An annual prize is inspiring composition students from The University of Western Australia’s Conservatorium of Music to take a cross-disciplinary and creative approach to composing future classics.

The Dorothy Ellen Ransom Prize – the Conservatorium’s most prestigious prize for composition –  alternates between works written for orchestra or a mixed ensemble.

Students choose an artwork from the Lines in the Sand exhibition, featuring works from UWA collections, on display at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery as inspiration for their composition, which is then performed by professional musicians for an audience in the gallery.

Dr James Ledger, Chair of Composition at UWA’s Conservatorium of Music, said the artworks provided an exciting stimulus for the student composers who otherwise might start off staring at a blank canvas.

“Composers have been inspired by many things whether it be the seasons, the planets or landscapes and in this case it’s artworks,” Dr Ledger said.

“Hearing their music performed live is a real highlight for students, offering a richness and immediacy that goes far beyond the computer playback they often rely on during the composing process.”

This year, three Bachelor of Music students were shortlisted to be finalists and composed music for oboe and percussion.

Reece Webber wrote a piece to be performed to Rina Franz’s self-portrait I – you, Joonwoo Kim was inspired by Self Portrait by Yoshiko Tsushima (now Gunning), and Gabriel Yacopetti chose two artworks Hanging Mask by Leanne Emmitt and Is this my other as others see me? by Angela Stewart.

Lee Kinsella, curator of the exhibition and Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art at UWA, said music students had a particular aptitude for responding to visual stimulus with sound.

“When they were viewing the artworks, the students were already hearing certain instruments and starting to compose in their head,” Ms Kinsella said.

“I normally work with visual artists or artists who work with sound quite differently, so to see their relationship with art was a really unique insight.”

The Dorothy Ellen Ransom Prize was awarded to Joonwoo and Gabriel won the People’s award for most popular piece.

“It's such a brilliant project, to be able to work with real musicians and hear something of yours come to life,” Joonwoo said.

“The sound and acoustics of this gallery is so much better than whatever I could have wanted, and it really helped to finish the piece off in a brilliant way.”