Rate My Professor Paul Stanhope

Associate Professor Paul Stanhope is a composer, conductor, and educator at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, where he holds the position of Associate Professor of Composition. He directs the Conservatorium's choral programs, including conducting the Conservatorium Chamber Choir and the Modern Music Ensemble. Stanhope's academic journey began with studies in composition under Andrew Ford, Andrew Schultz, and Peter Sculthorpe at the University of Sydney from 1995 to 1999. In 2000, he received the Charles Mackerras Scholarship to pursue further studies at the Guildhall School of Music in London. Beyond the University of Sydney, he serves as Artistic Chair of the Australia Ensemble at the University of New South Wales since 2014 and as Musical Director of the Sydney Chamber Choir.

Stanhope's compositional output encompasses choral, orchestral, and chamber music, often exploring themes of reconciliation with Australian First Nations peoples, ecological awareness, and humanist ideals. Key works include the music-drama Jandamarra: Sing for the Country (2014), premiered by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the Bunuba nation; Piccolo Concerto (2013), performed by multiple Australian symphony orchestras; Cello Concerto 'Dawn and Darkness' (2016); Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra (2017), winner of the Art Music Award for Orchestral Work of the Year (2018); Requiem (2021), recipient of the Art Music Award for Work of the Year: Choral (2022); and Ocean Planet (2022), commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. His music has garnered international acclaim, featured at festivals such as the Vale of Glamorgan Festival (2009), City of London Festival (2011), Australian Festival of Chamber Music (2016), and String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam (2024).

Stanhope has been honored with prestigious awards, including the David Harold Tribe Symphony Award (2021) for Trombone Concerto, the Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize (2025) for nyilamum – song cycles, Albert H. Maggs Composition Award (2010), Toru Takemitsu Composition Award (2004), and two Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships (2013-2014). In 2010, he was Musica Viva Australia's featured composer, with nationwide performances by renowned ensembles.