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Conyngham’s crowning glory

With the new Melbourne Conservatorium set to be an enduring testament to his career, Australian composer and academic Barry Conyngham has finally retired – though he’s still writing music.

by Vincent Plush on 22 February, 2021

Conyngham's crowning glory

With the new Melbourne Conservatorium set to be an enduring testament to his career, Australian composer and academic Barry Conyngham has finally retired – though he’s still writing music.

Several times over the past decade, Barry Conyngham has threatened to retire. Few believed him but he has finally done it. On 31 December, 2020, Dr Barry Conyngham AM, DMus, formally retired as the Redmond Barry Distinguished Emeritus Professor at the University of Melbourne, after 10 years there as Dean of Fine Arts and Music.

There is no single word to describe Conyngham, now 76. Composer,...