Vernon Lisle (1906-1995) : Associate Artist
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Random Audio Sample: Piano sonata No. 1 (solo piano) by Vernon Lisle, from the CD Music for a champagne breakfast |
Vernon Lisle studied violin and piano from an early age, but studied engineering at Melbourne's Swinburne College. After winning a prestigious singing scholarship, however, Lisle abandoned his engineering studies in order to pursue a career in music. While at university, he sang professionally, conducted choirs and composed, as well as studying. His university years were followed by several as a conductor, and then a brief period as the manager of a music store.
Lisle worked also in vaudeville , musical comedy and opera, before the outbreak of World War II saw him enter the RAAF, where he was in air intelligence.
After the war Lisle's career was mainly in broadcasting - he spent twenty-five years at 2KO Newcastle, the ABC, and 2UW Sydney as programme and studio manager.
Vernon Lisle submitted his first manuscript in 1924, and the scores that follow include popular ballads and songs for children, as well as art songs and 'serious' music for strings and keyboard.
His achievements were many: he was the first person in Australia to sing on radio (3LO Melbourne); he was the founder of Carols By Candlelight, and compere for the event for fourteen years; as President of the Fellowship of Australian Composers, he was instrumental in raising private funding to enable the 1985 Asian Composers League conference to be held in Australia. Lisle was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to music in 1991.
Vernon Lisle died in February, 1995.