Stage Works

(This page has yet to be updated. Many recent works have not been added)

Experimental Opera

COSMONAUT  opera
1999. 90 minutes
1 sop, 1 tenor, 1 baritone, sax/flute/clar, perc, pedal steel guitar.
Commissioned by Opera Australia

THE TWO EXECUTIONERS  opera.
1994. 70 minutes.
2 sop, 1 alto, synthesizer, saxophone, percussion.
Commissioned by Chamber Made Opera.
4/8/94, Napier Street Theatre, Melbourne.
Recorded by ABC.
Age Performing Arts Award winner.

LACUNA  opera.
1992. 90 minutes. 3 acts.
2 sop, 1 alto, 1 male sop, 2 tenor, 2 baritone, 1 speaker, 2 percussion, cello, trombone, keyboards.
Commissioned by Chamber Made Opera.
21/10/92, Gasworks Theatre, Melbourne.
Recorded by ABC.

OUCH!  chamber opera.
1991. 30 minutes. 6 parts.
3 singer/actors, tape playback.
Commissioned by SoundCulture 91.
30/10/91, Performance Space, Sydney.
Recorded by ABC.

SABAT JESUS 
1990. 90 minutes.
Soprano, counter-tenor, alto, baritone, harp, trombone, pitched and non-pitched percussion, sampler, synthesizers, 6 actors.
Commissioned by the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, 13/9/90, Melbourne Town Hall.
Recorded by ABC.
ABC selection for 1994 Paris Rostrum.

RECITAL  music theatre.
1989. 72 minutes.
Soprano, tenor, piano, sampler and tape.
Commissioned by Chamber Made Opera.
24/5/89, George Fairfax Studio, Melbourne Arts Centre. Recorded by ABC.

INSATIABLE  chamber opera.
1985. 29 minutes.
2 Sopranos, 2 tenors, timpani, tubular bells, harp and synthesizer.
25/3/86. Performance Space, Sydney.
Recorded by ABC. Filmed for television.

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Music for Dance

1) Work - On the line
Date - 1988
Dance company Dance North
Choreographer - Cheryl Stock
Work Length - 27 minutes
Structure/No of Acts - 7 parts
Seasons - 14/4/89. Townsville Arts Centre. Then several more.
Instrumentation electroacoustic score

2) Work - Leaning Into The Light
Date - 1992.
Dance company - Dance Works
30 minutes.
Choreographed by Nanette Hassall.
Season 28/2/92. Adelaide Festival Fringe. Then Melbourne season
Instrumentation - Electro-acoustic.

3) Work - Two Lies
Date - 1996
Dance company - Lucy Guerin Inc
Choreographer - Lucy Guerin
Work Length - 24 minutes
Structure/No of Acts - 3
Seasons - 4/9/96. Gasworks Theatre.
April 1999 New York Whiteoak Dance Co. Toured USA
Instrumentation electroacoustic  score

4) Work - The Light Room
Date - 2002
Dance company - Company in Space
Choreographer - Hellen Sky
Work Length - 70 minutes
Structure/No of Acts - 10
Seasons - Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, October 2002
Australian Gallery Melbourne Museum
Instrumentation electroacoustic  and vocal score


Concert Works

Orchestral Works
DYNAMIC MOBILES 1&2 
1995. 10 minutes. String Orchestra.
20/9/96, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Recorded by ABC.

STORIES OF IMITATION & CORRUPTION:  FOR ORCHESTRA
1986. 10 minutes.
Full orchestra and tape.
26/7/86, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Young Composers School, Hobart. Recorded by ABC.

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Ensemble Music

LACUNA SUITE
1996. 40 minutes. 13 pieces.
Piano, violin, cello, trombone, pitched and non-pitched percussion, bass guitar.
Commissioned by the Australia Council.
12/10/96, David Chesworth Ensemble, Port Fairy Spring Music Festival. Live recording by ABC.
CD. Badlands. David Chesworth Ensemble. W.Minc.D0008

BADLANDS SUITE
1995. 20 minutes. 4 pieces.
Piano, violin, cello, trombone, pitched and non-pitched percussion, bass guitar.
3/11/95, David Chesworth Ensemble, Melbourne Festival. Recorded by ABC.
CD. Badlands. David Chesworth Ensemble. W.Minc.D0008

EXOTICA SUITE for ensemble.
1993. 40 minutes. 9 pieces
Piano, violin, cello, trombone, pitched and non pitched percussion, bass guitar.
Commissioned by ABC Live Music.
3/11/95, David Chesworth Ensemble, Melbourne Festival. Recorded by ABC.
CD. Exotica Suite, David Chesworth Ensemble Warner Music

MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVAL FANFARE
1991. 2 minutes.
Percussion, trumpet, tubular bells, shamisen, electric organ.
7/6/91, Concert Hall, Melbourne Arts Centre.
CD Natural Symphonies NS 531.

HOW ABOUT IT?
1978. 10 minutes.
Marimba, vibes, bass guitar, piano.
1978, Clifton Hill Community Music Centre, Melbourne.


Choral Music

DOME PIECE choir and electronics.
1993. 15 minutes.
18 singers, 4 channel tape.
Commissioned by Contemporary Music Events.
24/10/93,  Reading Room, Victorian State Library.
(Melbourne International Festival of the Arts).  Recorded by ABC.


Vocal Music

GRAND THEFT
1995. 20 minutes, 6 parts
2 soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass.
The Song Company, Ultimo Centre, Sydney.
Recorded by ABC.

CALL OF THE WILD  song cycle.
1988. 21 minutes, 3 parts.
Soprano, piano, tape.
24/11/88, Experimenta, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne.
Recorded by ABC.

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Instrumental Music

MIR
1997.  5 minutes
Piano.

SOMNIUM
1997. 4 minutes.
Piano.

RARE/VERY RARE/POSSIBLY EXTINCT
1995. 7 minutes.
Harp.
Adelaide Festival.

DUET #1
1993. 6 minutes.
Violin, cello.
Commissioned by ABC Live Music.
CD. Exotica Suite, David Chesworth Ensemble Warner Music

THE SOFT SKIN  trio.
1993. 10 minutes. 3 movements.
Clarinet, piano, cello.
Commissioned by ABC Live Music.
CD. Exotica Suite, David Chesworth Ensemble Warner Music

JOURNEY INTO SPACE
1990. 2 minutes. 30 seconds.
Voice and harp.

CHORAL
1982. 4 minutes. Piano.
Published 1991, Australian Piano Miniatures, Book 1, Red House.

FOUR PIECES FOR HARMONIUM
1989. 40 minutes.
Harmonium.
1979, Clifton Hill Community Music Centre, Melbourne.

FIVE GUITAR PIECES  with Robert Goodge.
1979. 21 minutes.
Acoustic and electric guitars (prepared).
1979, Clifton Hill Community Music Centre, Melbourne.

THE DAVE AND PHIL DUO PRESENT THEMSELVES  performance,/ album
1979. 45 minutes. 12 parts.
Two pianos and tape.
1979, Clifton Hill Community Music Centre, Melbourne. Innocent Records.

PIANO AND CLARINET STUDY
1978. 5 minutes.
Piano, clarinet.
1978, Australian Composers and Performers Seminar Melbourne.

SONIC INVESTIGATIONS OF THE TRIVIAL  Performance / album.
1978. 55 minutes. 11 parts.
Guitar, elec piano, drum machine.
1978, Clifton Hill Community Music Centre, Melbourne. Innocent Records.

THEMES AND VARIATIONS
1979. 45 minutes.
Piano, organ, voice.
2/1/80. Festival of Sydney.

APPARENT HEAVENLY MOVEMENT
1976. 2 1/2 minutes.
Piano.
CD. The Persian Hours Artworks 010

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Electro Acoustic

POST MORTEM
1998. 22 mins
Electro-acoustic, stereo
Commissioned by ABC Listening Room

SOUTHGATE OPENING  soundscape.
1992. 8 minutes.
Environmental and electronic sounds, multi-channel sound system.
4/9/92, Component of performance at Southgate Precinct and Yarra River, Melbourne.
Ars Electronica Award Winner.

PIECES OF PARADISE  soundscape
1987. 23 minutes.
Environmental and electronic sounds, multi-channel sound system.
Component of Pieces of Paradise exhibition, Australian Museum, Sydney.

CONTROL ROOM
1978. 5 minutes.
Tape and voices.
1980. Innocent Records.

50 SYNTHESIZER GREATS  album.
1978. 60 minutes. 37 parts.
Mini Korg 700 synthesizer.
1979. Innocent Records

LAYER ON LAYER  album / performance.
1981. 43 minutes. 11 parts.
Voices, electronics, found objects.
1981, International Music & Technology Conference, Melbourne. Innocent Records.

NO PLACE
1989. 12 minutes 3 parts.
Keyboard sampler, environmental recordings, and CD player.
Commissioned by Ars Electronica.
15/9/89, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria.
CD Natural Symphonies NS 531.

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Radio

TISSUES FOR ISSUES
1984. 90 minutes, 20 parts.
Recordings from radio, television and other found sources. Various instrumentation.
Commissioned by Media Dept, Melbourne State College.  Performances 3RRR FM and 2SER FM. CD Aust Anthology of Music, Vol.6.

DRIVE TIME
1984. 25 minutes, 7 parts.
Piano, bass guitar, drum machine.
12/9/84, Trinity College Chapel - ABC live-to-air broadcast.

STORIES OF IMITATION & CORRUPTION:  FOR TAPE
1983. 22 minutes, 10 parts.
Casio keyboard, 2 x records from World Record Club; "Orchestral Instruments" and "Keyboard Instruments."
20/5/83. Commissioned and broadcast by the Public Broadcasting Association of Australia.

NINE SIMPLE FRAMES
1982. 28 minutes, 9 parts.
Keyboard, drum machine.
27/5/83, ABC live to air broadcast. 


Multi-Media Projects

FOUR COURSES  dramatic soundscape accompanying banquet.
1991. 90 Minutes. 4 parts.
4 channel tape playback, wind chimes.
Commissioned by Melbourne Festival.
31/5/91, George Fairfax Studio, Melbourne .

LET ME CONVINCE YOU  performance with Sonia Leber.
1989. 25 minutes.
Amplified voice, keyboard sampler, tape, video projection.
22/11/89, MIMA's Other Pleasures Festival, State Film Centre, Melbourne.

NO PARTICULAR PLACE  performance.
1987. 23 minutes. 3 parts.
Voice, keyboards, double bass, sax, percussion, video projection.
11/4/87, Australian Centre For Contemporary Art, Melbourne.

SKIPPY KNOWS...  performance.
1983. 43 minutes. 10 parts.
Voice, synthesizer, percussion, slides.
Commissioned by Paris Autumn Festival
26/10/83, Pompidou Centre, Paris, France.

PALIMPSEST  album/performance.
1982. 43 minutes. 12 parts.
Voice, guitar, percussion, synthesizer, saxophone.
7/4/82, Fourth Sydney Biennale.
Innocent Records.

INDUSTRY & LEISURE  music theatre/multimedia.
1981. 60 minutes.
Live performance, slides, film, spoken word, tape.
Commissioned by Praxis, Fremantle, W.A.
25/7/82, "Popism" National Gallery of Victoria.
Cassette/booklet, Innocent Records, 1982.

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU  performance.
1979. 20 minutes.
Harmonium, 2 camera operators, 2 monitors, audience.
27/5/79, Video Plus One, Open Channel, Melbourne.

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Installations

THE PERSUADERS

THE MASTERS VOICE

5,000 CALLS
1999. Continuous play.
Vocal sounds of human effort. 24 channel audio playback covering 4.5 hectares surrounding Stadium Australia Homebush.
Commissioned by the Olympic Coordination Authority, Sydney.

IN THE DARK WOOD…AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GARDEN
1996. Continuous play.
Next Wave Festival, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne.

INDEFINITE OBJECTS
1981. 60 minutes.
Video synthesis, tape playback.
14/6/82, Roslyn Oxley Gallery, Sydney.

TRANSPORTATION:  MIRROR VIEW
1981. Continuous play.
Tape, headphones, mirrors, pictures.
1981, Noise & Musak Exhibition, Ewing and George Paton Gallery, Melbourne.

SHOWPIECE
1978. Continuous play.
4 Channel tape.
11/7/78, LaTrobe Union Arts Festival, Melbourne.

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Soundscapes with Wax Sound Media


Soundscapes with Sound Design Studio

SOUTHGATE RIVER FESTIVAL 
Sound installation (with Les Gilbert).
Continuous.
CD based musical compositions, environmental, computer and synthesized music.
1992, Southgate Precinct, Melbourne.

GORILLA TROPICS  Soundscapes (with Les Gilbert). Continuous.
Environmental sounds, 50 channels, interactive.
1991, SanDiego Zoo, San Diego, USA.

SHEDD AQUARIUM  Sound installation (with Les Gilbert). Continuous.
Environmental sounds, 4 multi channel interactive soundscapes.
1990, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, USA.

THE HI-TECH GARAGE  Sound installation
120 minutes.
Computer generated, various electronic instruments.
1990, Technology Centre of Silicon Valley, San Jose, California, USA.

OSAKA AQUARIUM  Sound installation (with Les Gilbert).
38 soundscapes, 4 1/2 hours total duration.
Environmental recording, Emax sampler, oberheim expander, Pitch-to-midi converter.
1989, Osaka Aquarium, Japan.

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Other Soundscapes with Sound Design Studio

NATIONAL WOOL CENTRE
Geelong. Victoria.

THE BICENTENNIAL TRAVELLING EXHIBITION (Throughout Australia.)

KAKADU NATIONAL PARK VISITORS CENTRE Northern Territory.

NATIONAL LIBRARY  Canberra.

THE AUSTRALIA MUSEUM  Sydney.

THE SYDNEY AQUARIUM  Sydney.

TENNESSEE AQUARIUM  Chattanooga, USA.

BIOSPHERE 2 Tucson, USA.

SOVEREIGN HILL GOLD MINING TOWNSHIP  Ballarat, Victoria


Music for Film & Video 

Film Soundtracks

RAINBOW  BIRD AND MONSTER MAN
16mm, 56 min 2001
Dir. Dennis Smith

TRAPPED
16mm, 20 min. 2000
Dir. Trudy Hellier

SPITFIRE 1,2,3
16mm, 16 min. 1996.
Dir. Lyndal Jones.

THE WEB - ep. SPIDER 
35mm, 6 min. 1994.
Dir. Lucinda Clutterbuck.

THE WEB - ep. PANDA 
35mm, 6 min. 1993.
Dir. Lucinda Clutterbuck.

HAROLD
Betacam SP, 56 min. 1994.
Dir. Steve Thomas.

LIFEFORMS 
16mm, 46 min. 1993.
Dir. Georgia Wallace-Crabbe.

LOVE IS..
Video 8, 22 min.  1994.
Dir. Jayne Stevenson.

DOUBTFUL INVITATION
16mm, 25 min. 1991.
Dir. Sonia Leber.

NO PARTICULAR PLACE
BVU SP. Stereo. 6 mins. 1987.
Directed by Sonia Leber.

HISTORY TAKES PLACE
16mm, 25 min. 1986.
Dir. Sonia Leber.

LIFE ON TV 
U-Matic, high band. Stereo. 5 mins.
Film clip directed by Janis Lesinskis, 1985.

DREAMS COME TRUE 
Super 8, 20 min. 1983.
Dir. Jayne Stevenson.

Composed and Directed by David Chesworth
INDUSTRY & LEISURE
Super 8. 45 minutes. 

SUGGESTIONS
Super 8. 8 minutes. 1981.

LOST IN SPACE
Super 8. 6 minutes. 1979.

INSATIABLE
BVU high band. Stereo. 30 mins. 1987.
State Film Centre Library.

FACTORY 
U-Matic. Mono. 20 mins.
Co-directed by Anne Carter, 1984.
Media Dept Collection, Melbourne CAE.

DO THE METAPHYSICAL 
U-matic. Stereo. 12 mins. 1983-84.

INDEFINITE OBJECTS 
U-matic. Stereo. 60 mins. 1981.

GLARING IN SECRET 
U-matic. Stereo. 12 mins. 1980. 
National Library, Canberra.

ABSTRACTION ON THE MOVE 
U-matic. Stereo. 20 mins. 1979.

ONE PLUS ONE 
U-matic. Stereo. 5 mins. 1979. 
National Library, Canberra.

DON'T HARP ON IT 
U-matic. Stereo. 20 mins. 1979. 
National Library, Canberra.


Incidental  Music for Theatre

CHAIRS
Melbourne Theatre Company
Dir. Douglas Horton

LIFE AFTER GEORGE
1999, Melbourne Theatre Company
Dir. Kate Sherrie.

THE NINTH MOON
1999, Keane/Taylor Project, Melbourne Festival
Dir. Ariette Taylor.

STOLEN
1998, Playbox Theatre, Melbourne
Dir. Wesley Enoch.

SPITFIRE 1,2,3 
1996, Lonsdale St Power Station, Melbourne.
Dir. Lyndal Jones.

DANTE: THROUGH THE INVISIBLE 
1996, Handspan Theatre, Melbourne.
Dir. Ken Evans.

DISTURBING THE DUST
1994, Adelaide Festival.
Dir. Ariette Taylor.

RICHARD THE THIRD
1989, State Theatre Company, Adelaide.
Dir. Gail Edwards.

BENNY WALLIS MEETS HIS MAKER
1988, Playbox, Melbourne.                                          
Dir. Peter Oystern.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM
1985, Nimrod Theatre, Sydney.
Dir. Kim Carpenter.

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