In 1988 whilst a viola player in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Brett Dean began arranging and composing, working in improvisation for radio and film projects in his homeland of Australia. He became established in his own right following the success of his ballet One of a Kind, and returned to Australia in 2000 as a full-time composer. His works are now performed worldwide and championed by leading conductors including Sir Simon Rattle.
Works by Brett Dean notably include: Carlo (1997) for strings, sampler and tape Beggars and Angels (1999) for large orchestra Pastoral Symphony (2001) for chamber orchestra