Mr Stephen Whittington

Senior Lecturer, Composition

Elder Conservatorium of Music and School of Performing Arts

College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities


My research includes non-traditional outputs - compositions, performances, public art works - as well as journal articles and book chapters. These stem from my broad musical interests in the performance of music (principally but not exclusively on the piano), modern and contemporary music, technology, and transcultural musical practices.

Date Position Institution name
1991 - ongoing Associate Director International and Head of Studies, Sonic Arts University of Adelaide

Year Citation
2024 Pitman, D., & Whittington, S. (2024). As Play Becomes Practice: Observations on Robust Gamified Education Elements in the New Normal. In H. Grimmet, A. Black, & A. Walker (Eds.), Ludic inquiries into power and pedagogy: How Games Play Us. Routledge.
2024 Pitman, D., & Whittington, S. (2024). As play becomes practice. In A. Walker, H. Grimmett, & A. L. Black (Eds.), Ludic Inquiries Into Power and Pedagogy in Higher Education (pp. 143-155). Routledge.
DOI
2022 Whittington, S. (2022). En creusant dans le jardin de John Cage. In M. Martella (Ed.), Jardins (Vol. 11, pp. 19-27). Verdelot, France: Les pommes sauvages.
2017 Whittington, S. C. (2017). ...from a thatched hut: Exploring transcultural composition. In X. Song, & Y. Sun (Eds.), Transcultural Encounters in Knowledge Production and Consumption (pp. 109-122). Singapore: Springer.
DOI
2006 Whittington, S. (2006). A world of rhythm. In L. Seear, & S. Raffel (Eds.), The 5th Asia-Pacific triennial of contemporary art (pp. 200-221). Queensland: Queensland Art Gallery.

Year Citation
2019 Fields, K. (2019). Live Network Music Performance. Poster session presented at the meeting of NowNet Arts Conference 2019. IACS, Stony Brook University New York.

Year Citation
2023 Whittington, S. (2023). A Far Different World (No. Of Pieces: 14'00") [Songs for tenor and piano]. Adelaide, South Australia: Stephen Whittington & Robert Macfarlane.
2020 Gelhert, B., Altmann, L., Grant, Q., Whittington, S., Polglase, J., & Chapman Smith, R. (2020). The Firm: Concert No.2 (No. Of Pieces: 2 hours) [Live recital]. Elder Conservatorium: Konstantin Shamray.
2020 Whittington, S. C. (2020). Through Glass, Darkly (No. Of Pieces: 70 minutes) [Solo piano works]. Elder Hall (Internet Livestream).
2018 Umiumare, Y., Wojciński, A., Kobayash, E., & Pascoe, D. (2018). One Word Prior to Speech 聲前一句 (No. Of Pieces: 40'00") [Performance]. Art Gallery of South Australia.
2013 Australian String Quartet. (2013). Fallacies of Hope (Barcarolle) (No. Of Pieces: 2 performances) [Performance]. South Australia and ACT, Australia.
2010 Whittington, S. (2010). European premiere: Nostalgia for the Southern Cross by Peter Garland (USA) (No. Of Pieces: 12 minutes) [Performance]. Salle de Concert CPMA, Annecy, France: Salle de Concert CPMA, Annecy, France.
2010 Whittington, S. (2010). World Premiere of Three Custom-made Valses by Stephen Whittington (Australia) (No. Of Pieces: 10 minutes) [Performance]. Salle de Concert CPMA, Annecy, France: Salle de Concert CPMA, Annecy, France.
2010 Whittington, S. (2010). World premiere: Vexation unvexed (A Revelation) by Philip Corner (USA/Italy) (No. Of Pieces: 10 minutes) [Performance]. Salle de Concert CPMA, Annecy, France: Salle de Concert CPMA, Annecy, France.
2010 Whittington, S. (2010). World premiere of Les heros du jour by Antoine Piel (No. Of Pieces: 7 minutes) [Performance]. Salle de Concert CPMA, Annecy, France.
2009 Whittington, S., Kussmaul, K., & Burkhardt, J. (2009). World premiere of 'Vexations:wir nennen es Arbeit', a multimedia performance based on 'Vexations' by Erik Satie (No. Of Pieces: 21 hours) [Performance]. Novomatic Forum, Karlsplatz, Vienna, Austria.
2008 Whittington, S., Pascoe, D., Martin, C., Harrald, L., Green, F., & Dixon, I. (2008). Strike : musical performance to accompany the silent movie by Sergei Eisenstein (No. Of Pieces: 81 mins.) [Musical performance with improvisation]. Adelaide, South Australia.
2008 Whittington, S. (2008). Triadic memories (No. Of Pieces: 1 hour 35 mins) [Performance]. Adelaide, South Australia.
2008 Harrald, L., Pascoe, D., Sutter, L., Tomczak, S., Whittington, S., De Nardi, K., . . . Tulloch, E. (2008). The imaginary menagerie (No. Of Pieces: 1 hour) [Performance]. Adelaide.
2006 Whittington, S. (2006). Interior Voice: Music and Rodin (No. Of Pieces: 5 mins) [Performance]. Adelaide, South Australia.
2003 Whittington, S., Cuddeford, J., & Tiver, G. (2003). A Satie Celebration (No. Of Pieces: 50 minutes) [Performance]. Elder Hall, Adelaide, South Australia.
2002 Whittington, S. (2002). The Piano in My Life (No. Of Pieces: 80 minutes) [Performance]. Festival at the Powerhouse, Brisbane.
2002 Whittington, S., & Cuddeford, J. (2002). Cage/Feldman (No. Of Pieces: 2 hours, 10 minutes) [Performance]. EMU Studio, Adelaide.

Year Citation
2024 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Mountains, Clouds, Streams. Description: N/A. Extent: 32 pages, 16 minutes.
2023 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Four Songs of Hafiz. Description: N/A. Extent: 14'00".
2022 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Custom-made Valses - Suite for piano after paintings Henri 'le douanier' Rouseau. Description: N/A. Extent: 20 pages, 15 minutes.
2022 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Midnight in Chinatown. Description: N/A. Extent: 4 minutes.
2022 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Gazing at the Moon While Drunk/ Journey of an Immortal. Description: N/A. Extent: 8 minutes.
2022 Authors: Whittington S. Title: 100,000 Subtle Kinds of Music. Description: N/A. Extent: 10 minutes.
2020 Authors: Whittington SC. Title: ...in a dream. Description: N/A. Extent: 15 pages, 10 minutes.
2020 Authors: Whittington SC. Title: Life Goes On. Description: N/A. Extent: 20'01", 60 performers.
2018 Authors: Whittington SC. Title: Written inside a hat. Description: N/A. Extent: 3m 15s; 5 pages.
2017 Authors: Whittington SC. Title: Shards (hommage à Kurtág). Description: N/A. Extent: 3'00".
2016 Authors: Whittington S. Title: À la manière de…M.R.. Description: N/A. Extent: Composition for piano, violin, violoncello, 29 pages, duration 10 minutes.
2015 Authors: Whittington SC. Title: Autumn Thoughts - Beijing. Description: N/A. Extent: 6 minutes, piano solo.
2015 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Three Persian Miniatures for clarinet, viola, and guitar. Description: N/A. Extent: 17 pages; duration: 10 minutes.
2015 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Hallett Cove - One Million Years. Description: N/A. Extent: Audio-visual installation. Duration: indefinite.
2015 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Autumn Thoughts - Beijing: for solo piano. Description: N/A. Extent: 6 pages; 5 minutes; solo piano.
2015 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Fetes galantes, or, Fake Gallants, being divers pieces inspired by the paintings of Mr. Watteau: for violin, harpsichord and two viole da gamba. Description: N/A. Extent: 10'00".
2014 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Homage to Frida Kahlo for string quartet. Description: N/A. Extent: 4'30".
2013 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Fallacies of Hope for piano quintet. Description: Composition. Extent: 9 minutes.
2012 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Sun at Midnight for violin and piano. Description: Composition for violin and piano: This work for violin and piano was commissioned by Ear-In for their concert series in December 2012. The work is based on research the composer carried out into the principles of Japanese garden design and their relationship to music, during a residency in Kyoto in May-July 2012. The garden that this work is specifically related to is at the Zen temple of Tenryu-ji. It was premiered by Natsuko Yoshimoto (violin) and Michael Kieran Harvey (piano), and subsequently broadcast on ABC Classic FM radio.. Extent: 10 minutes.
2012 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Karawane for voice and piano. Description: Composition for voice and piano. Extent: 90 seconds.
2012 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Acid Test for bassoon and piano. Description: Composition. Extent: 4 minutes.
2012 Authors: Whittington S. Title: One to Five for five performers. Description: N/A. Extent: 1 page.
2011 Authors: Whittington SC. Title: BACH - Passacaglia for piano. Description: N/A. Extent: 6'00".
2011 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Music for Airport Furniture. Description: Music for string quartet. Extent: 22 minutes.
2010 Authors: Whittington S. Title: ...from a thatched hut... for string quartet. Description: Extent : 46 pages, 26 minutes Premiered 1st August, 2010, Khai Liew Gallery, Magill Road, Adelaide, Australia. Performed by the Zephyr String Quartet Instruments : String quartet Broadcast on 4th August 2010 and 22nd September 2011 by Radio Adelaide and by ABC-TV on the 21st August 2010. Commissioned by Khai Liew. Extent: 46 pages, 26 minutes.
2010 Authors: Whittington SC. Title: Emak-Bakia - a score for the film by Man Ray. Description: N/A. Extent: 15'00".
2008 Authors: Whittington S, Harrald L. Title: Strike : musical score for the silent movie by Sergei Eisenstein. Description: Type of work : Musical score incorporating elements of improvisation Extent : 81 mins. Extent: 81 mins.
2007 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Nazaretheana. Description: Instruments: Flute and guitar Extent: 6 minutes This piece premiered as a performance in 2007 at Elder Hall, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia. Performed by Oliver Fartach-Naini on guitar and Thea Nielsen on flute. The composition was commissioned by the performers themselves.. Extent: 7 pages; 6 mins.
2007 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Made in Korea. Description: Instruments: 2 guitars Extent: 8 minutes This piece premiered in a performance on 20 April, 2007 at the Kumho Concert Hall, Seoul, South Korea. Performed by guitar duo Oliver Fartach-Naini and Lee Song-Ou. The composition was commissioned by the performers.. Extent: 6 pages; 8 mins.
2006 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Interior Voice. Description: Instruments: Solo Piano Extent: 5 minutes This piece was premiered in a performance on 24 September, 2006 at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Performed by Stephen Whittington. The composition was commissioned and funded by the Art Gallery of South Australia.. Extent: 5 pages; 5 mins.
2006 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Surreal Interlude. Description: Performed by Ensemble Offspring. Commissioned by the 53rd Sydney International Film Festival. This project examined historical performance practice of Erik Satie’s score for the film ‘Entr’acte’ (1925).. Extent: 1 hr 35 mins.
2005 Authors: Whittington SC. Title: Custom-made Valses for piano. Description: N/A. Extent: 11'00".
2004 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Le Tombeau de Satie. Description: Instruments: Solo piano Extent: 5 minutes This piece premiered as a performance in 2004 at Elder Hall, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia. Performed by Stephen Whittington.. Extent: 5 minutes.
2003 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Un chien andalou - film score. Description: Instruments: Solo piano Extent: 17 minutes This piece premiered in performance on 7 August, 2003 at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Performed by Stephen Whittington. The performance of this compostition was broadcast in August, 2006 on Radio National, Australia.. Extent: 14 pages; 17 mins.
2002 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Custom-made Valses. Description: Instruments: Piano and spoken word Extent: 10 minutes This piece premiered as a performance on 2 August, 2002 at The Powerhouse, Brisbane, Australia. The composition was commissioned by the Minimax Festival with funding from The Powerhouse, Brisbane.. Extent: 10 minutes.

Year Citation
2023 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Interlude No.1 - Pastorale. Description: N/A. Extent: 3'30".
2023 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Menuet antique. Description: N/A. Extent: 3'30".
2023 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Erik Satie - Art Works 1892-1924. Description: N/A. Extent: 1 hour 45mins.
2021 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Final Fragments - Piano Music of David Kotlowy. Description: N/A. Extent: 50 minutes.
2017 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Windmill. Description: N/A. Extent: 45 minutes.
2015 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Nazaretheana for clarinet and guitar. Description: N/A. Extent: Duration: 6'15".
2015 Authors: Whittington S. Title: La Sandunga. Description: N/A. Extent: 5 min 7 sec.
2013 Authors: Whittington S. Title: Music for Airport Furniture. Description: N/A. Extent: 22 minutes 47 seconds.
2010 Authors: de Clario D, Whittington S. Title: Journey to the Surface of the Earth. Description: Extent : 240 minutes 4- CD set. Extent: 240 minutes.

Year Citation
2022 Whittington, S. (2022). The (Absolutely) Last Meeting of the Satie Society (No. Of Pieces: 70 minutes) [Audiovisual Performance]. Adelaide: PianoLab.
2022 Whittington, S. (2022). Chinese Music Day (No. Of Pieces: 2 hours 15 minutes) [Festival event]. Elder Hall: OzAsia Festival.
2013 Whittington, S. (2013). Turner – Romantic and Revolutionary (No. Of Pieces: 75 minutes) [Exhibition]. Radford Auditorium: Art Gallery of South Australia.
2012 Whittington, S., & Forlivesi, C. (2012). Forme Unich (No. Of Pieces: 5 days) [Exhibition]. Elder Hall, Adelaide.
2012 Whittington, S. (2012). John Cage Day (No. Of Pieces: 10 hours) [Exhibition]. Elder Hall, Adelaide.
2011 Whittington, S. (2011). Music of Light – Music and the films of Stan Brakhage (No. Of Pieces: 90 minutes) [Exhibition]. Radford Auditorium: Adelaide Film Festival/ Recitals Australia.
2011 Whittington, S. (2011). Psychedelic Rays of Sound (No. Of Pieces: 80 minutes) [Exhibition]. Radford Auditorium: Art Gallery of South Australia.
2011 Whittington, S. (2011). Infinite Horizons of Sound (No. Of Pieces: Unknown) [Exhibition]. Radford Auditorium: Art Gallery of South Australia.
2003 Whittington, S. (2003). Mad Dogs and Surrealists (No. Of Pieces: 1 hour 30 minutes) [Exhibition]. Adelaide, South Australia.

Year Citation
2020 Shamray, K. (2020). Piano as Kololola, Glocken and Cloches. (PhD Thesis, University of Adelaide).

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Principal Supervisor Satie, Cocteau, Picasso and the Circus: the collaboration of "Parade" (1917) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Cathy Lynette Duncan
2025 Principal Supervisor St Francis of Assisi in Piano Music: A Performance-Led Study of Franz Liszt, Olivier Messiaen, Kate Moore and Daniel Crozier. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Vivian Milton
2023 Co-Supervisor Sonic Transition: Exploring Anthropophonic Interaction Through Interdisciplinary Soundscape Composition Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Alan Stephen Cook
2023 Principal Supervisor Stasis and Flux: An investigation into ways a musician can move between stasis and flux while maintaining a coherent improvised performance using looping pedals Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Adam Page
2023 Principal Supervisor A Qualitative Study of Teaching Musical Meter Through Ski-hill Graph Pedagogy Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Andrea Mary Calilhanna
2023 Principal Supervisor Freedom Through Fantasies in the Piano Repertoire Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Shawn Hui
2022 Principal Supervisor The Temporal into the Eternal: the compositional system of Nikolai Obukhov Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Courtney Jayde Miller
2022 Principal Supervisor The developing and application of a classification system for phonographic devices. Organising recording technology according to a systematic analysis of their fundamental capabilities and functions. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Alex Roy Mader
2021 Principal Supervisor The Art of Dissonance: The Dissonance Line and Plagal Harmonic Structures in contrapuntal composition. Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Kai Gerbi
2020 Principal Supervisor Musical confluences of the Violin and Erhu in the 20th Century: A performance-led investigation of historically informed performance of Erhu repertoire and the expansion of Violin-Erhu transcription vocabulary Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Hong Jun Lester Wong

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2021 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Scordatura on the Classical Guitar: Implications for Practice and Performance Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Megan Anne Robson
2020 - 2022 Co-Supervisor A New Tonality: Synthetic chords and transpositional paths in piano sonatas 1, 2 and 5 by Nikolai A. Roslavets Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Ms Courtney Jayde Miller
2020 - 2021 Co-Supervisor The Application and Performance of Extended Techniques and Descriptive Score Annotations on Classical Guitar from 1970-2012: A Portfolio of Recorded Performances and Exegesis Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mrs Alexandra Lauren Shepherd
2020 - 2021 Co-Supervisor The Guitarist-Composer Pedagogue: An Exploration of Technical and Artistic Relationships Between Didactic and Concert Works. A portfolio of two 60-minute recitals and exegesis. Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Caleb Edward Lavery-Brook
2020 - 2022 Co-Supervisor The Idiophonic Guitar: A Taxonomy and Performance Guide to Percussive Effects in the Classical Guitar’s Solo Repertoire. A Portfolio of Recordings and Exegesis Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Emanuel Auciello
2020 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Guitar Arrangements in Performance: An investigative study of the interrelationship between arranging and performing the music of J.S. Bach Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr James Benjamin Rawley
2018 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Virtual Music: Developing a System of Music Notation and Performance for Virtual Reality Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Nathan Cummins
2018 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Musical Conversations: Intertextuality in the piano music of Shostakovich as a basis for concert curation Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Yundi Yuan
2017 - 2019 Principal Supervisor The Infinite Lattice: a Compositional Exploration of Symmetrical Modes, Modes of Limited Transposition and Other Musical Parameters Generated by Low Prime Numbers Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Dylan Joshua Crismani
2016 - 2018 Co-Supervisor A Creative Application of Traditionalist Aesthetics to the Art of Musical Composition Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Thomas Jack Devereux
2016 - 2020 Co-Supervisor The Piano as Kolokola, Glocken and Cloches: performing and extending the European traditions of bell-inspired piano music. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Konstantin Shamray
2016 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Sounds in Space: A Portfolio of Spatial Music Works for VR Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Daniel James Pitman
2015 - 2016 Co-Supervisor The First Four Piano Sonatas by Nikolai Myaskovsky: Performing in Context Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Dr Konstantin Shamray
2015 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Creative Performance and Play: A Synthesis of Audio, Visual and Narrative for Maximising Expressive Potentials in Gameplay Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Alexander James Thumm
2015 - 2017 Principal Supervisor Performing Chinese Contemporary Art Song: A Portfolio of Recordings and Exegesis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Qing Chang
2015 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Video Game Acoustics: Perception-Based Sound Design for Interactive Virtual Spaces Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Benjamin Kym Probert
2014 - 2017 Principal Supervisor Desiring Machines: Queering Interactions in Performance Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Daniel William Thorpe
2013 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Developing Methods for Predicting Affect in Algorithmic Composition Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Daniel James Pitman
2013 - 2018 Co-Supervisor The Realization of Extended Performance Practices in Selected Works for Piano by Frederic Rzewski: A Portfolio of Recordings and Exegesis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Ashley Hribar
2012 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Rojak: A Study of Cultural Elements Assimilated in Selected Works of Malaysian Contemporary Composers (2001-2014) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Peck Jin Gan
2012 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Ethnoclassicism in Guitar Chamber Music Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini
2012 - 2013 Co-Supervisor A New Modular Approach to the Composition of Film Music Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Bartlomiej Walus
2011 - 2015 Co-Supervisor Orchestrating the Wasteland: sample library engineering as an integral process of realising the music for Wastelander Panda Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Christopher James Larkin
2011 - 2013 Co-Supervisor Collective Conceptualization - A Methodology for Contemporary Film Score Composers: A Portfolio of Compositions (Disposed as a Film Score) and Exegesis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Martyn Alan Love
2011 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Avant Garde or Rearguard? The Flute Music of Felix Werder.
A Portfolio of Recording and Exegesis
Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Melanie Anne Walters
2010 - 2013 Principal Supervisor The Influence of Bartok’s Approach to Keyboard Compositions on Contemporary Chinese Solo Piano Music: A Portfolio of Recorded Performances and Exegesis Master of Music Master Full Time Qiaoyue Zhao
2009 - 2012 Principal Supervisor Silent Film Music Composition in a Cross-Cultural Context Master of Music Master Full Time Mr Xiao Duo Guo
2009 - 2012 Principal Supervisor Divine Arcadian Technologies: A Cycle of Recorded Electronic Musical Works and Exegesis Master of Music Master Full Time Mr Scott Lawrence Simon
2009 - 2013 Co-Supervisor Berio's Sequenza in Performance and Context: A Contribution to the Australian Bassoon Repertory Synthesizing Extended Techniques into Newly Commissioned Works Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Mark Gaydon
2007 - 2014 Co-Supervisor Fanny Hensel and Clara Schumann: a Study through Performance of their Selected Piano Works Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Sock Siang Thia
2006 - 2010 Co-Supervisor Still and Moving Lines: Listening and Signification in Sound Art Master of Music Master Part Time Mr Tristan Louth-Robins
2005 - 2010 Co-Supervisor Portfolio of Original Compositions and Exegesis: To Fuse or to Confront - Five Compositions for Chinese Traditional and Western Orchestral Instruments Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Kin Yee Raymond Mok
2004 - 2008 Principal Supervisor Portfolio of Compositions and Exegesis: Conflict and Resolution - Modelling Emergent Ensemble Dynamics Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time APrf Luke Harrald

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