Barry Conyngham was born in Sydney Australia.

He studied with Peter Sculthorpe  in Australia and with Toru Takemitsu in Japan.

 

He has received numerous awards, prizes and grants for composition, including Churchill (1970), Harkness (1972-74), Australia Council (1975), and Senior Fulbright (1982) Fellowships.  He has an ARIA and two Sounds Australian Critics Awards.

 

 In 1997 his contribution to his country was recognised when he became a Member of the Order of Australia.

 

Conyngham has over seventy compositions under contract with Universal Edition (London, Vienna), Boosey and Hawkes (Sydney, London) and Hal Leonard (Melbourne). There are over thirty recordings featuring his compositions (most notably a complete CD by the London Symphony Orchestra).

 

Recent premieres are VEILS 2 in Oslo in 2003 , DREAMS GO WANDERING STILL for orchestra, at the 2004 Adelaide Festival, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra premiered his large work for Baritone and Orchestra, FIX at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall in August 2004 and the Melbourne Symphony gave the first performance of NOW THAT DARKNESS in May 2005.  2006 saw the premieres of CATHEDRAL in Edinburgh,  TO THE EDGE a work for the Pro Arte chamber orchestra in Melbourne and a chamber opera ELECTRIC LENIN commissioned by Lyndon Terracini,