Jon Fitzgerald
Composer and guitarist
What is your musical background?
I started playing guitar at age nine, and in my teenage years I enjoyed composing songs. After finishing a BA at Queensland University, I studied harmony and counterpoint with John Nickson and then went on to complete a Bachelor of Music. In 1983 I became guitar lecturer at Northern Rivers CAE. I performed widely in Australia and composed a lot of music for the guitar – both as a solo and ensemble instrument, recording many compositions with the ABC.
In the early 1990s I spent time in the USA doing research for my PhD on the development of popular songwriting. I became head of the contemporary music program at Southern Cross University in 2003, publishing journal articles and book chapters on popular musicology, as well as a music theory textbook. My composing and performing activities were re-invigorated with the formation of acoustic-electric guitar trio d’volv (with Jim Kelly and Peter Martin) in 1999. The group released two CDs and toured in Australia and Asia. I began composing production/library music in the early 2000s and I continue to write and record music for this area. I re-engaged with choral composition relatively recently, as I really like communal aspect of choral music. It’s a lot of fun composing music for school and community choirs.
What is your advice to singers performing your works?
Relax and have fun! Think about the feeling and emotion of the music and try to express that. Once you know your part, listen closely to the other singers and aim to make your voice blend into the overall sound.
Songs by Jon:
Whistlin’ the Dog SSA with whistling or recorder
Whistlin’ the Dog SA with whistling or recorder
What are your favourite pieces you’ve composed?
One piece really stands out to me. I recorded ‘Hemlock’ – a simple Irish-influenced composition – at Sony Studios in Sydney with my guitar trio d’volv for our first, self-titled album in 2000. The end of the piece has a repeated ‘outro’ section with an improvised melody over some simple chord changes. It was a magical studio moment: the group locked into the groove and Jim Kelly improvised beautifully. We just kept on playing for a long time, enjoying the pure pleasure of making music. For the album release we faded the improvised section to end the piece, but I remember it felt like it could have gone on forever. I think there’s a sense of that when you hear the track.