Mark Holdsworth is an Australian composer currently based in Perth. His compositions include a substantial catalogue of orchestral works as well as repertoire for large ensemble, chamber ensemble, and soloist.

He is regularly commissioned and performed by Australia’s most feted ensembles, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, Australian String Quartet, and Arcadia Winds. Holdsworth’s music has reached broad audiences across Australia and also internationally.

My music is often governed by a strong sense of narrative and program. It is frequently characterised by a cinematic quality, dramatic juxtapositions of tonality and atonality, additive motivic development, and an emphasis on vigorous compound rhythmic cells that allude to aesthetic primitivism.’’

Holdsworth is currently the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Cybec Young-Composer-in-Residence. During his residency, Holdsworth’s music received acclaimed premieres at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, the Metropolis New Music Festival and an exclusive cultural event that hosted the Sultan of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, Crown Princess Mangkubumi, Indonesian royal delegates and Australian government officials.

Holdsworth is a graduate of the University of Western Australia’s Conservatorium of Music where he studied musical composition under James Ledger and Dr. Christopher Tonkin. He holds a Bachelor of Music, a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours), and a Master of Music.