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Canberra Today 12°/16° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Star pianist to honour Sitsky in recital

IF you attended the recent International Music Festival, you’d be aware of Adam Cook, employed as a veritable work-horse to perform rare music related to World War I and consistently praised by “Citynews” music critics for his sensitivity and virtuosity.

Adam Cook, detail of photo by Peter Hislop
Adam Cook, detail of photo by Peter Hislop

Cook is one of the finest products of the University of Western Australia, where he studied with Roger Smalley and Anna Sleptsova and the ANU School of Music, where he became one of the top pupils of Professor Larry Sitsky.

In 2007 Cook was invited to France to study for one year with Emeritus Professor of the University of Ottawa, Jean-Paul Sevilla, and completed a Diplôme d’Excellence en Musique in piano.

During that year began composing jazz for his “progressive jazz-pop” band, known now as The Monotremes, which late last year brought out its first release. The Phantasmagorganism EP, is available for free streaming on SoundCloud. Have a listen:

Cook recently established an independent business, Adam James Cook Musical Services, offering online/in-person classical/jazz/theory tuition (including via Skype), composition/arrangement, performance and production. (http://adamjamescook.com/)

As co-winner of the respected the Michael Kieran Harvey Scholarship, he recently travelled again to France to study composition and improvisation with several Parisian pianists, and complete a Monotremes composition called “Iodine”.

'Four Hands' - Sitsky and Cook
‘Four Hands’ – Sitsky and Cook

In October last year he joined his teacher and mentor Sitsky in a magnificent “Four Hands” concert at the School of Music.

Now, mindful of the fact that 2014 marks Sitsky’s 80th birthday, he is presenting a concert this Thursday, May 29, playing a program of Bartok, Debussy and of course a work by Sitsky, his Sonata No. 2,” composed for Cook in back in 2010.

Adam Cook concert for Larry Sitsky, 6.30pm, in the Larry Sitsky Recital Room, ANU School of Music (enter through the Llewellyn Hall foyer or box office area), tickets at the door.

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Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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