CARR-BOYD, Ann

Ann Kirsten Carr-Boyd is an Australian composer, pianist and musicologist, born in Sydney on 13 July 1938. She studied piano and composition with her father, Norbert Wentzel, and violin with her uncle, Charles Wentzel, before completing music degrees at the University of Sydney. She later studied composition in London with Peter Racine Fricker and Alexander Goehr. In 2017, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to music.

Carr-Boyd has composed orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental music, including concertos and works for piano, flute, cello, harpsichord and mandolin ensemble. Her style combines classical forms and romantic harmony with inspiration from the Australian landscape and her family’s Central European musical heritage. Her best-known composition is Fandango for mandolin ensemble. Other important works include The Bells of Sydney Harbour, Images of Australia, Look at the Stars, Beneath the Yellow Moon and Romance for Flute and Orchestra. Her music has been performed, recorded and broadcast in Australia and internationally.