Ashley-Smith2

Dr Ashley William Smith

Described as ‘Incandescent… a masterly display of skill and insight… as an apologist for contemporary music-making, you would search hard to find this young clarinettist’s equal’ (The Age), clarinettist Ashley William Smith has emerged as one of Australia’s most internationally demanded young musicians. The current Churchill Fellow, Ashley is a laureate of two of Australia’s most prestigious prizes for classical musicians, the 2012 Music Council of Australia Freedman Fellowship and the ABC Symphony International Young Performer Award (other instrument category). Identified as a ‘rising star’ by the world’s leading clarinet manufacturer, Buffet-Crampon, Ashley is Buffet-Crampon Artist.

Internationally, Ashley has performed throughout the USA and Asia including performances with Bang on a Can, the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and the Beijing Modern Music Festival. In 2014 Ashley’s international engagements include performances in the USA with Chamber Music Northwest as well as appearing in recital throughout Europe.

Domestically, Ashley has performed as a soloist with several of Australia’s major orchestras. His Melbourne premiere of the Magnus Lindberg Concerto was ranked amongst The Age’s Top 5 Classical Performances 2010. In 2014 he shall appear as a soloist with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in a new concerto by Lachlan Skipworth. As a chamber musician, Ashley performs regularly with several of Australia’s major ensembles including the Australian String Quartet, the Syzygy Ensemble and the Argonaut Ensemble. In 2013 he and his principal duo partner, Australian pianist Aura Go, were commended again by The Age for their Melbourne Recital Centre Spotlight recital which marked the launch recital of their duo, Australia Felix. For this recital, the duo also received the Melbourne Recital Centres prestigious Contemporary Masters Award for the most outstanding performance of a post-1945 work during the 2013 season.

In 2014 Ashley is Artist in Residence at the University of Western Australia where he was also recently appointed an Assistant Professor position as the Head of Winds and Contemporary Performance.

Ashley is a Fellow of the Australian National Academy of Music and a graduate of the University of Western Australia where he was awarded the Sir Harold Bailey as the most outstanding graduate of the Faculty Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and was nominated for the J.A. Wood Prize, the institution’s most presitgous honour. He most recently graduated from Master of Music at Yale University under the tutelage of David Shifrin, where he was additionally awarded the Thomas Nyfenger Prize.

  • Company:The University of Western Australia
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