Melody Eötvös

Melody Eötvös was born in the Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia. Her work draws on both multi-media and traditional instrumental contexts, as well substantial extra-musical references to a broad range of philosophical, biological, and ancient topics as well as a sustained interest in late 19th century life and literature.

Eötvös has studied with a variety of composers across the globe including Gerardo Dirié (Australia), Simon Bainbridge (UK), and, most recently with Claude Baker, David Dzubay, P.Q. Phan, and Aaron Travers (USA). She has also studied electronic music with Jeffrey Hass, John Gibson, and Alicyn Warren.

Accolades include the APRA Professional Development Classical Award (2009), the 3MBS National Composers Award (2009), Soundstream National Composer Award (2012), the Gallipoli Songs composition competition (2014), the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commission administered by the League of American Orchestras & the EarShot Foundation (world premiere: Carnegie Hall October 23rd 2015), the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra International Composition Competition (2016), the orchestral prize for the Red Note Music Festival (2017, USA), and was a finalist in the Orchestra Music category of the 2019 Art Music Awards (Australia).

Eötvös has had her music performed by ensembles and orchestras such as the London Sinfonietta, BBC Singers, The Australian String Quartet, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and has participated in several electronic music festivals including SEAMUS 2011 (US), ACMC 2012 (Australia), and ICMC 2011 (New Zealand). She has also participated in numerous festivals and workshops internationally, most recently as a composer in residence with the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz (2019).

Commissions in 2020 include The Philadelphia Orchestra (USA), The Australian Chamber Orchestra, and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra (USA). Eötvös is a Lecturer in Composition and Aural Studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, Australia. Melody holds a Doctor of Music (2014) from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music USA, and a Master of Music (2008) from the Royal Academy of Music, London UK.

Biography taken from composer’s website.