photo by Gil Meydan
The Australian guitarist Geoffrey Morris performs both traditional and contemporary music with a repertoire which extends from the 16th century to the present day. His interest in performance practices has led Geoffrey to the exploration of early guitars as well as championing the works of living composers working in all genres.
To date Geoffrey has premiered, commissioned or recorded over two hundred new works with composers Elena Kats Chernin (Aust.), Brian Ferneyhough (U.K). Aldo Clementi (It.) and Horatiu Radulescu (Romania) among just some who have dedicated works to him. These collaborations have been recorded by ABC FM, ABC Television, BBC Radio 3, Danish radio 2, WNYC (New York), Radio Bremen, and the Deutschlandfunk (Cologne).
He has introduced new music to Australian audiences by John Cage (USA), Luca Francesconi (Italy), James Dillon (UK) and Toshio Hosokawa as well as rarely heard baroque and classical works by Ferdinando Valdambrini, Antonio de Santa Cruz, Henri Grenerin, Jose Marin and Anton de Lhoyer. For fifteen years he was a member of the internationally acclaimed ELISION Ensemble with who he premiered new chamber works by Franco Donatoni (It.) Helen Gifford (Aust.), Chaya Czernowin (Is.) Maurio Pisati (It.) and Gerard Brophy (Aust.) The release of the cd Terrain included two new works with guitar, Les Froissements des Ailes de Gabriel and No Time (at all)received the July 2010 Editors Choice in Gramophone magazine.
As a chamber musician he has worked with the Gavin Bryars Ensemble, the Song Company, guitarist Noris Sato (Melbourne Festival), Ensemble Modern (Adelaide Festival), Ensemble 21 (New York City), Paul Grabowsky,Andrew Lawrence King, Ludovico's Band, Continuo Collective Black Arm Band and Aphids.
His growing interest in historical plucked strings had led to recent study periods with leading pedagogue Pat O'Brien in New York. Geoffrey has also embraced the performance of 19th-Century solo and lieder repertoire employing the use of period instruments as well as performances on vihuela and baroque guitar.
Geoffrey has accompanied many of Australia's finest singers including Sally-Anne Russell, Jane Edwards, Siobhan Stagg, Deborah Kayser, Tyrone Landau and Lyndon Terracini as well as leading instrumentalists Genevieve Lacey (recorders) and Claire Edwards (percussion). In 2007 he accompanied Luciano Pavarotti with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as part of the singer's farewell tour.
Geoffrey has given solo performances in Italy, Germany, Denmark, England, Ireland, USA, Norway, New Zealand, Japan and Holland as well as throughout Australia. His awards include a Queens Trust Achievers Award, Winston Churchill Fellowship and the 2004 Music Council of Australia Freedman Fellowship for Classical Music.