In 2020, Austin joined the 'Aulos Revival' as initiated by scholars from Oxford and Cambridge University. His collaboration with Barnaby Brown produced new perspectives and culturally-responsive pedagogical resources for this historical instrument, known as the instrument of Greek tragedy (~500 BCE).
After months of practice-based artistic research, they presented five types of vibrato and a new technique that they coined ‘timbral transition’. This technique led to a new hypothesis for the birth of ancient Greek musical notation. Joint articles are forthcoming to assist fellow teachers, composers, and performers in the revival. The new 'timbral transition' technique that Austin developed is featured in his scores for the opera, and presented by Berlin Atonal.
Austin was also invited by the Centre for Classical and Near Eastern Studies of Australia to talk about the intersections of this research with spectral music composition. There is no tragedy without the aulos, and his work shows not only how this historical instrument is meant to sound, but also how it resonates with contemporary musical contexts.
Omelas is Austin Oting Har’s electronic music project, originating in 2008 and growing in collaboration with Berlin Atonal since 2015.
In 2018, Austin was invited by MONA (the Museum of Old and New Art) to perform as Omelas at Dark Mofo in Tasmania. He performed on the MAC02 main stage in Berlin Atonal’s lineup for their curated program, ‘Laterne’. His work was also featured in a commercial for Hobart Airport, first released by Possible Futures in 2017 on his debut EP, ‘Wormhole / Dionysus’.
Stream the EP here, then visit the Omelas page on this website for more, including a music video of an early pop song, and links to contributing artists' sites to follow their work.
Austin’s work is made possible by funding bodies including the NSW Government, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and Berlin Atonal.
Poetry
2022, Haiku in Action, Nick Virgilio Haiku Association, USA
Research2022, two forthcoming articles with Barnaby Brown entitled ‘Composing for Aulos' and ‘Visualizing Vibrato’ 2021, 'The Ghost: Opera – An Intersection of Greek Tragedy, Electroacoustic, and Spectral Music', Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney, Sydney Digital Theses 2020, (Edited) Isobel Savulescu, 'How does Robert Glasper and Miles Davis’ Album Everything’s Beautiful (2016) Move the Legacy of Jazz Rap Forward?' The University of Sydney: Sydney Undergraduate Journal of Musicology 2019, ‘Music as a Discourse’ / ‘Music as a State of Sound’: An Interpretation of Gérard Grisey’s Conceptual Framework for Spectral Musical Composition, The University of Melbourne, Context: Journal of Music Research
Pedagogy2020, HSC English Advanced Module C: 'The Craft of Writing', Achievers Academy Publications: HSC Achiever’s Study Notes Book Sample
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In 2018, Austin scored and performed the music for ‘Solace’ by the director Joe Chan. Starring Gabrielle Chan and Ai Diem Le, the short film is set in Vietnam and features dialogue in Cantonese.
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After repeat cancellations of the commissioned site-specific premiere of Austin’s opera in Kraftwerk Berlin in 2020 and 2021, they filmed a performance video of one scene between the Australian lockdowns of 2021 – the only scene that does not feature the Ancient Greek instrumentalists, who are both based in the UK. The multimedia production features custom-built technology alongside an ensemble of electronic, traditional Chinese, and classically-trained Western instrumentalists and opera vocalists. Below is a sneak peek.
Austin began composing for contemporary theater in 2011, growing out of his work as a violinist in musicals directed by Isaac Hayward. He collaborated with the choreographer and dancer Emiline Forster in two productions, scoring and producing the music for ‘Good Evening Apocalypse’ at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists and ‘Robosapien’ at the ‘Dance Meets Music series’ at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Within the experimental theater world, he also played violin at MUCHTE, a festival of contemporary art held in rural Australia.
In 2013, Austin composed and performed for the bilingual Cantonese and English play ‘Life’s A Stage’ directed by Joe Chan, marking his first foray into traditional theater. It was produced by Australasian Arts and Stageworks and starred Jemwel Danao, Gabrielle Chan, Daphne Lowe-Kelley, and Michael Quan.
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Price: scores and parts by negotiation, excluding ‘The Devil’s Merry-Go-Round’ (published in the ‘Carillon Society of Australia’ anthology) and those marked not for sale.
Opera and Theatre
‘Act I: Invocation – The Ghost Trilogy’ (2021) One Act opera, 1 hour and 15 minutes of music. Libretto in Ancient Greek (Doric and Attic) and invented words with Semitic sounds drawn from the mythological universe of the story written by Austin. The invented words were created with the assistance of Grant Kynaston. The ancient Greek translations were done with the assistance of Grant Kynaston and Rick Benitez. Soprano Solo / Chorus of Baritones / Pydna Aulos (~400 BCE) / Rustic Auloi / Cithara / Koile Flute / Guzheng / Clarinet in Bb / Violin / Cello / 23 Electronic Instruments controlled via custom Ableton Live Push 2 set-up. Commissioned by the NSW Government and Berlin Atonal. Premiere originally scheduled for Berlin Atonal 2020 in Kraftwerk Berlin – the ex-power plant of former East Berlin. Rescheduled for ‘The Long Now’ at the Berliner Festspiele 2021 then COVID-cancelled again. A premiere in Kraftwerk Berlin remains planned for. Not for sale.
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‘Life’s A Stage’ (2013) 15 minutes of incidental music for play. Credited as composer, violinist, erhu player, and actor. Subject: Hong Kong opera star. Bilingual Cantonese and English production by Australasian Art and Stageworks. Performances at Zenith Theatre, Chatswood. Written by Joe Chan. Directed by Harry Tseng. Produced by Anelia Bozinovska. Starring Jemwel Danao, Gabrielle Chan, and Daphne Lowe-Kelley. Not for sale.
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Orchestral Works
‘Battle Monologue’ (2011), overture 3’ Chorus S.A.T.B. 1.2.2.1.3.1.1- 2.1.1-2.4.2.1.1.-4 perc, -6.6.4.4.2. Commissioned by Christopher Bearman OAM for Symphony Central Coast and the Central Coast Philharmonia Choir. Winning work of the 2011 Central Coast Conservatorium of Music ‘Young Composer Award’ for Orchestral Composition. Sample
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Ensemble Works
‘Confessions of an Obsessive Neurotic’ (2010), 6’30” Piano, oboe, alto saxophone, acoustic guitar (amplified), violin, viola, and cello. Subject: Sigmund Freud’s case study of his patient called ‘The Ratman’. Finalist in the 2010 Student Composer Prize, Sydney Conservatorium of Music 101. Sample
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‘The Butterfly Dream’ (2013), 7’30” Dizi, Flute, Erhu, Violin, and Guzheng. Subject: Zhuang Zhou. Not for sale.
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Solo Instrumental
‘The Myth of Òrron and Òros’ (2020), 7’ Pydna Aulos (H-1, L-1) Commissioned by the NSW Government. Composed for Barnaby Brown. Not for sale.
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‘The Devil’s Merry Go Round’ (2011), 5’30” Carillon (54-57 bells). Commissioned by the Carillon Society of Australia. Premiered on the ‘National Carillon’ in Canberra. Performances ongoing and also as a pedagogical resource at the University of Sydney on their ‘War Memorial Carillon’. Sample
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Electronic Works
‘Wormhole’ (2018), 7’ N.B.: the original arrangement has since been updated for the opera. Commissioned by MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art) for live premiere at Dark Mofo X Berlin Atonal ‘Laterne’, MAC02 main stage. Not for sale.
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‘Dionysus’ (2018), 7’ N.B.: the original arrangement has since been updated for the opera. Commissioned by MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art) for live premiere at Dark Mofo X Berlin Atonal ‘Laterne’, MAC02 main stage. Not for sale.
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‘Eros’ (2018), 7’ N.B.: the original arrangement has since been updated for the opera. Commissioned by MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art) for live premiere at Dark Mofo X Berlin Atonal ‘Laterne’, MAC02 main stage. Not for sale.
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‘Ataraxia’ (2018), 7’ N.B.: the original arrangement has since been updated for the opera. Commissioned by MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art) for live premiere at Dark Mofo X Berlin Atonal ‘Laterne’, MAC02 main stage. Not for sale.
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‘Spectral Synesthesia’ (2010) Synthesisers and drum-kit. Performed by Jordan Smith as part of the ‘Polarity’ programme in Recital Hall West, Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Sample
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Contemporary Dance
‘Apocalypse’ (2013), 12’30” Synthesisers and drum-kit. Commissioned by PACT Centre for Emerging Artists. Choreographed and performed by Emiline Forster in the black box theatre. Not for sale.
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‘Robosapien’ (2012), 9’ Synthesisers and drum-kit. Collaboration with youMove dance company and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as part of the ‘2012 Dance Meets Music Series’. Choreographed and performed by Emiline Forster in the Music Workshop. Not for sale.
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Children’s Music
‘Pinto’s Adventure’ (2012), 45’ 10 pieces for voice, guitar, synthesisers, and drum-kit. Composed and produced in collaboration with Lachlan Wilson. Genre: bildungsroman. Not for sale.
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2021, DMA in Composition and Music Technology, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Sydney 2016, MSc in Ancient Philosophy (with Merit), the University of Edinburgh 2014, MMus in Music Technology Innovation (Summa Cum Laude), Berklee College of Music 2013, BMusicStudies in Composition, Sydney Conservatorium of Music 2013, BA in Philosophy, the University of Sydney
2020, Sydney Moss Scholarship, Sydney Conservatorium of Music 2017-2020, Research Training Program, Australian Government 2018, Postgraduate Research Support Scheme, Sydney University 2017, Eleanor Dunn Equity Scholarship, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
2020, Create NSW Arts and Cultural Fund, NSW Government 2019, Create NSW Small Projects Grant, NSW Government
2022, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Nebraska, USA 2013, PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, Sydney, AUS
2021, 'The Ghost Trilogy: Act I - Invocation' (90:00), The Long Now at MaerzMusik, Berliner Festspiele, Berlin, Germany 2020, 'The Ghost Trilogy: Act I - Invocation' (90:00), Berlin Atonal, Berlin, Germany 2018, 'Omelas' (30:00), MONA Dark Mofo festival, Hobart, AUS
2021, Multimedia production with the ‘Mind at Work’ light sculpture, created by Oliver Bown and Kurt Mikolajczyk, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney, AUS 2017, Electroacoustic piece for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music postgraduate exhibition, City Recital Hall, Sydney, AUS 2014, Sound installation for the Berklee College of Music postgraduate exhibition, City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia, Spain
Poetry 2022, Haiku in Action, Nick Virgilio Haiku Association, USA Research 2022, two forthcoming articles with Barnaby Brown entitled ‘Composing for Aulos' and ‘Visualizing Vibrato’ 2021, 'The Ghost: Opera – An Intersection of Greek Tragedy, Electroacoustic, and Spectral Music', Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney, Sydney Digital Theses 2020, (Edited) Isobel Savulescu, 'How does Robert Glasper and Miles Davis’ Album Everything’s Beautiful (2016) Move the Legacy of Jazz Rap Forward?' The University of Sydney: Sydney Undergraduate Journal of Musicology 2019, 'Music as a Discourse’ / ‘Music as a State of Sound’: An Interpretation of Gérard Grisey’s Conceptual Framework for Spectral Musical Composition, The University of Melbourne, Context: Journal of Music Research Pedagogy/Book 2020, HSC English Advanced Module C: 'The Craft of Writing', Achievers Academy Publications: HSC Achiever’s Study Notes
2022, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, UK, and Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland (via Barnaby Brown’s presentation of the forthcoming article 'Composing for Aulos') 2020, ‘Classics and Ancient History Research Seminar Series’, the Centre for Classical and Near Eastern Studies of Australia, School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, Sydney, AUS 2018, ‘Postgraduate Music Research Conference: Compositional Process and Techniques’, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Heinze Room, Melbourne, AUS 2017, ‘Best Practice in Artistic Research in Music Symposium’, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Main Foyer, Sydney, AUS
2013, Finalist, APRA Professional Development Award 2011, Young Composer Award, for 'Battle Monologue' (3:00), premiered by Symphony Central Coast and the Central Coast Philharmonia Choir, conducted by Christopher Bearman OAM 2011, 3rd Place for 'The Devil's Merry-Go-Round' (5:30), the Carillon Society of Australia Composition Contest, performed on the National Carillon in Canberra and the University of Sydney War Memorial Carillon 2010, Finalist in the Student Composer Prize, Sydney Conservatorium of Music 101, for 'Confessions of an Obsessive Neurotic' (6:30), piano, oboe, alto saxophone, acoustic guitar (amplified), violin, viola, and cello
Austin Oting Har is a composer, sound designer, and librettist who engages creatively with technology and philosophy. His work utilizes ancient languages, concepts, and instruments, digital sound design and creative coding, bridging the experimental electronic and contemporary classical music worlds. The manipulation of timbral and microtonal material from these worlds, with attention to the transition and interplay between semantic and organic structures, lies at the heart of his idiosyncratic ‘spectral attitude’. Born in Australia, Austin first played violin in orchestras, then studied composition, music technology, and philosophy, creating a variety of music before moving to Hollywood to work as a project coordinator. He holds a DMA in Composition and Music Technology from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, MMus in Music Technology Innovation from Berklee College of Music, and MSc in Ancient Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh. His debut opera showcases the historical sound of Aeschylean tragedy within a contemporary atmosphere, performed by the aulete Barnaby Brown and a Chorus in Attic and Doric Greek.
Austin Oting Har is a composer, sound designer, and librettist who engages creatively with technology and philosophy. His work utilizes ancient languages, concepts, and instruments, digital sound design and creative coding, bridging the experimental electronic and contemporary classical music worlds with sensitivity to the finest nuances of timbre, stress, and microtonality. His debut opera showcases the historical sound of Aeschylean tragedy within a contemporary atmosphere, performed by the leading aulete Barnaby Brown and a Chorus in Attic and Doric Greek.
Growing up in a small township in northeast NSW, Australia, Austin began making music in his mid-teens after his first trip to Hong Kong, during which he asked his parents what they listened to as teenagers. Upon hearing their Beatles tape collection, and inquiring about what the locals were listening to (Jay Chou), he began making pop, rock, electronic, and orchestral music on Sibelius and Pro Tools. By then, he had completed the AMEB grades in classical violin performance and musicianship but not considered music as a vocation. Whilst composing, he began playing violin in youth orchestras and ensembles at the Central Coast Conservatorium of Music, Gosford High school, and in the orchestra pit at Laycock Street Theatre in musicals directed by Isaac Hayward. He also completed the HSC Distinction Course in Philosophy at the University of New England during this time. The balance of music and philosophy took him out of his shell and became the foundation for experiencing eudaimonia as an ongoing activity.
In 2010, he moved to Sydney to work as a waiter and cinema staff and start bachelor’s degrees in composition and philosophy at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the University of Sydney. Dividing his time equally between the two campuses, he performed as a singer-songwriter and violinist around Sydney whilst composing concert music that was informed by what he was writing for essays on metaphysics, moral psychology, and psychoanalysis. He received awards and nominations for his orchestral, ensemble, and solo instrumental compositions, and collaborated with the choreographer Emiline Forster and director Joe Chan for theater productions at PACT Center for Emerging Artists and Australasian Arts and Stageworks. After placing 3rd in the Carillon Society of Australia composition contest, hearing performances of his work on the National Carillon in Canberra and the University of Sydney War Memorial Carillon and exploring traditional Chinese music, including learning the erhu, he developed an interest in composing for rare and traditional instruments. At the Conservatorium, his supervisor Paul Stanhope advised him to pursue the 20th century art music movement ‘spectral music’ after reviewing his electronic composition ‘Spectral Synesthesia’, something he would do 10 years later during his doctoral work. Composing this electronic spectral piece, alongside his exploration of rare and traditional instruments, would spark Austin’s lifelong interest in digital sound design for synthesizers and percussion informed by his sensitivity to the finest nuances of timbre, stress, and microtonal pitch material after completing the 8 AMEB grades in classical violin performance.
Austin moved to Valencia, Spain in 2013 to begin a Master’s degree in music technology innovation at Berklee College of Music where he studied with Ben Houge and worked as a graduate assistant in the music technology lab. Prior to moving, he was also accepted to the Master’s degree in philosophy at the University of Sydney to study bioethics. At Berklee, he developed a working prototype for an iOS application for audio to MIDI conversion using the Objective C, MAX MSP, and Pure Data programming languages. He graduated summa cum laude in 2014, then relocated to Hollywood to work as a project coordinator for the production studio Smash Haus Music Group. He managed a variety of composers and producers of pop, rock, hip hop, and orchestral music for clients in film, radio, and education, overseeing the delivery of hundreds of files per week. A highlight for him was recording an interview with Verdine White, the bass guitarist of Earth, Wind and Fire, one of his favorite bands. On weekends, he played violin in rock bands whilst maintaining his keen interest in composition and sound design, composing for short films and creating experimental electronic music.
In 2015, Austin left Hollywood after being invited to Berlin Atonal as a VIP guest. In restoring his balance of music and philosophy, he undertook a Master’s degree in ancient philosophy at the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of Inna Kupreeva, graduating with merit with a dissertation on Plato’s ontology whilst working on his debut EP. The fallout from surgery derailed its completion and his pre-doctoral research at Leuven University, causing burnout and his return to Australia.
Austin was welcomed back to his alma maters in 2017 to undertake a Doctor of Musical Arts; funded by the Australian Government, he divided his time equally again between the two campuses whilst tutoring HSC English. After one year composing a concerto and writing a novel, Michael Smetanin advised him to redirect his inspiration into an opera, then later became his composition supervisor. At the Conservatorium, he composed, researched, and taught; at the University, he took Ancient Greek classes for two years before starting the translation process for his libretto, first written by himself in English, into the poetic style of Attic tragedy with the help of Grant Kynaston. Outside of academia, he performed as Omelas at the Dark Mofo Festival in Tasmania as part of the Berlin Atonal curated program ‘Laterne’. Following this appearance, his music received remixes by the veteran experimental electronic artists Container and Jan Jelinek from the US and Germany. His research on experimental electronic and spectral music was published in ‘Context: Journal of Music Research’ by the University of Melbourne, and through his ancient philosophy supervisor, Rick Benitez, he became involved in the Aulos Revival initiated by scholars from Oxford and Cambridge University, resulting in his fruitful collaboration with the leading aulete and ethnomusicologist, Barnaby Brown. With Barnaby, Austin pioneered new techniques for the Pydna Aulos, a professional aulos from Classical antiquity reconstructed from finds inside the grave of an aulete that archeologists dated to ~500 BCE, and produced their first score notations that required the use of Ancient Greek music symbols. He was conferred the doctorate in 2021.
In recent years, Austin has received commissions from the ‘Long Now’ (the closing event of MaezrMusik), Berlin Atonal, the Sydney Moss Scholarship, and the Create NSW Arts and Cultural Fund. In 2022, he was awarded a residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for Arts in Nebraska, USA to work on an alternate presentation for the opera after repeated cancellations of its site-specific premiere in Kraftwerk Berlin.
He currently divides his time between Australia and the USA.
