Biography:
Thomas Reiner is a composer of highly engaging music that is concerned with questions of meaning, symbols, emotions, musical time, and artistic freedom in a postmodern world. His music has won prizes in the International Witold Lutoslawski Composers’ Competition, the ALEA III International Composition Competition at Boston University, and the International Boswil Composers’ Competition. In Australia, he has received the Dorian Le Gallienne Award for Composition and the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award.
His prolific compositional output consists of solo pieces, chamber works, orchestral compositions, works for music theatre, vocal works, concept pieces, electro-acoustic and electronic works. His music has been performed, broadcast and recorded in many countries, and by some of the leading exponents of contemporary music. Most of his works are published with the Australian Music Centre. Recordings of his music are released on several CDs and have received critical acclaim.
In 1996 he was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Melbourne for his research into the semiotic nature of musical time. His book Semiotics of Musical Time was published in 2000 by Peter Lang Publishing in New York. He is the founder and artistic director of the Melbourne-based contemporary music project re-sound, which over the years has made a substantial contribution to the presentation and promotion of Australian work.
In 2009, Thomas Reiner was appointed Acting Head of the School of Music – Conservatorium at Monash University, and in 2010 was promoted to Associate Professor. In 2007 he was awarded the Dean’s Teaching Award for excellence in teaching, and in 2010 received the Dean’s Commendation of Excellence in Teaching.
“Listening to this [Reiner’s] music is a sensuous experience, but there are also contradictory elements that constantly question and provoke.”
Michael Hooper in Music Forum
