20/08/2026
✨ Composer Spotlight: Dr Anne Cawrse ✨
Dr Anne Cawrse is an Adelaide-based composer whose music blends soaring melodies, rhythmic interplay, and a colourful harmonic palette. Anne is currently a lecturer at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide, alongside being a highly sought after orchestra and chamber music composer. Anne has also championed female composers through curating events like 'She Speaks'.
Anne's work, 'Nightshade' from her 'Studies in Odd TImes' appears in AMEB's Piano Series 19 Grade 8 Grade book. While nightshade ordinarily refers to a family of plants (including tomatoes, capsicums, and potatoes), in the case of Anne's piece, it alludes to the nocturne genre. Using a unique 4+2+3 quaver grouping, students are encouraged to internalise the rhythm by clapping, tapping, or even walking the rhythm until it feels completely natural.
When reflecting on musical or technical skills Anne wanted students to develop from 'Nightshade', she wanted students to "come away with a greater knowledge and level of comfort with irregular time signatures".
🎹 Find Anne Cawrse’s music in AMEB Piano Series 19
📖 Read more: https://www.ameb.edu.au/blog/composer-spotlight-dr-anne-cawrse/
🛒 Purchase: https://www.ameb.edu.au/shop/music/keyboard/piano/series-19
