“I was motivated to apply by the incredible opportunity to work with and learn from such a prominent professional orchestra at an early stage in my career. I also felt a connection with the nature of the commission itself. Having grown up in Lismore, NSW, I felt that my understanding of the sense of community in regional areas would allow me to bring a very personal element to the project”.

Our Emerging Composer-in-Residence Alexandra Mison has just flown to Central Queensland with Camerata’s Artistic Director and Leader Brendan Joyce to write and develop a piece of music as part of the residency! For a few days, she will be exploring the Central Queensland region and will immerse herself in the area, before working on creating a composition Camerata will premiere during our regional tour in May/June.

Meet Alexandra Mison, Camerata’s 2024 Emerging Composer-In-Residence

Alex is a composer and a pianist based in Meanjin/Brisbane. She grew up in Lismore, NSW and moved to Brisbane after high school to pursue her studies in music at the University of Queensland. She started playing the piano at a young age, and found an interest for composition when she reached high school. She began to draw inspiration from film scores, and later discovered a passion for composing chamber and orchestral music.

Alex was drawn to the artform the second she took her first piano lesson. She says, “I always find it funny to look back at when I first started music. My parents had signed me up for piano lessons and I was adamant that I didn’t want to go, but after one lesson I was practically glued to the keys!”.

In her early teens, she started to pay attention to film scores, and realised how much influence the music had on the audience’s emotional reaction to a scene. She realised then she wanted to compose music.

One of her favourite pieces that she has composed is “Nostalgia”. She says she wanted to compose a piece that “not only portrayed the emotion, but evoked it in the listener”.

Alex is very excited to be Camerata’s 2024 Emerging Composer-In-Residence and sees this opportunity as a means to keep learning and developing her skills as a composer, particularly in the realm of chamber and orchestral music, as well as working with talented musicians. She says, “this program also provides a fantastic opportunity to meet and work with a wide array of musicians, and I am very excited to learn as much as possible from their experiences.”

We cannot wait to premiere her composition this May/June. Stay tuned.