Alan Lourens


Alan Lourens is a classical musician, composer, euphonium player and conductor from Perth, Western Australia. He is the head of the UWA Conservatorium of Music, a position to which he was appointed in 2012, and reappointed in 2016. He was also appointed as a full Professor of Music in 2016. Lourens holds Doctor of Music, Master of Music and Performance Certificate qualifications from Indiana University, where he studied Wind Conducting and Euphonium Performance. He also holds a Bachelor of Education from the WA College of Advanced Education. Previously he has held positions in Singapore, Dubai and WAAPA. His name was also associated with a possible appointment as Head of the ANU School of Music. In 2009, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Originally appointed to the School of Music, Lourens oversaw the change to the name UWA Conservatorium of Music, as well as a rise in the ranking of the School into the top 50 in the world, according to the QS Subject Ranking in Performing Arts.
During his tenure, the school has embedded "Melbourne Model" degree structures, which has seen the school more than double in size.
Lourens is a leading contributor to the Australian national debate surrounding the place of music in society., arguing the for educational benefits of music for all.
Lourens is a former long time conductor of WA Brass, one of Australia's leading British-style brass bands with which he has been associated since 1983, as well as conducting the UWA Orchestra, and has previously directed the UWA Wind Orchestra. Lourens previously conducted the University Wind Orchestra, which was an amalgamated ensemble of the UWA and ECU, which was cited as one of the first tertiary wind groups in the country. He has also been a guest conductor with the Fremantle Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Winds, and others across Australia.
Lourens has been the conductor of many world premier performances, including Peter Sculthorpes' Lament for Violin, Cello and Strings.
As an author, he has made contributions to the MBM Times Vol 5, Vol 6 and Vol 7. He also co-authored two books on University Administration, as well as contributions to the popular press. Lourens contributed to the "Teaching Music in Performance Through Band" series in Vol 2 and 3, in "Teaching Music Through Performing Marches", and about repertoire in the influential California Music Educators Association Magazine. He is a frequent presenter of concert talks for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
In 2016, the New Zealand Euphonium Virtusoso Riki McDonnell performed the world premier of his Euphonium Concerto with the composer conducting. This work, like most of his output, is tonal and melodic. Lourens has also written other solo works for Euphonium and Cornet, and works for Concert and Brass Band. His most popular works are arrangements; Czardas by Vittorio Monti and Bluebells of Scotland for Tuba and Band, which is listed in the "Guide to the Tuba Repertoire". The Trumpet/Cornet player Sean Priest commissioned and recorded two arrangements for his album "Crossover", featuring Priest and the Kew Brass Band.
In 2018 he was an adjudicator at the Australian National Band Championships, as Chief Concert Adjudicator and in the A Grade Brass category. He has previously been an adjudicator at the Tasmanian Band Championships, and Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association events in WA, Queensland and South Australia.

Selected compositions/arrangements