Louise Denson is an award-winning pianist/composer/arranger whose career crosses
numerous musical boundaries. Her training in jazz and classical music and her love of Afro-
Cuban and Brazilian rhythms have led her to perform in, and compose for, multifarious
contexts. From jazz piano trio to big band, to art songs for classical voice and chamber
works, she has an abiding commitment to melody, rich, jazz-inFlected harmony and to
creating music which communicates on a strong emotional level with audiences.
Trained at New England Conservatory (Boston) with such luminaries as Paul Bley and
George Russell, she has issued 7 CDs of original work. Nova Nova (2021) earned a 4-star
review in the Weekend Australian Review - ‘Eight cleverly arranged compositions by
Denson produce beautiful improvisations from all players’ (Eric Meyers). Colours of Your
Love (2018, with Ingrid James and Wild Silk Strings Project) featured compositions and
arrangements for jazz quintet plus voice and strings and received acclaim from around the
world - ‘The listener is taken on a thrilling journey through an eclectic repertoire with a
vast emotional landscape’ (Pete Churchill, Professor of Jazz Composition, Royal Academy of
Music, London).
Denson’s compositions have been widely performed. ‘Saborea el momento’ was
commissioned by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Cooktown Cantata: Songs of Love,
Place and Identity, a 50-min work for 3 voices and 6-piece ensemble, was commissioned by
the Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery Association (Cooktown) for the 250th anniversary of the
voyage of the Endeavour to Far North Queensland. Her current project, mulaka milaythina,
is a 35-min work for 10-piece jazz/classical ensemble and narrator. It was commissioned by
the Clarence Jazz Festival 2023, supported by Festivals Australia. Her works have been
performed/recorded by artists as diverse as Downbeat poll-winning trombonist Bill
Watrous, Bell Award-winning vocalist Elly Hoyt, Viney-Grinberg Duo, Muses Trio, and
Southern Cross Soloists.
Denson continues to perform and compose from her base in Hobart, and to collaborate with
renowned musicians across Australia. She is an Associate Artist with the Australian Music
Centre. A selection of her fully scored works are published by Wirripang.