Lyle Chan & Alex Raineri
Biographie Lyle Chan & Alex Raineri
Lyle Chan
is known for his socially-conscious works combining powerful emotional impact and intellectual rigour. His most personal and confronting work is his 90-minute String Quartet, a memoir of his years as an AIDS activist in the 1990s. It was hailed by American composer John Corigliano as “a serious and deeply felt work of art born out of a seemingly endless plague.”
He was awarded the Orchestral Work of the Year prize in Australia’s Art Music Awards for his orchestral song cycle My Dear Benjamin, which Chan wrote upon meeting a 95-year old Wulff Scherchen living in Australia and discovering he was the little-known war-time love interest of composer Benjamin Britten.
Lyle Chan’s most notorious composition is Wind Farm Music, commissioned by human rights lawyer Julian Burnside and dedicated to Australia’s unpopular then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott in protest against the government’s anti-renewable energy stance. The work that first brought him widespread recognition was Rendezvous With Destiny for narrator and musicians – based on US political history – commissioned by the Art Gallery Society of NSW and performed by Bob Carr, former Foreign Minister of Australia and NSW Premier.
His recent major commissioners include Sydney Symphony Orchestra for its 50 Fanfares project. For the Debussy Centenary in 2018, he was commissioned by the Australian National Academy of Music to compose three diversely-scored Sonatas to fulfil Debussy’s final project that he left unfinished on his early death. Also in 2018 he was commissioned by the Art Gallery of NSW Foundation for a work to be performed during the exhibition of The Lady and the Unicorn, the famed 16th century tapestry making only its third ever trip outside of France.
His work has been programmed at major arts institutions such as Sydney Opera House, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Brisbane Festival, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of NSW, Melbourne Recital Centre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and others.
Lyle Chan spent over a decade at ABC Classics, where as Artists & Repertoire Manager he spearheaded the production of over 200 recordings, including every winner of the Best Classical category of the ARIA Awards between 1998 and 2008.
He is co-founder of Extended Play, the acclaimed festival of new music that ran in 2018-19 at Sydney’s City Recital Hall. He is currently a member of the 6-person international panel curating performances and conference papers for Classical:Next, the global annual meeting of classical music professionals in Rotterdam.
Alex Raineri
Australian-Italian artist Alex Raineri is a piano player, harpsichordist, composer, improviser, curator, producer, writer, musical director and educator.
Though trained classically, Alex is passionate about deconstructing genre barriers, nurturing how the tendrils of an old (classical) tradition can resonate vibrantly in today’s world. Alex’s creative ethos embodies a gentle shift towards a utopian future, leveraging storytelling through music as a powerful vehicle for manifesting social change.
His collaborative and original work foregrounds diversity and innovation. As a commissioner, he has activated over 90 new works. Alex’s own compositional practice explores the intersection between old and new, weaving musical conventions in fresh ways. Beyond music, he has collaborated with dancers, actors, filmmakers, visual artists, and designers.
Critical praise for his work has lauded him as “a musical chameleon … a visionary prophet of the keys” (Limelight), “fearless, playful, and technically formidable” (Stage Whispers), "a born communicator" (The Australian), and “a brilliant young musician" (Otago Times).
As a performing artist, Alex’s extensive international touring includes shows throughout USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. With an expansive repertoire traversing Monteverdi to Xenakis, he is equally authoritative in interpreting the classical canon and premiering new work.
As a recording artist, discography includes releases with Decca, Parma Records, ABC Classic, Kammerklang, MOVE Records and Soothe Sounds. He has made television appearances in Australia and Germany, and radio broadcasts on BBC, ABC, Radio NZ, Chicago’s WFMT and Florida’s WSMR.
Alex is the artistic director and producer of Brisbane Music Festival and FourthWall Arts. He is an artist ambassador for Kawai Australia.
