Biography

Jared is a Melbourne based composer and musician. He specialises in ensemble writing, including Brass Band.​

Jared is an internationally-renowned brass and wind ensemble composer and musician. Jared has developed a distinct contemporary sound, with his works often programmatic in nature, and rhythmically fresh for community ensembles. Jared is regularly commissioned by Australian and international ensembles, and his works have been played by professional, community and school ensembles. Jared has now put his ever-growing catalogue of material online to distribute to an international audience.

Jared's awards include the 2019 Foden's Band Composition Competition (for 'No Time Per Una Siesta!') 2019 Robyn Young Award (for Elegy), 2018 Kirklees Competition Award for Best Arrangement (for 'God Put a Smile Upon Your Face'), the 2018 A4 Brass Quartet Composition Competition 2nd Prize (for 'Just Cause'), the 2017 Nock Deighton Award at the Ironbridge Gorge Brass Band Festival (for 'Bittersweet') and the Robyn Young Under 21 Award at the 2017 South Brisbane Federal Brass Band Composition Competition (for 'PZAZZ'). Beyond brass band writing, Jared has also been awarded the 2017 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Pizzicato Effect Composition Prize (for  'Backyard Battle').

Jared is classically trained in piano and music theory under mentor Janette Cook and also studied contemporary styles including jazz and pop. Jared was selected from national applicants for the 2014 New York Jazz Symposium at Trinity College, when he was just 16 years of age, where he received jazz piano mentorship from Julliard teachers and alumni. 

Jared’s experience, dedication and composition ability opened up opportunities to form his own ensembles. Jared plays piano and writes music for busking trio Suit Yourself, which performs a vast variety of styles, including jazz, pop and classical genres. He also plays contemporary piano in Grape Season, a five-piece jazz/pop band, and in The Quirks, a four-piece soft rock group. Jared’s versatility has allowed him to capably adapt to the broad variety of styles each ensemble presents, and to facilitate a fusion of genre.

​Jared’s brass experience has been broadly educational, recreational and competitive, from his humble introduction to the Tenor Horn at Moreland Brass Band in 2007, through to his contribution on Tuba with Darebin’s Northern Brass Band at the Australian National Band Championships from 2015-2020, as well as Boroondara Brass at the New Zealand National Band Championships in 2019. Having hopped on to the tuba in 2012, Jared has never turned back, earning a High Distinction for his Grade 6 AMEB exam in 2013 and was selected in his high school’s Concerto Competition in 2015, where he performed the Gregson Tuba Concerto. He participated in Concert Band, Brass Quintet and Carols Brass Ensemble on tuba and played euphonium on the First Trombone desk of PEGS’ 2014 Musical Singing in the Rain. 

Jared has been fortunate enough to have played with the Victorian State Youth Brass Band since 2009, starting on Tenor Horn, before progressing to the Baritone, and finally Eb Bass.   Jared performed in numerous events with the group, including a multitude of Moomba Marches, a 40-hour marathon performance at Federation Square and various annual performances in rural Victoria.

​Not only did the Victorian State Youth Brass Band provide Jared with plenty of ensemble performance opportunities, but also Jared’s first real chance to write music for a large ensemble. The immediate feedback and engagement from having his arrangements played by a brass band encouraged him to be prolific with his writing. Starting with arrangements of pop, rock and dance music, Jared wrote more than a dozen works for the band, and soon began composing for the ensemble.

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​Under the guidance of musical directors Walter Pope and Jeff Steele, Jared’s musical writing improved significantly in a short matter of time, and greatly assisted Jared, not only within a brass band realm, but also in other ensemble performance and writing. Jared’s performance, compositions and general attitude earned him two awards within the band (Graeme Chapman Memorial Award (2013) and Wilf Dyason Junior Bands Person (2012)). 

Jared’s music has always allowed him to support those less fortunate than himself, whether for charity or for fundraising. For instance, Jared has volunteered since 2009 in the “MFB Once a Year Band”, a mobile performance at the Royal Children’s Hospital on Christmas Day. Jared has cherished giving time from his Christmas celebrations to sick children and hard working medics, to perform joyous and celebratory Christmas Carols. Grape Season have also performed on a fundraiser day to support the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
 
Jared has from a young age developed a keen desire to employ his musical skills for social justice purposes. This was best manifested in a twilight Charity Concert he initiated, co-ordinated and produced in September 2015. Raising funds for beyondblue, the “Big Blue Bonanza” held an audience of more than 300 people and raised over $4300. Jared was one of two musical arrangers, and was responsible for constructing and rehearsing the 30+ ensemble of instrumentalists and vocalists. As a creative director both musically and event-wide, the evening went spectacularly, and was a student highlight for the school’s 2015 calendar. The Big Blue Bonanza has been an annual event since, raising in total over $30,000 for beyondblue​.

Big Blue Bonanza (4th Sep 2015), proudly supporting beyondblue

​Jared is a student at Monash University, completing a double Bachelor degree of Law (Honours) and Music. Jared hopes to pursue a career in entertainment law so that he can continue composing and assisting others to navigate professionally through their chosen artistic careers.

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