Paul Paviour is one of the senior Australian Composers and has resided in the Southern Tablelands for the past 27 years. He is well known as a teacher, examiner, adjudicator, accompanist on both organ and piano, and composer.

His early years were spent in the UK where he was a graduate of Trinity College, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music and London University.

He is one of the country's leading authorities on hymn tunes and church music and is a senior church musician having held professional posts for over 50 years which have included being organist to the Royal Navy Home Fleet, Director of Music of Bathurst Cathedral, and since 1975 with Goulburn Cathedral. He has also been Director of Goulburn Consort of Voices for 27 years and Argyle Operatic Society for 21 years. He was also artistic director and conductor for the consecration of Bathurst Cathedral (1971) and the opening of the New Parliament House, Canberra, in 1988. For both of these events he wrote several significant works. For the visit of Her Majesty the Queen to Canberra in 2000, he was commissioned to write the 'Te Deum' for the main Festival Service.

Paviour's compositions cover all forms of musical creativity. Being in and working with amateur societies and organisations, a fair amount of his output is concerned with works for choirs, orchestras and stage show societies.

Recent performances have included the overture 'Stop Press' and 'The first Hundred Years' both written for the Strathfield Symphony Orchestra; 'Te Deum' for the choir of Canberra Grammar School and sung for Her Majesty the Queen in 2000; the suite 'Splice the mainbrace' written for the band of the Australian Navy, 'Moreton Bay' for Pittwater Concert Band and 'The Glories of this Noble Sound' for the consecration of the new rebuilt organ at Lindfield NSW.

He is a composer who feels very strongly that the culture of any country is not in the heavily subsidised flagship companies but the choirs, orchestras and community organisations in every town and city and country. It is to this end that his professional career has been heavily involved. Not for him the ivory-towers of so many creators.

Apart from the performances already mentioned, other significant performances include the cantata 'All Systems Go' in Wakefield Cathedral (UK) to celebrate the inauguration of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales, the opera 'Caroline' by the LiedeTafel Theatre Group in 1982 and 1988, the musical 'Sauce for the Gander' at Theatre 3 Canberra in 1984 and the choral motets 'Walking towards each heart' performed in the presence of His Holiness Pope John Paul II in Rome in 1982.

Bearing in mind his devotion to amateur performances and School and College music-making, he is always happy to work in these areas and to stimulate interest in people of all ages performing together in choirs, orchestras and stage works.

Works at present being undertaken are a choral/dramatic work on the life of St Paul; a viola concerto, and several chamber works for various combinations Return to Main