Worrall (b.1954 in Newcastle, Australia), studied piano and violin as a youngster
and later, composition at Sydney University with Ross Edwards and Peter Sculthorpe
and at Adelaide University with Richard Meale and Tristram Cary. Currently he is
the Founding Head of the Australian Centre for the Arts and Technology (ACAT) and
Senior Lecturer in Composition at the Australian National University, Canberra. He
is also the director of the electrospatial group Polymedia Inc. (formerly
floating exceptions) which presents performances of sound and light compositions
in their portable geodesic dome performance
space.
Between 1980 and 1986, whilst teaching at The University of Melbourne, Worrall was
a member of their Computer Music Research Project during which time he undertook
research into the use of computers for sound synthesis and composition. His areas
of special interest include algorithmic composition, stochastic modelling, spatial
manipulation of sound and polymedia.
He has acted as a panel member and adviser on the arts and new technology. to the
Music Board of the Australia Council and the Australian Music Centre where he has
been on the board of directors since 1993. He was a founding board member of the
Music Council of Australia in 1994.
Worrall plays an active role in the arts community as an advisor and adjudicator,
and is a frequent guest lecturer on composition and computer music.
His instrumental compositions include works for
piano(s), chamber ensembles (with and without electroacoustics), and orchestra. His
electroacoustic music includes music concrete, electronic and computer music. He
has also written music for plays, dance and mime.