Iva Davies

Iva Davies entered the world in Wauchope, New South Wales, Australia, on May 22, 1955, marking him as the final descendant in a lengthy Welsh lineage. Even with this Welsh heritage, his initial musical foray involved bagpipes prior to switching to the oboe, an instrument that secured multiple scholarships for him at the NSW State Conservatorium of Music. It was not until 1989, following ten years with his mainstream rock band Icehouse—essentially Davies' alias—and collaborations including Brian Eno, that the oboe brought him formal recognition as an Associate of Music Australia. Beyond his work with Icehouse, Davies has produced two ballet scores—Boxes from 1985 and Berlin from 1995—along with the soundtrack for video director Russell Mulcahy's Razorback, and a 40-minute performance of his composition Great Southern Land on the eve of the millennium. This rendition, staged at the Sydney Opera House, served as the central element in his classically focused project The Ghost of Time. Davies' latest contribution came in the form of Circles in the Sky, composed for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.