Don Harper(1921-1999)

Don Harper studied under Raymond Hanson at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music in Australia. A jazz violinist and conductor, he became the leader of one of Australia's most successful big bands, and a successful composer of music for film and television. Harper traveled to England and during his time there appeared frequently on British radio and television, and performed at clubs and hotels such as the London Palladium, the Savoy Hotel, Talk of the Town, and the Windmill. He also recorded for Pye and Nixa. After seven successful years in the UK, Harper returned to Australia where he toured the capital cities with Dave Brubeck's Quartet, before settling in Sydney. He spent the next four years in the recording studio, and performing on television, radio, and in hotels and jazz clubs around the country. Returning again to England, Harper turned to composition. He achieved great success in this field, writing theme and background music for many British TV shows. Harper returned to Australia in 1983, taking up the position of Head of Jazz Studies at the Wollongong University's School of Creative Arts, a position he held until 1990.