Hi my name is Ally, I am a Brisbane/Meanjin & Melbourne/Naarm based composer, arranger and musician. I love telling stories, writing letters and connecting with others through music. The real magic of music composition is when the listener is transported to another place, a memory or somewhere deep within their imagination. My music is playful and collaborative, full of rhythmic drive, and memorable melodies.

I have worked with fantastic ensembles such as QYO, Voices of Birralee, UQ Pulse Orchestra and UQ Sketch Ensemble. In 2021 my reinvention of the popular song Ain’t No Mountain High Enough was featured in the Songs of Love and War project, UQ School of Music’s collaboration with Opera Queensland, conducted by Dane Lam.

In 2021, I graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the University of Queensland where I studied Composition with the amazing Dr. Robert Davidson. I also played some tunes on the oboe along the way! In my final year I wrote a thesis all about creating music that embraces and honours environmental sounds. A highlight of this was writing a piece called The Whipbird for Piano, Oboe and String Quintet, inspired by the bird that lives outside my window at my parent’s house in Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane.

When I’m not writing music, I am often found singing. I have sung in choirs all over Brisbane such as Voices of Birralee, UQ Chamber Singers, St John’s Cathedral Singers, and more! This has inspired my love of writing choral music. In 2022, I was commissioned by Paul Holley OAM and the Birralee Singers to write The Holiday Jam for Queensland Day, a piece, inspired by the youthful fun and adventure of the summer holidays. In its debut, this piece was belted out by over 300 performers from seven Brisbane primary schools! This piece was also recently performed at SHEP in Brisbane and the score is available here.