Researching Don Kay

Don Kay attained a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Melbourne after which he taught music at Colac High School, Victoria, 1957–59. He then went on to teach music at Peckham Manor Comprehensive School for Boys, London, UK 1959-64 and was Director of Music there 1962–64. He studied composition privately at this time with Malcolm Williamson. His first publication was in 1964–65 with Songs of Come and Gone for choir, flute, piano and string orchestra.

Kay returned to Tasmania in 1965 with a young family of two daughters as Lecturer of Music, Hobart Teachers College; in 1967 he was appointed Lecturer of Composition and Music Education, Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. He received his first commission in 1966, Organ Sonata, broadcast on ABC national radio by John Nicholls, the Hobart City Organist, in 1967. Active as a music tutor from the late 1960s to the middle 1970s with the Tasmanian Youth Theatre, Secheron House, Battery Point, Kay also composed a number of scores for production by the Tasmanian Puppet Theatre as well as Theatre Royal professional productions e.g. Richard II (Shakespeare), The Imaginary Invalid (Molière), the Wakefield Miracle Plays (Tasmania Festival, 1970) at that time. In 1984 Kay wrote an opera The Golden Crane with a libretto from Gwen Harwood.

During these years Kay was also contributing to Creative Music and Arts workshops at National and International conferences for Music and Arts Education. He was appointed Senior Lecturer at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music in 1976; elected Dean of Music, University of Tasmania, 1989; and elected Head of the Conservatorium of Music, University of Tasmania, 1990.

Kay has had over 50 compositions broadcast on ABC national radio and over 60 works publicly performed in Australia, UK, US, Switzerland and Italy from a symphony, to operas, orchestral and choral works to chamber and solo works.

In 1989 Tasmania Symphony - The Legend of Moinee for cello and orchestra was awarded the best composition by a composer resident in Tasmania in the Sounds Australian awards.

In 1990 Dance Concertante for String Orchestra was given a similar award.

Kay's music in recent years has been largely the result of a variety of responses to Tasmanian ecology and history.

In June 1991 Don Kay was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the arts and particularly to music composition. In 2001 he was awarded a Centenary Medal for an outstanding contribution to music, music education and composing in Tasmania.

He retired from the staff of the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music in 1998, having served as Head of Department from 1990 to 1993 and has since been appointed Adjunct Professor in Composition. He now composes full-time.