Bruce Crossman

Bruce Crossman’s sound world embraces Asian traditional musics, free form improvisation and European influenced interval-colour sonority towards a personal Pacific identity. He has been mentored by Chinary Ung and studied composition with Ross Edwards, David Blake and Jack Speirs. Crossman was awarded the Doctor of Creative Arts from Wollongong University, Master of Philosophy from York University, and Master of Music (Distinction) from Otago University. He holds the position of Associate Professor, Music at Western Sydney University.

His music explores Asian-Pacific influences such as Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Filipino traditional musics with harmonic colour sonority emphasis in “Gentleness-Suddenness,” “Not Broken Bruised-Reed,” and “Double Resonances.” Crossman’s aesthetic is influenced by cross-disciplinary ideas from Chinese esthetics, Japanese aesthetics and architecture, Filipino-Australian poetry, abstract art, and calligraphy.

Crossman’s music has been described as “fine…with delicately nuanced sounds, fragile timbres and unforgiving rhythmic complexity” (Sydney Morning Herald), “aesthetic—space, clarity, action and reaction—and language, one that incorporates aspects of Asian music” (Realtime: Partial Durations), “Restless energy bordering on ecstasy” (ABC Classic FM Radio), and “a genuine and deep understanding [of Chinese culture]” (The Music Trust).

Crossman’s music has been featured throughout the Asia-Pacific region including at the ISCM World New Music Days (Australia), Tongyeong International Music Festival (Korea), Asian Music Week (Japan), Asian Composers League Conference and Festival (Taiwan), Tunugan (Philippines) and Pacific Rim Music Festival (USA). He has won a number of awards including the Queensland Philharmonic’s Corbould Prize, Finalist Nomination for “Vocal or Choral Work of the Year” at the Australian Classical Music Awards, and a Australia-Japan Foundation grant for a Collaborator Residency at Aichi University of the Arts, Japan.

Wirripang have released discs of his music including, Double Resonances and Resophonica. Wirripang and the Australian Music Centre publish his scores.