May Lyon’s stylistically eclectic music explores humanistic themes from nature and lore to mathematics, with narrative dualities and rhythmic precision being strong recurring elements. Recently a finalist for Work of the Year: Dramatic for the ballet Precious Bedeviller, Lyon has been commissioned and performed by the Australian Ballet, Musica Viva, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Offspring, Sydney Dance Company, National Capital Orchestra, Forest Collective, and Syzygy Ensemble. A new opera, Pieces of Margery, will be workshopped with More Than Opera in 2024. Lyon is currently undertaking a PhD at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as part of the 2020-21 Composing Women Program. Lyon was a finalist for the Beleura Emerging Composer Award as part of 2019 The Melbourne Prize, participant in the 2017 Cybec 21st Century Australian Composers Program, and winner of the 2009 Adolf Spivakovsky Scholarship for Composition. Their work has been featured on ABC Classic, 3MS Radio, and radio shows such as ABC Classics New Waves and Making Waves.
Importance of Music
"I cannot imagine life without music, in all its various, beautiful forms. I see music as one of the markers for a healthy society, as well as being fascinated with its diversity. I wish to add to that. For me, to create music is part of being human."
Lyon was a finalist for an Art Music Award in 2023 for Precious Bedeviller (One Person Watching) in the category of Work of the Year: Dramatic. The 16-minute ballet was premiered in 2022 by the Australian Ballet Bodytoque Ensemble, conducted by Alexander Rodriguez in collaboration with the Australian Ballet, and choreographed by Timothy Coleman.
https://www.apraamcos.com.au/about/supporting-the-industry/awards/art-music-awards-2023#_385806
In November 2023 Lyon's new violin and piano work, Forces of Nature, will be touring nationally, with nine performances in five states. The newly commissioned work will be performed by the brilliant international artists Noa Wildschut (violin) and Elisabeth Brauß (piano).
This work was commissioned by Christine Bollen and friends, through Musica Viva.
"violinist Noa Wildschut and pianist Elisabeth Brauss make one of the most exciting musical partnerships heard in years"
- Musica Viva
https://www.musicaviva.com.au/concert-season/2023/wildschut-brauss/
For 2023 Lyon is Ensemble Offspring's Noisy Women Commission recipient, working with the full ensemble plus soprano for a 2024 premiere.
"The Noisy Women Commission provides a high-profile opportunity for an exceptional Australian female-identifying or non-binary composer. The chosen composer will create a new chamber work for Ensemble Offspring in close collaboration with our expert musicians."
- Ensemble Offspring
https://ensembleoffspring.com/program/noisy-women-commission/
Lyon was one of four Australian composers collaborating with emerging choreographers at the Australian Ballet as part of the 2022 Bodytorque series. Working with choreographer Timothy Coleman, Precious Bedeviller (performed as One Person Watching) premiered in August 2022 with five performances at Transit Dance.
"This annual program has become a breeding ground for some of The Australian Ballet’s brightest talents, including Alice Topp and Tim Harbour, both of whom have gone on to become resident choreographers for The Australian Ballet and created works for other dance organisations.
The Bodytorque program is enabled by the Geraldine Lawton Bequest."
- The Australian Ballet
Lyon is part of the award winning Composing Women Program, a post-graduate course led by Liza Lim, the accomplished 2020-2021 cohort includes Jane Sheldon, Brenda Gifford, and Fiona Hill.
https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/composing-women-line-up-for-2020-2021-announced/
Composing Women Program receives Classical:NEXT 2019 Innovation Award
"This is the only higher-level composition program for women demonstrating a sustained, strategic commitment to change" Classical:NEXT http://www.classicalnext.com/programme/award/recipients
As part of the Melbourne Prize for Music 2019, Lyon was a finalist for the Beleura Emerging Composer Award. Fellow finalists included Andrea Keller (winner), Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh, Sophie Koh, and Tilman Robinson.
https://www.melbourneprize.org/wp-content/uploads/MelbournePrizeforMusic_2019_Brochure.pdf
February 2021 article written for Resonate magazine about Opal: Double Conerto for Horns. Written by May Lyon
https://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/article/insight-opal-double-concerto-for-horns
Interview with Matthew Lorenzon
Featured works: On The Inside (2016) and verse-re-rhymes (2009)
Released 12th May 2017
https://makingwavesnewmusic.com/portfolio/episode-4-may-lyon/
September 2016 interview for Syzygy Ensemble's premier of Neheh, for Flute, Clarinet & Cello. Held at Macedon Music as part of the Glen Johnston Composition Award
http://rehearsalmagazine.com/articles/macedon-music-spotlight-may-lyon
August 2016 interview with Syzygy Ensemble for their premier performance of Ode To Damascus.
May Lyon is a composer and music educator based in Melbourne. Lyon's music explores a range of themes, from deep human emotions, representations of nature, to mathematical concepts, as well as the lighter side of life. Stylistically eclectic, Lyon's compositions move from dramatic and intense, to quirky. Narrative, precision, duality and rhythm are all strong recurring elements.
APRA AMCOS selected Lyon as a finalist in the 2023 Art Music Awards for the category of Work of the Year: Dramatic, for the 2022 ballet Precious Bedeviller aka One Person watching. The Australian Ballet commissioned Lyon as part of the 2022 Bodytorque series, collaborating with choreographer Timothy Coleman.
In Musica Viva’s 2023 season, Lyon’s newly commissioned work for violin and piano, Forces of Nature, will be toured nationally by Noa Wildschut and Elisabeth Brauß. This work was commissioned by Christine Bollen and friends. Lyon is the recipient of the 2023 Noisy Women Commission, awarded by Ensemble Offspring, and will compose a work for soprano and sextet to be premiered in 2024. In March 2021 the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed a newly commissioned work Opal: Double Concerto for Horns and Orchestra, at Hamer Hall, written for Nicolas Fleury and Rachel Shaw, conducted by Ben Northey. Opal was performed again in 2023, with the original soloists, by Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Rick Prakhoff.
2024 will see Lyon's first opera, Pieces of Margery, workshopped by Melbourne based opera company More Than Opera under the baton of Alan Cook. In 2019 Cook premiered Orchestral Equations (2014) with the The National Capital Orchestra. In July 2022 Lyon took part in Halcyon's First Stones program as a returning participant, workshopping several vocal excerpts to be developed into the opera.
In 2019 Lyon was a finalist for the Beluera Emerging Composer Award as part of the prestigious Melbourne Prize for Music. In 2017 Lyon was a participant in the Cybec 21st Century Australian Composers Program, writing Ignition under the mentorship of Brenton Broadstock OA. Following this, Lyon was commissioned by the MSO to compose the main piece for the 2019 Snare Drum Award, Phosphorus. In 2016-17 Lyon received several commissions, including composing for Syzygy Ensemble as part of the Melbourne Recital Centre's "Local Heroes" program, Ensemble Goldentree, and The Glen Johnston Composition Award. Lyon received several scholarships during her undergraduate studies, including the Adolf Spivakovsky Scholarship for Composition of Music for verse re-rhymes, which was premiered by Ensemble 21 in August 2010.
Past performances and collaborations have included the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Goldentree, Zelman Symphony Orchestra, Rubiks Collective, Syzygy Ensemble, E21, Melbourne Women’s Choir, flautist Robin Meiksins (Chicago) multi-arts organisation Forest Collective and vocal group Icon Trio. In January 2018 Lyon was a participant in the Prime Composition workshop with composer Adrian Sutton, resulting in a short work, I love maths. I also like outerspace, that was performed during intervals at Melbourne performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Lyon’s music was featured on ABC Classic’s New Waves in 2017, several times on 3MBS, including Live at the Wireless, and continues to be included on various Making Waves podcasts, including an hour length interview for Making Conversations in 2017.
Lyon is currently studying a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Sydney as part of the 2020-21 Composing Women Program with Professor Liza Lim. Collaborations as part of this course have been with the Sydney Dance Company, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellows, and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. In 2019 Lyon completed a Master of Music (Composition) as a recipient of the Fay Marles Scholarship at the University of Melbourne with Dr Katy Abbott and Dr Elliott Gyger. Lyon completed her BMus Honours in 2014 with Dr Stuart Greenbaum, Dr Elliott Gyger. Lyon started formal music study in 2008, at the age of 28, majoring in Composition from 2009.