Described by critic Leon Gettler (The Age) as "one of a rare breed of pianists not frightened of showing his emotions when he plays", Melbourne born musician Tony Gould is well known and admired in both classical and jazz musical circles. As a musician, Tony Gould is characterised by a desire to encompass as broad a range of activities as possible, aiming to reduce often prejudiced judgements about the relative worth of different musical styles.

His performances cover a wide range. He has accompanied such eminent jazz musicians as Clark Terry, Mark Murphy and Ernestine Anderson and has been a supporting artist to Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughan, Jean Luc Ponty, Ray Brown, the Art Ensemble of Chicago and many other distinguished groups. Yet he is equally at home playing Bach and Mozart and has been a guest soloist with both the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Elizabethan Melbourne Orchestra.

He has recorded on over twenty commercially released CDs, among the most highly acclaimed are Lirik (1994), Unanimity (1995) with pianist Bob Sedergreen, Gateway and A Tin Roof for the Rain (1996 and 1997) with saxophonist Robert Burke and cellist Sarah Morse. He regularly records for the ABC.

Over the past few years, Tony has become increasingly active as a composer. He has fulfilled commissions for the Victorian Arts Centre, the Hamilton Arts Festival, the Solitaire Tuba Ensemble, and has written works for horn and piano and tuba and piano. He has been a guest artist with the State Orchestra of Victoria for a premiere of his work Homage to Bach for symphony orchestra and piano trio. He was commissioned to write music for two award winning CSIRO documentary films. In 1997 his chamber work Under Milk Wood, based on Dylan Thomas’ work, was premiered by the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra and narrated by distinguished Australian actor John Stanton.

Tony’s music has wide appeal. He draws from a wide range of musical influences including Bach, Mahler, Stravinsky, Bartok, Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans. His style of composition is marked by rhythmic vitality and a particular sensitivity to harmony.

Tony is has recently resigned from his position as Dean of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts School of music.

In 1997 he was visiting Head of Post Graduate Studies, at the Conservatorium of Music, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. In recent years he has also lectured at The University of Melbourne and acted as a consultant for the National Academy of Music and Director of their inaugural program for improvisation studies.

He has been a chief adjudicator for The Sun Aria competition for the last twenty years and adjudicator of eisteddfods and scholarships throughout Australia, including the National Finals of the Yamaha Music Competition and the World Final of the Yamaha Music Competition. He was a member of the founding committee of advisors in establishing the Yamaha Music Foundation and continues to be a senior member of examining panels for exams in Keyboard.

Tony is a respected music writer and critic having contributed to The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, The Oxford Companion to Australian Music and Music Forum. He was chief (classical) music critic for The Sun newspaper (Melbourne) for a number of years and has also written for The Australian.

Tony Gould can be contacted at ajg@pobox.com, and the webpage www.tonygould.com

"one of the most talented artists in Australia."

(Joya Jenson, 2MBS FM)