Howard Penny

The Real Language of Music: a practice guide to musical rhetoric; bass lines rule!

An introduction to elements of musical language common to all periods, as well as the limitations but also possible understandings of notation. The presentation includes a practical demonstration of exploring melodic/rhythmic/harmonic devices, and the power of a living bass line, using a simple continuo sonata.

About AUSTA Patron Howard Penny

Howard Penny was born in Canberra and after studies with Nelson Cooke moved to Vienna, studying with Tobias Kühne, Andre Navarra, Boris Pergamenshikov and William Pleeth.

After successes in the ABC Young Performers Awards and the Prague International cello competition, his concerto performances have included concerts at the Sydney Opera House, Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Berlin Schauspielhaus, Suntory Hall Tokyo and Casals Festival Prades. A regular Principal Cello with Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, Vienna Radio Orchestra and Australian World Orchestra, he is a long-standing member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, working with the world’s leading conductors and soloists, participating in over 100 CD and DVD recordings. As a chamber musician he has appeared in Wigmore Hall, Salzburg Festival, Lucerne Festival, Beethoven Festival Bonn and KREMERata Lockenhaus.

A regular guest with Concentus Musicus (Harnoncourt) and Lecturer in Performance Practice at the University Mozarteum Salzburg for ten years, he was musical co-director of two Mozart operas for the extraordinary 2006 Salzburg Festival complete cycle. His numerous CD recordings include works for solo cello, a live recording of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto from the Vienna Konzerthaus, major works for piano trio with the Beethoven Trio Vienna, first recordings of Boccherini quintets and sextets, and many other chamber works. Howard frequently directs from the cello – from chamber orchestra works of all periods to Schumann symphonies, and operas – and is a regular guest at all major Australian chamber music festivals, running his own Sanguine Estate Music Festival and Bendigo Chamber Music Festival each year. He also works closely with Australian Youth Orchestra in various projects.

Since 2007 Howard has been a member of the Resident Faculty of the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, where he is now Head of Strings.