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The Australian harpsichordist, composer, arranger and music pedagogue, Winsome Joan Evans, graduated from Sydney University with a Bachelor of Music Honors Degree in composition, where her lecturers included Peter Sculthorpe.
After postgraduate studies, and several years teaching music in a secondary school, Winsome Evans took up a position as tutor, then senior lecturer, and Associate Professor, in the Music Department at Sydney University (until 2017). A wide range of musical interests from mediaeval to modern music (both Western and non-Western) have led to a strong intellectual and practical involvement with musical styles.
Besides being one of Australia’s busiest professional harpsichordists, Winsome Evans also plays about 25 other wind, string, percussion and keyboard instruments. In 1966/1967 she founded The Renaissance Players, a unique ensemble of musicians plus poetry reader, clown and dancers, to perform mediaeval, Renaissance, Baroque and folk music. This professional early music group have performed all over Australia and South East Asia, and has released a number of CD's, including "The Sephardic Experience" and "Testament: Archangels' Banquet/Shepherds' Delight".
In 1975, with co-founder Robert Miller, Winsome Evans helped established Sydney Baroque, a group of professional musicians who specialize in playing Baroque instruments; in 1984 to this was added another group, directed and organized by Winsome Evans, called the Baroque Guild. Other groups with whom she has been associated include the Sinfonia of Sydney, Leonine Consort, Song Company, Australian Ensemble, Sydney Philharmonia Choir, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Don-Burrows-George Golla Jazz Duo and Quintet. From its inception until 1989 (approximately 14 years) she was also the regular harpsichord soloist and continuo player for the Australian Chamber Orchestra with whom she toured Australia (including Tasmania), and New Zealand many times. In addition to the harpsichord Evans plays some 30 other musical instruments.
Winsome Evans has composed and arranged music for many A.B.C. radio feature programs (including the theme music for the ever-popular Watership Down), for TV documentaries, films, as well as for the Renaissance Players’ Christmas Pudding Concerts. Her interests as both a scholar and performer span many musical styles from the mediæval to the modern. In addition to over 20 LP's and CD's previously released, she currently has a further 9 CD's and a 150-page edition completed and awaiting international release by Celestial Harmonies. She has "re-composed" all of J.S. Bach's works for solo violin as works for clavicembalo, adding accompaniments as she believes J.S. Bach must have had in mind. Her recording of her recomposition of the 6 Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin BWV 1001-1006 was released in 2008; and her recording of her recompostion of the 6 Suites for solo cello BWV 1007-1012 and the Partita for solo flute BWV 1013 in 2016. She has also releaed recently two CD's of the 14th century Llibre Vermell and two CD's of 13th century Spanish Cantigas de Santa Maria.
At Sydney University, besides teaching aspects of composition and music history, including historical performance practice, to generations of students, Winsome Evans was actively involved with all sorts of musical events, as an organizer, promoter, director, as well as a performer.
In 1980 Winsome Evans was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s Honours List and the NSW Jaycees’ Award for services to music. In 1985 (or 1986) she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OEM) for services to music. She was featured, along with her colleague Australian composer and music professor Anne Boyd, in the documentary Facing the Music (2001). She uses the name Snave Pluckpayres in some contexts. |
