User:NickFakeman/Rae Howell

Rae Howell is an Australian composer and multi-instrumentalist born in 1979. A graduate of The University of Melbourne Conservatorium, Howell is Artistic Director of the Sunwrae Ensemble, a Melbourne based chamber music group which performs her original works. Her compositions have included works for piano, vibraphone, string quartet, harp, clarinets, alto flute, lap-steel, guitar, double bass, drums and percussion.

Howell composes in a minimalist style, with influences including world music, classical music and jazz. Her compositions feature poly-rhythms, diverse instrumental textures and improvisational elements. She also composes for, and performs in, theatre, dance, film and mixed-media projects, and has performed as a guest artist with a range of artists.

Howell has had several international artist residencies. She has been a Musician in Residence at The Banff Centre in Alberta Canada (2006), The Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida USA (2006) and the ARENA International Theatre Festival in Erlangen, Germany (2002). In 2009 she was awarded a UNESCO Aschberg Bursary to attend The Instituto Sacatar in Brazil. In 2010 she was in residence at the Visby International Centre for Composers in Sweden. She has worked with jazz musician/composer and Blue Note Records Artist Sam Rivers (USA), Royal Society of Arts Fellow and composer/percussionist Eugene Skeef (Sth Africa/UK), The Song Company (Sydney), The Indra Quartet (Sweden), The Biber Quartet (Denmark) and currently works with electronic recording engineer Jon Cohrs (NY, USA).

Howell created the Sunwrae Ensemble in 2001 as a vehicle for her compositions and from 2003 - 2007 produced the Eavesdropping Concert and Art Exhibition series as a performance vehicle for Sunwrae.

Howell's album releases include Never Stops to Wait (2005), several Live CDs & DVDs from the Eavesdropping Concert & Art Exhibition Series (2003-2007), Autumn Never Fall (2009) and Live at The Thornbury Theatre (2010).

Festival appearances include Brisbane Festival (QLD), Apollo Bay Festival, Bright Spring Festival (VIC), SxSW Festival (Austin TX, USA) and Golden Plains Festival (VIC). Her performances have been broadcast live nationally on ABC Classic FM’s Sunday Live and ABC TV’s Sunday Arts. Her Sunwrae Ensemble performs regularly in Australia, including an annual tour entitled 'eavesdropping'. In 2007 and 2008 they performed at the Famous Spiegeltent in Melbourne.