Henderson, Moya

Moya Henderson

Biography

Born: August 02, 1941

Country: Australia

Studies: University of Queenland (1972), Cologne Musikhochschule

Teachers: Mauricio Kagel, Karlheinz Stockhausen

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Moya Henderson is a distinctive and impressive Australian composer whose work is motivated by a concern with society's myths and cultures. Her clear vision, prophetic spirit and idiosyncratic musical style stand out in the Australian musical world.

Moya was born in Quirindi, NSW in 1941 and studied piano and singing as a child. She entered the Sacre-Coeur Order for a period, embarking on a career in composition on leaving the order in 1972. She has a BMus(Hons) from the University of Queensland, studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen and Mauricio Kagel in Germany.

She has had numerous residencies and won various awards, including the OAM in 1996. She has had commissions for Musica Viva, the Seymour Group, Sydney Opera Trust and Perihelion.

Moya is the inventor of the Alemba percussion instruments.

She has made a number of imaginative and striking works especially for the radio medium, and these have been broadcast in Germany and in The Listening Room on ABC Classic FM. One with considerable impact was "Meditations and Distractions on the Theme of the Singing Nun."

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Alemba Article

Works for Percussion

Alanbiq (Sextet) - Percussion Sextet
Alanbiq (Quartet) - Percussion Quartet; Alembas
Sekko for its water - Multiple Percussion