Assoc/Prof Alan Lourens

Head of School
School of Music

Contact details

Address

School of Music
The University of Western Australia (M413)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 1031

Fax

6488 1076

Email

alan.lourens@uwa.edu.au

Qualifications

BEd WACAE, MMus DMus Indiana

Biography

Dr. Alan Lourens is Head of the School of Music at the University of Western Australia. He also directs the Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Brass Ensemble, as well as teaching conducting, pedagogy and courses in music education.

Previously, Dr. Lourens has held Professorial positions in Singapore, Dubai and Australia at leading arts institutions. Dr. Lourens appears as a guest conductor for orchestras and bands throughout Asia, Australia and the US, and regularly performs internationally on Euphonium. He is also active in the Brass Band movement in Australia, both as a conductor and soloist. In 2008, Dr. Lourens was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

On Euphonium, he regularly appears as an international soloist, and has recorded and toured with ensembles including the Philharmonia à Vent, the Australian Wind Orchestra and the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, under such conductors as Frederick Fennell, Harry Begian, Vernon Handley, Ray E. Cramer and Simone Young.
Dr. Lourens holds a Doctorate in Conducting and Masters degree in Euphonium Performance from Indiana University, where he studied conducting with Ray E. Cramer and Euphonium with Daniel Perantoni, M. Dee Stewart and Harvey G. Phillips. He received a coveted Performers Certificate for the quality of his Masters recital.

His undergraduate degree is in Music Education from the Western Australian College of Advanced Education. In that state, Dr. Lourens taught high school music for 5 years where he directed award winning ensembles, before being appointed as the Conducting Support Teacher for the state of Western Australia.

Prof. Lourens has many articles and music publications to his credit, including analysis contributions to the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series of books, recent contributions to the US Based MBM Times and in 2010 co-authored several books on the planning, policy and development of Universities. Cimarron Publishing has released his arrangements for both band and orchestra.

Publications

Lourens, Alan, Audible Music-like Repertoire, California Music Educators Association Magazine, Volume 65, No. 2 (Allen Petrinka, ed), Tujunga, California, USA, February, 2012. ISSN 1099-6710

Berry, Richard, Robert Ely and Alan Lourens, Universities: Curriculum Development, TPG Publishing, Singapore. ISBN: 1452804001, EAN: 978-1452804002 (April, 2011)

Lourens, Alan, Line over Matter: Steve Rouse’s Rocket
Lourens, Alan, Frank Ticheli’s San Antonio Dances
MBM News, Issue # 6, (Robert Margolis, ed), New York, July 2011

Berry, Richard, Robert Ely and Alan Lourens, Universities: Policies, Procedures, Planning, TPG Publishing, Singapore. ISBN 1451526598. EAN: 9781451526592.

Lourens, Alan Canonfire for Concert Band 
World Premier May 2010 at California State University, Northridge. Lawrence F. Stoffel, Conductor

Lourens, Alan, Transformations on an Idea: Instinctive Travels by Michael Markowski
Lourens, Alan, Traveling a Colourful Road: Soulström by Jodie Blackshaw
Lourens, Alan, Never Mind the Teaching Points: Is it Any Good? Metro by Gregory B. Rudgers 
MBM News, Issue # 5, (Robert Margolis, ed), New York, December, 2009

Lourens, Alan, A Model for a Global Network of Art Institutions, Paper presented at Multiple & Network: World Forum for Higher Professional Art Education, Taipei National University of the Arts. October, 2007

Signals: Instrumental and Electro-Acoustic Music of Jeff Hass (Compact Disc), Indiana University Wind Orchestra, Ray E. Cramer, Conductor. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2004 (Alan Lourens Euphonium)

Lourens, Alan, Punchinello, (Chapter) Teaching Music through Performing Marches, Carl Chevallard, et al, GIA Publications, January, 2003, ISBN: 1-57999-261-7

Lourens, Alan, Community Banding, Australian National Band and Orchestra Conference, Perth, Western Australia. ABODA, 2002

Lourens, Alan, Elegy, (Chapter) Teaching Music through Performance in Band, Vol. III. Blocher, Corporon, et al, GIA Publications, January, 2001, 1-57999-092-4

Lourens, Alan, Conducting Community Ensembles Australian National Band and Orchestra Conductors Conference, Perth, 2001

Lourens, Alan, The Band Movement in the New Millennium, Australian Band World Magazine, January, 1999


Lourens, Alan, Sandy Bay March,
Lourens, Alan, Fantasy on Sakura, Sakura,
Lourens, Alan, Symphony No 1 “Lord of the Rings”, (Chapters) 
Teaching Music through Performance in Band, Vol. II. Blocher, Corporon, et al, et Al, GIA Publications, 1998 ISBN: 1-57999-028-2

Lourens, Alan, Chance Encounters with Learning in the Middle, Australia's Band World Magazine, Vol 8 No. 3, June 2000

Lourens, Alan, Vocalise Rachmaninoff arr. Lourens, (Sheet Music) Cimarron Music and Productions, Connecticut 1998

Philharmonia à Vent (CD Recording) Frederick Fennell & John Boyd, Conductors. Cleveland: ELF Publications, 1995 (Alan Lourens, Euphonium)

Lourens, Alan, Bluebells of Scotland Pryor arr. Lourens. (Sheet Music) Tuba part edited by Daniel Perantoni, Cimarron Music and Productions, Connecticut, 1999

Lourens, Alan, Czardas - Monti Arr. Lourens, (Sheet Music) Cimarron Music and Productions, Connecticut, 1998

Roles, responsibilities and expertise

Head of School
Coordinator of Winds and Brass

Honours and awards

Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
Teaching Excellence Recognition Award, Indiana University, 1996
Honorary Member, Kappa Kappa Psi
Member, Pi Kappa Lambda

Previous positions

Vice-President, EMAAR University of the Arts, Dubai
Vice-President, LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore
Head of Classical Music, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University

Teaching

Communication Skills in Music
Instrumental and Vocal Pedagogy
Introduction to Music Education
Wind & Brass Concert Practice
Conducting
Euphonium Performance
Tuba Performance

Current external positions

Conductor, WA Youth Symphonic Band
Musical Director, RASWA Brass

New and noteworthy

Premier Performances as Conductor
James Ledger Home Movies
Stefan Pugliesi Ring/Resonance for Orchestra
Sharon Wong This Crumbling Pageant for Orchestra
John Pax Chrysalis for Orchestra
John Gaynor Hear No Evil for Orchestra
Alan Lourens Elegy for Brass Band
Alan Lourens Canonfire for Concert Band
Rob Wiffen Trombone Concerto (Concert Band Version) (Brett Baker, Trombone)
Iain Grandage Dawn/Dusk for 2 Choirs, and 2 Brass Ensemble

Research profile

Research profile and publications