Tom wins again in Qld Score It competition

(posted 26.07.11)

When Tom Quirk was just 12 years old, he was dubbed one of the state’s best junior composers after taking top honours in the Score It competition.

Two years later, Tom, who turns 15 next month, has again showcased his composing talents, winning the Junior Section of the 2011 Score It awards.

The Score It competition throws down the gauntlet to young Queensland composers between the ages of 12 – 18 to create a unique and original composition to accompany a scoreless short film.

As a competition winner, Tom, a Matthew Flinders Anglican College Year 10 student, will again be linked with established composers and offered work experience at Brisbane post-production house, Cutting Edge.

Teamed with world-class editors, animators, visual effects artists and sound designers, Cutting Edge uses visual effects, broadcast design, 2D and 3D animation right through to sound design. The company was involved in the production of the Baz Luhrmann epic, Australia.

Tom will head down to Brisbane this Tuesday, July 26, for his workshop. “They design and create the sound for television commercials. So basically what they focus on is the mixing and mastering of sound … making the actual sound of the project sound as best as it can, on all types of listening devices, so it is really interesting.”

Queensland Music Festival artistic director Deborah Conway says, “the growth of creative industries and new technologies has expanded career opportunities for young composers. This competition encourages and rewards that growth.”

Tom used Logic Pro, a computer music software program used by top music production professionals all over the world, to create a score for Miracle Weaver, an eerily moving animated short film.

The score can involve classical orchestration, electronic samples, sound effects, or any other manifestation or combination of music/sound desired.

Tom recorded his entry in real time with his keyboard in Logic Pro, using an array of orchestral and ethnic instruments. “It was a lot of fun, and a huge learning curve,” said Tom.

Tom, who plays the saxophone and is in the Wind Symphony, thoroughly enjoys his music studies and one day would like to compose music for major films.

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Listen to Tom's winning entry