Graham Wood OAM

Born in 1930, Graham Wood participated in the Australian Youth Orchestra’s (AYO) original National Music Camps from 1949 to 1954.

In the 1950s Wood performed with London’s Royal Opera House orchestra, followed by three years at the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Graham then settled in Perth, WA, where he joined the West Australian Symphony Orchestra during its early development.

1962

Peter Mowson, son of Jill and John Mowson, was born in the same hospital on the same day as Adrian Wood, son of violinist WASO colleague Graham Wood and his wife, Tricia.  

Different People, Same Path

Mrs. Graham Wood of Stubbs Terrace Daglish, and her friend Mrs. John Mowson of Marine Parade Cottesloe have a lot in common besides their babies Adrian Michael and Peter John.  The women met after they had each married members of the W.A. Symphony Orchestra. Mr Wood is a violinist and Mr. Mowson plays the bassoon (!) Each played with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra six years ago.  Mrs Wood and Mrs Mowson found out at about the same time that they were going to have babies and they went to the same doctor. They did the same prenatal exercise exercises and were confined in adjoining rooms in St John of God Hospital Subiaco at the same time. Their babies were born early on the same morning and both, as their names suggest are boys. Adrian is the sixth grandchild of Mrs Wood’s mother, Mrs Mary Hodgkin of Princess Street, Mosman Park, who gained her Master of Arts degree on the same day the baby was born.

The West Australian June 14 1962

MUSICIANS TO TOUR IN NORTH

The A.B.C. and MacRobertson Miller Airlines Ltd. Will send seven musicians through the North-West for a series of concerts between August 28 and September 8.  The A.B.C. artists will fly 4000 miles in 12 days to give concerts in Carnarvon, Port Hedland, Broome, Derby, Wyndham, Kununurra and Darwin.  The group is to be led by Verdon Williams, will include Shirley Fresfader, Peter Piccini (accordion), Jack Harrison (clarinet and harmonica), Graham Wood (violin), Laslo Vidak (violin and viola) and Brian Meddeman (cello and violin).  A small TV film unit will tour with the group.  The film they make will be shown in the Eastern States as a part of an A.B.C. project to focus attention on the North.  

The West Australian August 8 1962

The “Southern Serenaders”

From August 28 – September 8^th 1962 the A.B.C. sent a small group of musicians, led by Verdon Williams, on a tour of the north west of the state.  Apart from Verdon, the ensemble which we called “The Southern Serenaders” included Graham Wood on violin, Laslo Vidak on violin and viola, Brian Meddemmen on cello, Jack Harrison on clarinet and harmonica, Peter Piccini on accordion and soprano Shirley Flesfader. 

Graham Wood wrote: “ We travelled by DC3 aircraft, giving concerts in Carnarvon, Port Hedland, Derby, Broome, Darwin, Wyndham and Kununurra.  Verdon had arranged all the music, which was of a pretty light nature and we all had a solo spot.  We were paid £8 per concert and received a living allowance of £3/3/0 a day.  We had a happy time, enjoying each other’s company.  Peter Piccini was a natural comic and poor Shirley was the butt of many a practical joke, which she took in good part.  One thing I remember vividly was the night when a huge stick insect landed on my violin while I was playing “The Flight of the Bumblebee”!

Most of the towns were still remote and largely undeveloped at that time, so people really appreciated our efforts.  The aborigines were shy about coming to our concerts, so in Derby a few of us were taken out to a camp late at night after our performance.  In a moonlit clearing we played to the people, some of whom produced a couple of digeridoos and played them for us.  A magical moment ensued, as Jack Harrison quietly joined in with some gentle improvisations on his clarinet.  We were entranced as were all the people there, dogs included.  A genuine fusion of cultures.”

RECORD AUDIENCE CHEERS 1962 CULTURAL TOUR

The A.B.C. “Southern Serenaders” played to an estimated audience of 6000 people during their 4000 mile tour of seven North West ports including Darwin and Kununurra.

Darwin gave the orchestra its largest reception.  About 4000 people crowded the Darwin oval sitting on available chairs provided, on rugs on the ground and in hundreds of motor cars parked around the perimeter of the ground.  Darwin’s town Clerk (Bill Sullivan), who estimated the size of the audience, remarked that in all his experience it was the largest crowd he had seen in Darwin at such a presentation.  Everywhere they went the “Southern Serenaders” earned cheering ovations and goodwill for M.M.A. and the A.B.C.

Departing from Derby around 4am, Jack Harrison (clarinet) and Peter Piccini (accordion) decided to hold an impromptu jam session in the air terminal.  When M.M.A.’s chartered F.27 arrived, they moved out onto the tarmac, serenading the sleepy-eyed passengers that emerged from the aircraft in the small hours.  The previous night, six members of the orchestra, augmented by four aborigine musicians, improvised what was probably the most unique combination of sounds heard in the North in a long time.  The only bachelor in the orchestra, cellist Brian Meddemmen, was the only member of the group game enough to bring home an aboriginal wife beater.  Violinist Laszlo Vidak fell victim to “fiddler’s peril” when the top string on his violin broke during a solo.  He finished the item without a break and few people realised what had happened until Verdon Williams mentioned it to the audience.

On arrival at Wyndham, Peter Piccini discovered that the precision mechanism on one key on his £500 accordion had broken.  A technician from Wyndham Aeradio was located who did a superb welding job at short notice and a scant hour before the concert there.  Mr Piccini was still replacing bits and pieces of springs, levers and keys with the able assistance of Graham Wood and Jack Harrison.

In their off-duty moments, most members of the group took the opportunity to see the surrounding countryside of the towns they visited.  Mr. E.K. Sholl, A.B.C. Manager, Fred Combs, A.B.C.2 cameraman and cellist Brian Meddermmen earned top honours for vim, vigour and vitality by climbing the Bastion at Wyndham and Kelly’s Knob at Kununurra.  Shirley Flesfader was the only member of the touring group to return to Perth with genuine Nor’-West influenza.  Well on the road to recovery as Jetstream went to press, Miss Flesfader enjoyed the joke on herself remarking “Trust the soprano to be the only one in the company to catch the ‘flu’”.  To Verdon Williams, the North-West was a paradise.  He collected seeds and minute cuttings of different varieties of Western Australian plants, shrubs and flowers.  Some are already established in the large garden of his south Perth home.

PRAISE FROM A.B.C.

At every port-of-call, the Manager for Western Australia of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Mr. E.K. Sholl, told audiences at the “Southern Serenaders” concerts how greatly he admired the work being done by M.M.A. to bring culture programmes into the North.  He went on to assure audiences that by next March the A.B.C.’s two short wave stations, VLX and VLW, would increase their signals from 10 to 50 kilowatts and from 2 to 10 kilowatts respectively.  “You will then be able to receive Perth short wave broadcasts with approximately the same clarity as you now receive Melbourne’s transmission through Radio Australia”, Mr Sholl said.  This, he anticipated, would enhance the listening pleasure of almost everyone in the North from Carnarvon to Wyndham.  Jetstream Official Publication of Mac.Robertson Miller Airlines Ltd. Vol 1. No. 20 September 1962

1964

1967

Graham’s reminiscences of his first days in WASO:

Within a week of our arrival I was ensconced in the first violin section of the WA Symphony Orchestra. The ABC had just moved into a brand new building in Adelaide Terrace and the orchestra’s studio [the Basil Kirke Studio] was claimed to be the latest state of the art broadcasting studio in the country. It certainly suited the small 50-piece band, which I discovered on my first day.  By 2005, the ABC had moved out and the building was to be demolished!

The quality of the playing in 1960 left much to be desired. The ABC employed the WASO and we were all superannuated public servants, so it was difficult to sack a player who was not up to scratch! I sat on the outside of the second desk, behind the leader, Vaughan Hanly and Barbara Tyler. My desk partner was Margaret Poole-Johnson. I could fill volumes with details of some of the extraordinary characters who inhabited the ranks of the orchestra at this time. Space however limits me to mentioning just a few.

The resident conductor was John Farnsworth Hall. I had experienced some rotten conductors already, but Farnsworth really took the cake! An irascible charlatan of a fellow, he would fly into a rage at imagined slights or blame players when some mishap occurred, usually of his own doing. Fortunately he was also lazy and we could depend on days finishing early and calls being cancelled or cut short! This was a blessing in that we had time for our own individual pursuits, such as teaching and chamber music playing. Vaughan Hanly was a highly competent violinist with much experience and a high reputation as a teacher.

Barbara Tyler was also competent, but rather neurotic, with a tendency to talk non-stop, to such an extent that she would froth at the mouth! Most of the others violinists were either ageing or young and inexperienced. John Dean led the viola section. I had met him at the University Conservatorium in Melbourne when we were both violin students there. He took to the viola when the principal position became vacant in Perth. We have been lifelong friends.

The front desk of the cello section was a hoot! Two mad Hungarians sat together there. Principal was Louis Mojzer, a middle aged expatriate in the process of decay. He had the remains of a fine technique, but alcohol had infiltrated it. His desk partner was another alcoholic, Zoltan Barna, a plump clown of a fellow who had a large collection of musical tricks, amusing at first. The two of them caused our conductor a lot of strife. He called them “Buda” and “Pest”, which was about the only thing I admired him for.

1968

The Australian premiere performance of Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28 by Richard Strauss arranged for five instruments by Austrian composer Franz Hasenöhrl in 1954 was performed by Graham Wood (Violin) Jack Harrison (Clarinet) Jill Harrison  (Bassoon) Patrick Brislan (Horn) John Mowson (Double Bass) on Sunday February 29 1968 in the A.B.C. Basil Kirke Studio as part of the Festival of Perth.

FEW HEAR FINE RECITAL – By Sally Trethowan – Sunday February 29 1968

Fewer than 30 people attended yesterday’s free Sunday afternoon recital in the Basil Kirke Memorial Studio to hear what must have been one of the finest given this year by Perth artists.  The oboe playing of Peter Randall in Mozart’s Quartet for oboe and strings was so good that an unchartered listener might’ve thought it was a simple piece. Mr. Randall gave such purity and accuracy to the naturally sharp clear tone of the oboe as to make even the accompanying strings in this piece seem cloudy in effect. It was duly wistful in the doleful minor keyed slow movement and cheerful in the finale where the virtuosic double-tongued passages were given within incisiveness, clarity and extreme rapidity. Violinist Graham Wood led seven other instrumentalists Stanislaw Kowarski (violin) John Dean (Viola) Brian Meddemmen (cello) John Mowson (bass) Patrick Brislan (Horn) Jack Harrison (clarinet) and Jill Harrison (bassoon) in the four movement Octet for Wind and Strings by the modern English composer Howard Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson seems to have a particular affection for clarinet and horn, and the success of the performance to some extent pivoted on Patrick Brislan’s horn playing which allowed no imperfection of tone to mar its richness. The program ended with a reduced version of Richard Strauss’s tone poem “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks”.  Originally scored for an orchestra of Wagnerian proportions of over 100 players, it was here rendered by five. Though without the percussion and heavy brass that in the full score are so graphic in describing the grotesque adventures of the mediaeval vagabond Till, it was a happy even witty performance. The final concert in the free Sunday afternoon series will be given in a fortnight.

The West Australian premiere of “Soldier’s Tale” was performed on Sunday September 29^th 1968 in a free concert put on by the A.B.C. in the Basic Kirke Studio.  Directed by Verdon Williams, the performers were Graham Wood (violin), John Mowson (bass), Jack Harrison (clarinet), Jill Harrison (bassoon), Donald Johnson (trumpet), Alan Mewitt (trombone) and Brian Sadique (percussion).

Free A.B.C. Concert Sunday September 29^th 1968

The free concert in the A.B.C.s Basil Kirke Studio tomorrow beginning at 3 o’clock is one of a series of six in which distinguished artists are performing a wide variety of works. The program will be Bartok’s outstanding and complicated “Sonata for two pianos and percussion” played by Wendy Nash and Stephen Dornan and percussionists John Reece and Brian Sadique directed by Verdon Williams and Stravinsky’s “Soldiers Tale” concert suite conducted by Verdon Williams. The performers will be Graham Wood (violin), John Mowson (bass), Jack Harrison (clarinet), Jill Harrison (bassoon), Donald Johnson (trumpet), Alan Mewitt (trombone) and Brian Sadique (percussion).

The West Australian Saturday September 28 1968

1972

Graham Wood was appointed Lecturer in Violin and Viola at the University of Western Australia Music Department in 1972 and was on the staff until he took early retirement in 1988 to pursue his performing and teaching career. He was active as the conductor of the University Orchestra and then the University Training Orchestra which developed into the Western Australian Youth Orchestra in 1981.

1975

The first Master of Music degree in performance was awarded to the clarinet player Peter Clinch in 1974 and the next two such degrees were obtained by Graham Wood in 1975 and David Bollard in 1978.

Meyer, John, Touches of Sweet Harmony: Music in The University of Western Australia 1953 – 1998, (The University of Western Australia, 1999).

1977

1979

Graham Wood led the Wigmore Ensemble a flexible chamber group comprising members of staff as well as other leading local and visiting instrumentalists.

Chamber Group off to a Good Start – By Derek Moore Morgan – 23^rd April 1979 The recently formed Wigmore Ensemble made its first public appearance last night with a delightfully varied program at the Octagon Theatre. A flexible group with no fixed numbers, it has the practical advantage of being able to present music of widely different genres some of which inevitably gets left on the shelf because it doesn’t quite fit a specific mould such as the string quartet or Trio.  This was a University of W.A. music Society recital. The performers were Graham Wood and Ashley Arbuckle (violins), John Dean (viola), Jill Cole (cello), Neil Fisenden (flute), Jack Harrison (clarinet) and Anthony Maydwell (harp). The final item, Ravel’s atmospheric and beautifully crafted “Introduction and Allegro” brought all the players together to produce a nice degree of sonority and delicacy capturing much of the subtlety of the masterpiece.  Starting with the Mozart Quartet for Flute and Strings in D major a mellifluous example of the composer’s earliest style, the players gave us a bright indication of the bubbling and effervescent Gatty of the Rondo finale.  The British composer Frank Bridge, himself a viola player, wrote a whole body of telling string music.  His little known Trio (Rhapsody) from 1928 proved to be a forward looking piece for the difficult unless usual combination of two violins and viola, with mysterious opening and closing sections surrounding an energetic central portion. The Italian composer Malpiero’s “Sonata a cinque” (1936) is an appealing piece of writing which hangs on the air like a haunting elergy. Anthony Maydwell’s expressive harp playing came to the fore here.  The Quartet for clarinet and strings by Rawsthorne is another piece of chamber music which is deftly written and manipulates varying moods. Jack Harrison’s neatly inflected clarinet tone was well handled.

Graham Wood was the leader of the Oriel String Quartet and the University of Western Australian String Trio.

Also the Arensky String Quartet which changed its name to the Western Australian String Quartet in 1982.  

 Graham served as National Music Camp Director in 1979 and 1980 and was a tutor at many other National Music Camps. He was conferred as an AYO Life Member in 2006 in recognition of his dedication to music education.

Graham spent 24 years as the WASO’s associate concertmaster. The orchestra said of his passing: 

’Graham will be remembered for his extraordinary artistry, beautiful tone, and wonderful sense of humour. Beyond the stage, Graham helped to shape WA’s music community through his dedication to teaching and mentoring, inspiring generations of violinists, including members of our Orchestra today.’

In 1974, Wood co-founded the Western Australian Youth Orchestra, for which he was most recently vice patron. The orchestra wrote on the social media: ’His enduring legacy has profoundly influenced the orchestral and artistic communities of Western Australia across multiple generations.’

Vale Graham Wood OAM

Graham Wood participated in the Australian Youth Orchestra’s (AYO) original National Music Camps from 1949 to 1954. He later served as National Music Camp Director in 1979 and 1980 and was a tutor at many other National Music Camps.  He was conferred as an AYO Life Member in 2006 in recognition of his dedication to music education.

The CEO of the AYO said of Wood: ‘His impact on music and music education will continue to inspire and benefit future generations.’ He reminisces:

I was involved  in the annual National Music Camps. My further drives east were usually to attend a Music Camp, now as a violin tutor. At this time the Camps were still held at Geelong Grammar School or St. Peters College in Adelaide. The founders of the organisation were still going strong. Ruth Alexander, John Bishop and Percy Jones, with Ron Maslyn Williams had established a tradition, which lasted for many years. The organization grew, evolving in the 21st century into the highly renowned Youth Music Australia. In the sixties students still slept in dormitories, assembled all together in the school refectory and sang grace at meals. There were strict lights out times and tight codes of behaviour. But everyone had [and still do have] a wonderful time. The staff received a tiny stipend, which only partly paid one’s drink bill, but we didn’t mind. These days they are paid professional rates for their time. One of the principal pleasures for us staff members was meeting with other musicians from all over the country, hearing the latest gossip and playing chamber music together. I continued my involvement with Music Camps for many years and in many differing roles – as conductor, Camp Director, member of the Board etc. My enthusiasm for the Music Camp movement stemmed from my own experience as a student, an experience which I’ve seen mirrored in hundreds of later Campers, an excitement and stimulation about music making which led me to the decision that being a musician was exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

His pivotal role as an educator also included his work as an examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board, where he continued to work until 2022. He also adjudicated many of WA’s string competitions for young players. 

Graham composed a clarinet quintet which was premiered by Jack Harrison.

QUINTET FOR CLARINET AND STRINGS – 1966 MUSIC LOVER’S DIARY

The Oriel String Quartet, of which Ashley Arbuckle is a member, will combine with clarinettist Jack Harrison to give a recital for the Kylie Music Club in the Skinner Galleries at 8.15pm on May 8.  The programme will include Graham Wood’s Quintet for Clarinet and Strings.  Proceeds will go to the W.A. Music Bursary Trust Fund.

The Chamber Music Society and the Kylie Music Club will hold a combined recital in the Skinner Galleries at 8.15 tomorrow.  The Oriel String Quartet, of which Ashley Arbuckle is a new member, will be joined by clarinettist Jack Harrison in a concert.  The proceeds will go to the W.A. Music Bursary Trust Fund.  The programme will include Graham Wood’s Quintet for Clarinet and Strings.  Mr Wood and Mr Arbuckle are beginning to make their marks as composers.  Both are new Bachelors of Music.  The Chamber Music Society welcomes guests at it s musical evenings and aims to have 150 to 200 members this year.  The Kylie Club is also seeking new members.

May 8^th 1966 – RECITAL WILL AID FUND – By Sally Trethowan

The Kylie Music Club and the Chamber Music Society combined their monthly meetings last night in a special program in the Skinner Galleries to aid the W A. Music Bursary Trust Fund. The Oriel String Quartet played works by Haydn and Brahms and with clarinettist Jack Harrison performed a quintet for clarinet and strings by the Oriel’s leader Graham Wood.  Mr. Wood has much to say in his music and he communicates it in an idiom easily comprehended by even the conservative in the audience. His quintet is tightly constructed and the music, even in the scherzo’s taut rhythms, is romantic and appeals strongly to the listener’s emotions. The clarinet role is conceived as a solo song threading the string texture. Jack Harrison last night gave this part an eloquent reading especially in the wistful soliloquy that opens and concludes the work.  

On 24 September 2005, Australian violinist and educator Graham Wood OAM died at age 95. Throughout his career, he was a highly influential and dedicated member of the Australian musical community, not only as a violinist but also as a passionate educator who shaped the development of string playing and teaching in Western Australia (WA).

https://www.thestrad.com/news/influential-australian-violinist-and-educator-graham-wood-dies/20290.article

https://theviolinchannel.com/australian-violinist-graham-wood-has-passed-away/

Vale Graham Wood, violinist and educator

He and his wife Patricia had three children: Adrian, Martin (dec) and Imogen.