This is a list of Australian composers of classical music, contemporary music and film soundtracks.

These names are largely drawn from the following:

  • Music Australia an online service developed by the National Library of Australia (NLA) and the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA);
  • Australian Music Centre's (AMC) list of "Represented artists";
  • lists entitled "Australian Composers" and "Australian Repertoire" published by Australian Choral Conductors Education and Training (ACCET);
  • the "Catalogue of Australian Organ Compositions 1866–2002" published by the Organ Historical Trust of Australia (OHTA);
  • the "Australian Composers" list;

and various other websites and media sources.

Wherever possible, dates of birth and death are shown. The pseudonyms used by some composers are listed along with a reference back to their legal name. Entries are cross-referenced to one or more sources to provide further information.

A

  • Roy Agnew (1891–1944)
  • David Ahern (1947–1988)
  • Hugo Alpen (1842–1917)
  • Ernie Althoff (born 1950)
  • John Henry Antill (1904–1986)
  • Albert Arlen (1905–1993)
  • Martin Armiger (1949–2019)
  • Keith Asboe (born 1929)
  • Don Banks
  • David Banney (born 1968)
  • Michael Barkl (born 1958)
  • Betty Beath
  • Ross Bolleter (born 1946)
  • Anne Elizabeth Boyd
  • George Frederick Boyle (1886–1948)
  • Philip Bračanin
  • May (or Mary) Hannah Brahe (1884–1956)
  • Hooper Brewster-Jones (1887–1949)
  • Brenton Broadstock (born 1952)
  • Amanda Gabrielle Brown (born 1965)
  • Colin Brumby
  • Vera Buck (1903–1986)
  • Thomas (Tom) Edward Bulch (1860–1930)
  • Warren Burt (born 1949)
  • Nigel Butterley

C

  • John Carmichael (born 1930)
  • Ann Carr-Boyd
  • Tristram Ogilvie Cary
  • Nick Cave (born 1957)
  • Herbert Hedwan Chandler (1865–1941).
  • Charles Cawthorne (1854–1925)
  • Alice Charbonnet-Kellermann (1858–1914)
  • Charlie Chan (born 1966)
  • Arthur Chanter (1886–1950)
  • Deborah Cheetham (born 1964)
  • David Chesworth (born 1958)
  • Andrew Chubb (born 1975)
  • Paul Clift (born 1978)
  • Judith Clingan
  • George H. Clutsam (1866–1951)
  • Julian Cochran (born 1974)
  • Percy Code (1888–1953)
  • Barry Conyngham
  • Herbert Cosgrove (died 1953)
  • Vince Courtney (1887–1951)
  • Kate Crawford (born 1976)
  • Ian Cresswell (born 1968)
  • Ian Cugley
  • Cesare Cutolo (1826–1867)

D

  • Robert Davidson (born 1965)
  • Ruby Claudia Davy (1883–1946)
  • Brett Dean (born 1961)
  • George De Cairos Rego (1858–1946)
  • George Savin De Chanéet (1861–1926)
  • John Albert Delany (1852–1907)
  • Herbert De Pinna (1880–1936)
  • Matthew Dewey (born 1984)
  • Joe Dolce (born 1947)
  • Paul Doornbusch (born 1959)
  • George Dreyfus
  • Jon Drummond (born 1969)
  • Catherine Duc
  • Melissa Dunphy (born 1980)

E

  • Ross Edwards
  • Frederick Ellard (1824–1874)
  • Warren Ellis (born 1965)
  • Harry Lindley Evans
  • Winsome Evans (born 1941)

F

  • Billy Field (born 1953)
  • Mary Finsterer (born 1962)
  • Thomas Fitzgerald
  • Samantha Fonti (born 1973)
  • Andrew Ford
  • Riccardo Formosa (born 1954)
  • Grant Foster (born 1945)
  • Jennifer Fowler
  • Edwin Fowles (1871–1945)

G

  • Lisa Gerrard (born 1961)
  • Helen Gifford (born 1935)
  • Richard Gill (1941–2018)
  • Peggy Glanville-Hicks
  • Isador Goodman (1909–1982)
  • Eugene Goossens
  • Christopher Gordon (born 1956)
  • Tony Gould
  • Paul Grabowsky (born 1958)
  • Ron Grainer (1922–1981)
  • George Percy Aldridge Grainger
  • Sally Greenaway (born 1984)
  • Stuart Greenbaum (born 1966)
  • Maria Grenfell (born 1969)
  • Eric Gross

H

  • Gordon Hamilton (born 1982)
  • Ronald Hanmer
  • Edith Harrhy (1893–1969)
  • Ian Keith Harris (1935–2024)
  • Fritz Bennicke Hart
  • Mick Harvey (born 1958)
  • Miska Hauser (1822–1887)
  • Fiona Joy Hawkins (born 1964)
  • Christian Heim (born 1960)
  • Christian Helleman (1880–1954)
  • Moya Henderson
  • Laurence Henry Hicks (1912–1997)
  • Francis Hartwell Henslowe (1811–1878)
  • Moritz Heuzenroeder (1849–1897)
  • Alfred Francis Hill
  • Matthew Hindson (born 1968)
  • David Hirschfelder (born 1960)
  • Dulcie Sybil Holland
  • Alan Holley (born 1954)
  • Wilfrid Holland
  • Charles Edward Horsley (1822–1876)
  • Robert Watson Hughes
  • Frank Hutchens
  • Miriam Beatrice Hyde

I

  • Robert Iolini (born 1960)

J

  • William Garnet James
  • Graham Jenkin (born 1938)
  • Alan John
  • Donald H. Kay
  • Norman Kaye (1927–2007)
  • Horace Keats (1895–1945)
  • Paul Kelly (born 1955)
  • Paul Kenny (born 1969)
  • Frederick Septimus Kelly (1881–1916)
  • Gordon Kerry (born 1961)
  • Henry John King (1855–1934)
  • Ashley Klose
  • William Robert Knox (1861–1933)
  • Douglas Knehans (born 1957)
  • Julian Knowles (born 1965)
  • Graeme Koehne
  • Constantine Koukias (born 1965)
  • Henri Kowalski (1841–1916)
  • Henry Krips

L

  • Brenton Langbein (1928–1993)
  • Guglielmo Enrico Lardelli (1857–1910)
  • Louis Lavater (1867–1953)
  • Lê Tuấn Hùng (born 1960)
  • Stephen Leek
  • Dorian Le Gallienne
  • John Lemmone (1861–1949)
  • Georges Lentz (born 1965)
  • Liza Lim
  • Carl (or Karl) Ferdinand August Linger (a.k.a. Charles Linger)
  • Michael Lira (born 1975)
  • Alexander Frame Lithgow (1870–1929)
  • Jonathan Little (born 1965)
  • William Lovelock
  • David Lumsdaine
  • Jack Lumsdaine (1895–1948)

M

  • Mary Mageau
  • Raffaele Marcellino (born 1964)
  • Stephen Hale Marsh (1805–1888)
  • George Marshall-Hall (1862–1915)
  • Arthur Massey (composer) (1861–1950)
  • John Boswell Maver (born 1932)
  • Mona McBurney (1867–1932)
  • John McAll (born 1960)
  • Daniel Clive McCallum (born 1989)
  • Charles William McCarthy (1848–1919)
  • David McCormack (born 1968)
  • Peter Dodds McCormick (1833–1916)
  • Brett McKern (born 1972)
  • Sir William McKie
  • Doris Rosetta Elizabeth Mendoza (1899–1986), Australian pianist and theatre composer
  • Sir Jonathan Mills (born 1963)
  • Richard Mills
  • Ernest Edwin Mitchell (1865–1951)
  • Kate Moore (born 1979)
  • Stephen Moreno (1889–1953)
  • Graeme Morton
  • Ian Munro (born 1963)
  • William Murdoch (1888–1942)

N

  • Ronald O. Nagorcka (born 1948)
  • Isaac Nathan (1792–1864)
  • Mike Nock (born 1940)

O

  • Sean O'Boyle (born 1963)
  • Tony O'Connor (1961–2010)
  • William Arundel (Bunny) Orchard (1867–1961)

P

  • Charles Sandys Packer (1810–1883)
  • Frederick Augustus Packer (1839–1902)
  • George Palmer (born 1947)
  • Katharine "Kitty" Parker (1886–1971)
  • Anthony Pateras (born 1979)
  • Raimund Pechotsch (1864–1941)
  • James Penberthy
  • Michael (Mike) Perjanik
  • Barrington Somers Pheloung (1954–2019)
  • Linda Phillips (1899–2002)

Q

  • Will Quintrell (1880–1946)

R

  • Bert Rache (1876–1928)
  • Stephen Rae (born 1961)
  • Alan Rattray (1878–1919)
  • Graeme Revell (born 1955)
  • Ruby Reynolds-Lewis (1881–1964)
  • Damien Ricketson (born 1973)
  • Arthur Rivers (1857–1940)
  • Sir William Robinson (1834–1897)
  • John Rodgers (1962–2024)
  • Hermann Rosendorff (1860–1935)
  • David Rumsey (1939–2017)
  • Albert Bokhare Saunders (1880–1946)
  • Andrew Schultz
  • Peter Sculthorpe
  • Luscombe Searelle (1853–1907)
  • Matthew Shlomowitz (born 1975)
  • Thanapoom Sirichang (born 1981)
  • Larry Sitsky
  • Cezary Skubiszewski (born 1949)
  • Jan Skubiszewski (born 1981)
  • Joe Slater (1872–1926)
  • Roger Smalley
  • Michael Sollis (born 1985)
  • Benjamin Speed, film composer
  • William Stanley (composer) (1820–1902)
  • Reginald Alberto Agrati Stoneham (1879–1942)
  • Robert James Stove (born 1961)
  • Joseph Summers (1839–1917)
  • May Summerbelle (1867–1914)
  • Margaret Sutherland

T

  • Peter Tahourdin
  • Henry Tate (1873–1926)
  • George Tibbits (1933–2008)
  • Richard Tognetti (born 1965)
  • George William Torrance (1835–1907)
  • Ernest Truman (1869–1948)
  • Costas Tsicaderis (1945–2004)
  • Walter J. Turner (1884–1946)
  • Joseph Twist (born 1982)

V

  • Lindsay Vickery (born 1965)
  • Carl Edward Vine (born 1954)
  • Nicholas Vines (born 1976)
  • Alexander Voltz (born 1999)

W

  • Don Walker (born 1951)
  • Simon Walker (1961–2010)
  • Felix Werder
  • Martin Wesley-Smith
  • Fred Werner (active 1895–1912)
  • Nigel Westlake (born 1958)
  • Alfred Wheeler (1865–1949)
  • Gillian Whitehead
  • Stephen Whittington (born 1953)
  • Christopher Willcock
  • Malcolm Williamson
  • David Worrall (born 1954)

Y

  • Yitzhak Yedid (born 1971)

Z

  • Alberto Zelman (1832–1907)

See also

  • Chronological list of Australian classical composers
  • List of Australian women composers

References