George Dreyfus

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George Dreyfus AM (born July 22, 1928, Wuppertal, Germany) is a contemporary classical, film and television composer in Australia.

Contents

[edit] Biography

The Dreyfus family fled to Melbourne, Australia in 1939. George studied at Melbourne High School then Melba Conservatorium Victoria as a bassoonist.

[edit] Career

From 1948 Dreyfus played bassoon in touring orchestras accompanying opera and ballet companies before joining the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (then known as the Victorian SO) in 1953. In the 1950s he studied at the Imperial Academy of Music in Vienna. He began composing in 1956 but did not concentrate on composition until the 1960s.

He has composed numerous film and television scores, including for A Steam Train Passes (1974), Rush (1974), Dimboola (1979) and The Fringe Dwellers (1986).

He composed the operas Rathenau in 1993, Die Marx Sisters in 1996 and The Takeover 1997.

Mark Dreyfus is his son.

[edit] Honours and Awards

In 1991 he was awarded the Australia Council's Don Banks Fellowship. In 1992 was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to music. In 2002 he was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse.

A portrait of George Dreyfus by artist Brian Dunlop was entered in the 1995 Archibald Prize competition.

[edit] References

  • Roger Covell: "George Dreyfus", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed March 13, 2007), (subscription access)

[edit] External links

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