I’m currently in the thick of organising a concert tour of England in late 2012 and with plans to visit the East-coast of Australia in early 2013.

Some more exciting news is that my old friend and long-time duet partner, Dora Maria (violin) and I are set to record our first duo album! It will feature a host of my most recent original works for violin and guitar plus selected traditional works from the British Isles.

I shall look forward to the day that I walk into a shop and see my album for sale. Actually, I hope I walk in and see that they’ve sold out!

On the topic of my album: at the beginning of the year I sold out of all of my copies of the CD! This was a fantastic achievement for me. However, it also meant that I had to have more copies manufactured. I took the opportunity to make some slight adjustments to the album artwork and I even decided to finish the package off with a beaut 12-page booklet that goes into a lot of detail about each of the pieces and has extra photos etc.

Additionally, I really hope to get started on my second album. This will be a big project featuring the talents of many musicians from pianists to cellists, singers to violinists. The album will most likely be made up of solely original works. I’m so looking forward to bringing even more of my music to you and I’m particularly excited to bring you some of my newly–composed love songs. Watch this space!

“This is a very interesting title produced by an Australian guitarist-composer who has independently realized a sheet music publication with works that he has either composed or arranged… It’s a great pleasure to see a classical guitar publication coming from that far continent… It is a very nicely illustrated, clear, and well-organized edition… This is a very enjoyable collection with a wide range of different pieces, presented in a traditional way that can easily amuse not just the listeners but also the performers… It is obvious that the author is familiar with writing for a variety of instruments and ensembles, as well as having a very solid understanding about the guitar and its sound possibilities… I hope that this publication’s success will not be only local.”

About a fortnight ago I held a concert which officially released my debut album. It was a mammoth undertaking though. I started planning for the event at least 4 months beforehand. I started to jot down all my thoughts and ideas into a little notebook. I noted all the things that I felt needed to be done for it and as I completed each task I ticked them off so that I knew what I had already done and what still needed to be seen to.

I co-ordinated the whole project independently. I was not only the performer, but the musical director, the publicist, the concert promoter, the everything! Of course, I had a whole heap of friends who so generously offer to help, so I was able to delegate tasks, particularly on the night of the launch, to ensure the smooth running of the event.

To my delight the event attracted a capacity at the charming Camelot Theatre. The night went ahead without any glitches and I think the audience really had themselves a good night – enjoying wonderful music, a theatrical performance and enjoying cool refreshments from the bar all the while.

Below are some comments from friends and happy concert-goers:

“Hi Duncan, The CD launch was brilliant & so beautifully done. You are all such talented musicians . Best Wishes for the future to you all.”

“We loved the concert! and I have been playing the CD over and over ever since. Just LOVE it!”

“It was absolutely wonderful Duncan, and I thought the theatre was the perfect setting for it! Have your cd on repeat in my car”

“We were so pleased to be there!”

“You were awesome Duncan – you always are, of course!”

“Thanks for making such an awesome space, it was inspiring”

“Thank you for the most amazing Saturday night. I am so proud of you. You are an outstanding musician, and I love your compositions. Congratulations on a fabulous night!”

“You are officially my idol now! like I said on Saturday,”probably the best concert of the year!””

“Thank you for the sweet music this eve Duncan….. it was such pleasure to close my eyes and be transported away by your music….”

Below is the full citation:

“I must say that this is one of the very best CD’s of guitar music to ever come my way; such is the impression it has made on me. Also available is a wonderfully produced book of much of the music found on the CD consisting of a 71-page book of scores plus guitar parts and a separate pair of books with all the other parts in another 46 pages. (All Gardiner’s pieces, plus the Mertz and the Schubert are included); the cover of both CD and book are matching and have eye-catching artwork consisting of drawings by Megan Higgins that really enhance the overall presentation. They put many company-produced products to shame.

The composer talks of taking us on a journey through the various ideas in the pieces and I for one was there with him. I have returned to this CD more than most others just for the sheer pleasure of it. There are no highlights as there are no duff tracks either but of the Gardiner pieces, Ballad is an excellent composition whilst Aurora by Paul Svoboda and Richard Lenz is a fabulous duet that I would love to get hold of the score for (it’s not in the book, worst of luck!).

Many of the guitar pieces are multi-layered by Gardiner who plays an array of guitars but also various other items, too numerous to mention here. This is a startlingly good disc of great pieces and a fabulously produced book of much of its content.

Do yourself a favour; the music is very approachable and not too hard to play, so go and treat yourself to both of them.”

Classical Guitar magazine (August, 2010)

Gardiner’s album, Of Dreams and Fantasy, features a selection of fantastical music comprising of a host of his original works as well as music composed by his friends. The album also contains some 19th century gems arranged for guitar. Coupled with violin and atmospheric effects, Gardiner’s guitar creates soundscapes that carry emotion to the listener.

The CD was voted ‘CD of the Week’ in The West Australian and it was showcased on local radio station RTR FM. It currently receives frequent air-play on Australia’s most respected classical music station, ABC Classic FM.

The concert will feature live performances of highlights from the CD along with exciting new works. Duncan will be joined in the concert by fellow musicians performing on instruments such as violin, flute, bass, percussion, piano and vocals.

The launch will take place on August 21st with doors opening at 7:00PM. It will be held at the charming Camelot Theatre in Mosman Park. Tickets for the event are $15 and $10 concession. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 0402 305 409. The CD will be available for sale on the night for $20. The bar will be open for refreshments throughout the evening. For more information visit www.duncangardiner.com

Let the music take you on a journey that will engage your senses, your heart and your soul.

“Duncan Gardiner’s extraordinarily attractive music is not only a pleasure to listen to but a delight to play.”

“A delicate, serene and magical experience.”

“Magnificent. I was transported to another world for an hour.”

You can see the soundtrack on YouTube by clicking on this link:

The clip features the guitar version of the song, accompanied by original artworks, also by my cousin Megan.

Spider Jack

You’ll need a pinch of spiders first of all,

A blast of psychedelic music,

A dash of creativity,

A handful of black hair.

A few old fairytales,

Three cups of tea,

Half a bag of dreams,

A lullaby.

A good helping of cobwebs,

Eight stripy socks,

A dusty attic window

And a spoonful of moonlight.

Then you mix all the ingredients together and serve immediately with a little sprig of fresh parsley.

If our love…

If our love was a painting, what would our love look like?

If our love was a song, what would our love sound like?

If our love was a name, what would our love be called?

If our love was a journey, where would our love lead us?

If our love was a painting, would our painting be pretty?

If our love was a song, would our song be sweet?

If our love was a name, would our name be memorable?

If our love was a journey, would our journey lead us home?

We are responsible.

Let us make it so.

By Duncan Gardiner, 2010.

I sought specialist music training in my secondary schooling. I received formal classical music instruction and was introduced to a wide range of style of music-making in the many ensembles and groups I rehearsed and performed with, including choirs, string orchestras, guitar ensembles, concert (wind) bands, jazz bands and a recorder consort in addition to playing in symphony orchestras outside of school.

I became acquainted with some of the earlier music notation software programs, such as Encore, in my teens. Such music notation programs facilitated and encouraged me to explore composition further. I started making arrangements of pre-existing works for the ensembles that I rehearsed with at school and this led to writing many original compositions for guitar, and chamber groups involving violins and other string instruments.

Writing music became a favourite hobby of mine. I could even go on to say that I was obsessed with composition. Composition took more of an official role when I began tertiary music studies at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) where I found myself surrounded by composers. In fact, certain units within the course require that all students compose works in specific styles and/or genres. In the final year of my undergraduate degree, I took a composition elective and this is where my skills as a composer developed to the next level.

In the period between completing my undergraduate degree and commencing postgraduate studies, I focussed solely on the composition and performance of new works. My aesthetic as a musician is to express something honest to an audience, to communicate something personal, and to speak a language that I can clearly articulately. I’ve found, for the most part, that it’s only through the performance of original compositions that I can achieve and fulfil this aesthetic.

Since the year 2007, original compositions are made a feature of in almost every concert programme. Though it must be said, I am a product of the age in which I live. I was raised and trained in a musical environment where it is expected that a young musician will learn the great works of the masters, that a student will learn technique as expressed through studies and didactic works in the great methods of master instrumental technicians.

I do still perform the works of others, I do occasionally transcribe or arrange pre-existing works and I do delve into and practice the techniques devised by those who have come before me. I still organise my concerts into the moulds set by performers of the past. However, I feel as if my music is with the times. My music is a reflection of my life and therefore it is influenced by the past as well as being able to look towards the future. My compositions have always met a good reception. This inspires me to continue down a path that is scarcely trodden by the majority of mainstream performers of the classical guitar.

As long as I have a song in my heart I will continue to sing.