A SECOND-year composition student at the ANU School Music has beaten an international field of entrants to win a US carillon composition competition.

Caspian Scott, of Chisholm, wins $US500 and a performance on Iowa State University’s Stanton Memorial Carillon for his work, “Idle Spires for Carillon”, and says ANU School of Music carillon lecturer Thomas Laue hopes to find a spot for the new work at our own National Carillon soon.

The Memorial Carillon, named after Margaret MacDonald Stanton, the Iowa university’s first dean of women, is a free-standing tower that is central to a major carillon festival.

Scott, whose parents, Elizabeth and James Scott, are the director-founders of Perform Australia drama academy in Fyshwick, told “CityNews” he had grown up in a creative theatre environment, but went down the path of music.

An electric bass player by choice, he first studied music at Telopea Park high school under Robert Clements then at Narrabundah College under John Black and Marion Budos, the latter encouraging him to go on to the School of Music.

There he has been studying composition with Chris Sainsbury, Frank Millwood, Stephen Leek and Alexander Hunter, also attending a lecture by Laue on how to write for the carillon.

“I’m no expert in carillon composition,” Scott tells me,” but I understand how the overtones and harmonics are different to other instruments.”

He’s just finished a writing a string quartet piece and another for guitar, and plans to write for a community group soon.
Scott is also behind an initiative to hold a composer’s concert showcasing the work of young composers in the Larry Sitsky Recital Room, ANU School Music at 7pm on October 24. All welcome.

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