Compositions
Below is a list of some key works that Matt Ottley has composed music for.
Dance of the Jellyfish
The Dance of the Jellyfish was composed for the 2025 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge to accompany the poster that Matt also designed. The music was performed and recorded by The Arts Unit, featuring talented student musicians from across NSW. It is written for String quintet (2 x violin, viola, cello, double bass), timpani, piano and French horn.
- Download a free copy of the music here – Dance of the Jellyfish.
- Download a free copy of the Dance of the Jellyfish resource notes.
- Download a free copy of the 2025 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge Poster
The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness
The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness is Matt’s largest intermodal project to date, weaving together the worlds of literature, music and visual art in the story of one boy’s journey into mental illness. Through this project Matt hopes that readers and listeners will be offered a visual and auditory experience about beauty and resilience, society and belief, that at its heart expresses hope for a greater understanding and embracing of difference.
The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness is a work for adults/young adults published by One Tentacle Publishing. In book form it contains 74 artworks and a 50 minute musical work. A film version of the work has also been created by Matt, combining the words, images and music. Click here for more information and samples of the music.
Teacup
A 40 minute ensemble work with accompanying images/animations produced by Matt, along with additional text and lyrics by Rebecca Young, was commissioned by MusicBook Inc for its launch at the 2017 Perth Fringe Festival.
The music for Teacup is scored for a chamber orchestra (piano, violin, cello, double bass, electric organ, pre-recorded natural sounds, a Baroque recorder quartet, two singers and a narrator). The accompanying images, both still and animated, are based on the oil paintings in the book. The whole is a dynamic, multi artistic experience that further explores the themes of love, grief, fear, awe and great joy that are expressed in the book. At times the music is tranquil, poignant and reflective, at other times wild and exuberant.
Requiem for a Beast
Requiem for a Beast was Matt’s first intermodal work, scored for chamber orchestra, two singers and a narrator. It was published in 2005 by Hachette Livre/Lothian and featured a CD accompanying the book.
Below is a snippet from the fourth movement of Requiem for a Beast.Name: Exerpt from Pie Jesu
Artist: Hester Hannah soprano, Elandra Ensemble
Album: Requiem for a Beast
King Hit
In 2007 the album King Hit was released by Interactive Publications. It is a collection of poems by Stephen Oliver, set to music by Matt. Most of the tracks are poems recited by Stephen, with a couple of tracks sung by soprano Hester Hannah. The musical accompaniment for the album covers a wide range of genres and styles from classical to rock to blues/jazz.
Below is an excerpt from King Hit:
Name: A Simple Tale
Artist: Stephen Oliver voice, Matt Ottley oud
Album: King Hit