We Have Seen it Rising
for solo viola
Composed for Daniel You
Performed as part of The ANAM Set 2024
This ANAM Set commission was generously supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia and the Anthony and Sharon Lee Foundation
About the composer:
“...between the ether and ecstasy...”— Rob Kennedy (CityNews)
Australian composer Chris Williams’ (he/him) alluring and evocative music draws his listeners in through its sonic invention and subtle craft. It is music of expressive power and delicate detail.
Winner of the composition prize of the Australian International Chopin Competition, Chris has twice been featured at the Gaudeamus Muzeikweek in the Netherlands, and attended the Takefu International Music Festival in Japan, at the invitation of Toshio Hosokawa.
He has been commissioned by The Song Company, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall.
In addition to concert music, Chris’ Theatre Music credits include ‘Cosi’, for the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Companies, the Australian Premiere of ‘A Doll's House, Part 2’ for the Melbourne Theatre Company, and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Cloud Nine’ for the Sydney Theatre Company. Chris’ songs and music for the latter were nominated for best original score at the Sydney Theatre Awards, while the Daily Review noted his “brilliantly unsettling music” for the former, at the Sydney Opera House.
Chris studied at the University of Oxford, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and is currently a PhD candidate at Duke University. While at Carnegie Hall, Chris worked with then composer-in residence Kaija Saariaho. Previously, Chris was one of only six composers worldwide to be selected by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies to attend the Advanced Composition course at the Dartington International Summer School.
He is a Represented Artist at the Australian Music Centre and is represented by Aurora Artists’ Management.
For more about Chris, visit his website: chriswilliamscomposer.com
Photos by Michele Stapleton (michelestapleton.com)