Vaughan McAlley briefly studied flute at the University of Melbourne
with Prudence Davis before specialising in Composition under Brenton
Broadstock. Since joining the chamber choir Ensemble Gombert in 1999
he has composed primarily choral music, exploring the potential of the
relatively strict rules of renaissance counterpoint combined with just
intonation, a typically choral method of tuning. Major works include
the 3rd Sinfonietta for orchestra (2003), Missa Caelestis for choir
(2003), Veritas de terra orta est for choir (2005-2009), Four Chorale
Preludes in Mass Form for piano (2008), written for Michael Kieran
Harvey, Chaconne for double string orchestra (2009), and Lamentations
for choir (2012). Ensemble Gombert has performed Missa Caelestis in
2007, and Veritas de terra orta est in 2009, both recorded by ABC
Classic-FM.
For his fortieth birthday party in 2010, Vaughan organised
a performance of Thomas Tallis’ Spem in alium, and presented the first
section of his own forty-part motet, Omnes angeli. Omnes angeli was
completed late in 2012, and was performed on 26 October 2013 at The
Dome, 333 Collins Street Melbourne by Ensemble Gombert, conducted by John
O’Donnell.
Since then he has written a String Quartet (2016), To
Rosamounde (2015), a balade with words by Geoffrey Chaucer, and A Human
Requiem (2019) for a cappella choir. His album Music for 4 to 40
parts was released in August 2019, and contains many of the pieces mentioned
above.
Vaughan is a principal tenor at Scots Church in Melbourne. He married Leonie Tonkin in 2007 and they now has two excellent daughters. He also enjoys the gym, sauna culture, extracting a good espresso, and computer programming.
