescu Composition Competition". Limelight. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  6. ^ "Winners of the Composition Section of the 19th George Enescu International Competition Announced". George Enescu International Competition. 2024-08-31. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  7. ^ "Finding the Story in the Music". Australian Youth Orchestra. 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  8. ^ "Rite of Spring: Queensland Youth Orchestra - Review". Weekend Notes. 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  9. ^ "Alexander Voltz chosen for Cybec 2020 Program". School of Music. University of Queensland. 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  10. ^ "5 composers talk us through their new Australian music from the Hatched Composer Intensive". CutCommon. 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  11. ^ "My Students". Brenton Broadstock AM. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  12. ^ "Alexander Voltz". Artology. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  13. ^ McDowall, Carolyn (2017-10-11). "Australian World Orchestra 2018 – The Art of the Impossible". The Culture Concept Circle. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  14. ^ Curro, Sarah (2020-02-17). "This Is Not a Violin, It Is a Doorway". Resonate Magazine. Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  15. ^ "The International Jury Has Made Its Decision". Bartok World Competition. 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  16. ^ "Finalists 2020: Meet the Contestants Whose Works Made It to the Final!". Bartok World Competition. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  17. ^ Paget, Clive (2021-06-15). "Murder will out: The Princes in the Tower become an opera". Limelight. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  18. ^ Robertson, Jenna (2021-07-13). "Edward and Richard: The True Story of the Princes in the Tower". LoudMouth. The Music Trust. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  19. ^ "67 Australian Composers Announced for the ANAM Set". Australian National Academy of Music. 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  20. ^ Litson, Jo (2022-01-22). "Camerata announces its 2022 Emerging Composer-in-Residence". Limelight. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  21. ^ "ABC Classic and ABC Jazz commission 15 new works to support diverse Australian artists". ABC Classic. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2022-11-24. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  22. ^ Briggs, Maddy (2022-11-28). "Composers for the 2022 ABC Commissioning Fund announced". Limelight. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  23. ^ "Young Composers' Competition Result". Harlow Chorus. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  24. ^ Voltz, Alexander (2023-07-01). "The Rising of Music's New Dawn". Quadrant. p. 97.
  25. ^ "Winners of the Composition Section of the 19th George Enescu International Competition Announced". George Enescu International Competition. 2024-08-31. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  26. ^ "Spokespersons". Australian Monarchist League. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  27. ^ "King Charles III's assurance he will remain 'impartial' a 'comforting sign'". YouTube. Sky News Australia. 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  28. ^ McIlroy, Tom (2024-10-17). "Republic movement seeks major reset from royal visit". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  29. ^ Jackson, Blair (2024-10-22). "Thorpe's 'breach' called into question". MSN. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  30. ^ "The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Concert". platinumjubilee.gov.au. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  31. ^ Jeffrey, Stuart (2022-08-06). "Common(wealth) Knowledge #5: Can politicians hold UK citizenship?". 6 News. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
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