Feature Film & Orchestral Excerpts
TV Drama Excerpts
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“

The very first strains I heard of Dale’s music were enough for me to understand I had come across a truly unique artist

Michael Petroni (Writer, Director, Showrunner; The Book Thief, Messiah, Backtrack)
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Working with Dale has been one of the most creative and satisfying experiences I have had in over 25 years of producing.

George Adams, Executive Producer and Creator of The Doctor Blake Mysteries
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...He has created in Blake some of the finest music I have ever heard and a theme tune that is so emotionally strong and evocative that it has become another character in the show.

George Adams, Executive Producer and Creator of The Doctor Blake Mysteries
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Amazing music soundtrack - nocturnal and ominous

Film Buff's Forecast - Backtrack score (starring Adrien Brody)
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Absolutely gorgeous score….Here the music speaks in ways the characters do not

Epinions.com (Till Human Voices Wake Us)
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Dale Cornelius’s original music, inexorably majestic and awesomely tragic, drives the mission

review of 'Uranium - Twisting the Dragon's Tail' The Australian Newspaper
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Some composers tend to do the same thing again and again. Not Dale Cornelius. His scores…were all distinct and highly inventive

Sally Ingleton (producer & director) 360 Degree Films
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Cornelius' score provides a thick, robust injection of moody atmosphere to the film that truly sells the darkness.

We Are Movie Geeks review of Backtrack feature film
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Loved the theme music. Dare I say it, but it's as good as (no, better than) the theme music for Midsomer Murders. Just brilliant!

scottmac99 (Doctor Blake Mysteries)
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Dale Cornelius' music score contributes greatly

Louise Keller - Urban Cinefile - review of BACKTRACK feature film
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Stunningly good. An excellent example of my thesis that all of the great current "classical" music is being written for films and TV!

C Noble (fan email)
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Kangaroo Mob has a theme so catchy I find myself humming it from week to week. I just adore what you have done with this film!

Karina Holden, ex-Commissioning Editor, Science & Natural History, ABC Documentaries
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Congratulations on your nomination! A very worthy recognition of a great score

John Moore, Producer of Gallipoli From Above

MAJOR AWARDS and NOMINATIONS

2022 AACTA nomination (AACTA is Australia’s version of the Academy Awards)

Best Original Score in Documentary

Age of Rage – The Australian Punk Revolution (Documentary)

2018 AUSTRALIAN SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS nomination

Best Music in a Documentary

 

The Story of Earth (IMAX) (Documentary)

2018 AUSTRALIAN SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS nomination

Best Music in a Documentary

 

My Mother’s Lost Children (BBC) (Documentary)

2018 AUSTRALIAN SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS nomination

Best Music in a Television Series

 

Doctor Blake Mysteries (Television Drama) (Season 5)

2017 AUSTRALIAN SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS nomination

Best Music in a Documentary

Mother With A Gun (Netflix USA) (Documentary)

2015 AACTA nomination

Best Music in a Documentary

Uranium, Twisting the Dragon’s Tail (Documentary Series)

2014 AUSTRALIAN SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS nomination

Best Music in a Television Series

Doctor Blake Mysteries (Television Drama) Season 2

2013 AUSTRALIAN SCREEN MUSIC AWARD

Best Television Theme

The Doctor Blake Mysteries (Television Drama)

2012 AACTA AWARD

Best Sound/Music for a Documentary

Dr. Sarmast’s Music School (Documentary)

2011 AUSTRALIAN SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS nomination

Best Music in a Documentary

Gallipoli From Above (Documentary)

2010 Danish Film Academy Awards nomination

Best Music in a Feature Film

Ved Verdens Ende/At World’s End (Feature Film)

2010 AUSTRALIAN SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS nomination

Best Music in a Short Film

Polo’s Robot (Short Film)

2009 IF Award nomination

Best Music in a Feature Film

 

Adam Elliot’s ‘Mary & Max’ (Feature Film)

2002 The Age Newspaper, Critic’s Choice

Best Australian Feature Film Score

Till Human Voices Wake Us (Feature Film)

2000 Australian Guild of Screen Composers Award

Best Music in a Corporate Film

Rip Curl – The Search – Corporate Worldwide

1999 Australian Guild of Screen Composers Award

Best Music in a Corporate Film

Mirvac ‘Melburnian’ String Quartet

As Seen On

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SCREEN MUSIC & OTHER MAJOR WORKS

  • Music Director-Composer QIDDIYA IRL GAMING CITY (2022 – )
  • BREAKAWAY FEMMES (2024) Feature Documentary
  • THE WAY HOME (2024) Short Documentary
  • SENSES OF CINEMA (2022) MIFF Premier Fund Feature Documentary
  • AGE OF RAGE – THE AUSTRALIAN PUNK REVOLUTION (2021) Feature Documentary Sheffield DocFest, MIFF, DOCnROLL (UK), Antenna, Adelaide & Brisbane Films Festivals
  • CRACKING COVID (2021) ABC feature length documentary
  • PHIL LIGGETT – THE VOICE OF CYCLING (2020) Adelaide Film Festival & national release through HOYTS cinemas (2021)
  • NIGHT SHIFT (2020) Short Film (drama)
  • THE GREAT BARRIER REEF (2019) IMAX Giant Screen 3D Documentary
  • WAR MOTHERS – UNBREAKABLE (2019) Short Film – Tribeca Film Festival (NYC) Sydney Film Festival (AUS) & AACTA Best Short Doco Nomination (2019)
  • EARTH STORY (2018) IMAX Giant Screen 3D Documentary. Nominated for Best Music in a Documentary Australian Screen Music Awards 2018
  • THE BLAKE MYSTERIES (2018) Starring Nadine Garner, Channel 7 Feature Length Telemovie
  • THE DOCTOR BLAKE MYSTERIES (2013-2017) 44 x 52min & 1 x 106min Drama, Seasons 1-5, on ABC & BBC One. Winner of Best Television Theme (2013) & twice nominated for Best Music in a Television Series (2014 & 2018) at the Australian Screen Music Awards
  • MY MOTHER’S LOST CHILDREN (2017) Feature Length Documentary BBC/ABC. Nominated for Best Music in a Documentary Australian Screen Music Awards 2018
  • FAIR GAME (2017) 52min Documentary for SBS
  • THE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN SPACE (2016) IMAX Giant Screen 3D Documentary
  • MOTHER WITH A GUN (2016) Feature Length Documentary, Netflix U.S. Nominated for Best Music in a Documentary Australian Screen Music Awards 2017
  • BLINKY BILL (2015) (children’s animation) feature film with the voices of Robin McLeavy, Toni Collette, Ryan Kwanten, Barry Humphries and Deborah Mailman
  • URANIUM – TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL (2015) 3 x 52min Documentary Series, PBS America, SBS, ZDF, ARTE,  AACTA nomination Best Original Music Score in a Documentary 2015
  • REMEMBERING THE MAN (2015) feature-length documentary, AACTA nomination Best Feature Documentary 2016
  • BACKTRACK (2014) (psychological thriller) feature film written & directed by Michael Petroni. Starring Adrien Brody and Sam Neil. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival NYC 2015
  • HIDDEN UNIVERSE (2013), IMAX Giant Screen 3D documentary
  • JFK – THE SMOKING GUN (2013) 92min Dramatised Documentary, ReelZ Channel U.S.A. & SBS Aust.
  • DEVIL ISLAND (2013) Natural History Series (6 x 1/2hr) ABC, ITV, FranceTV
  • AIM HIGH IN CREATION (2013) Feature Length Documentary, official selection Melbourne International Film Festival 2013
  • ACID OCEAN/LETHAL SEAS (PBS America) (2013) Natural History Documentary
  • POSSUM WARS (2013) ABC Australia Natural History Documentary
  • CLIFFY – The Cliff Young Story (feature length drama) (2012) ABC tele-movie
  • DIRTY BUSINESS (2012) 3 x 52min documentary series for SBS
  • DR. SARMAST’S MUSIC SCHOOL (2012) feature length documentary, Sydney Int. Film Festival & AACTA Award for Best Sound/Music in a documentary
  • QUEEN OF THE DESERT (2012) documentary for ABC
  • ANATOMY: BRAIN (2012) documentary for ABC
  • GALLIPOLI FROM ABOVE (2012) documentary for History Channel, nominated for Best Music in a Documentary at The Australian Screen Music Awards 2012
  • AUSTRALIA ON TRIAL (2011) documentary drama series (3 x 1hr) ABC
  • THE TRIANGLE WARS (2011) feature length documentary, official selection Melbourne International Film Festival
  • AUSTRALIA’S GREATEST FLOOD (2011) documentary for National Geographic U.S.A.
  • CASSOWARIES (2010) Narrated by David Attenborough – BBC Natural World S27 E13
  • Composer for Australia’s pavilion at the WORLD EXPO in Shanghai, China (2010)
  • OUT OF THE ASHES (2010) ABC & WNET New York
  • PENGUIN ISLAND (2010) 6 x 50mins documentary series BBC1, ABC, ARTE France & National Geographic. Nominated for Best Music @ Wild Talk Africa International, along with BBC’s The Great Tide & Disney Nature’s A Love Story That Feeds the Earth
  • CHARLES BEAN’S GREAT WAR (2010) documentary for The History Channel
  • MARY & MAX (2009) (claymation) feature film written & directed by Adam Elliot. Featuring the voices of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Eric Bana and Barry Humphries. Opening Night Selection Sundance Film Festival 2009. Nominated Best Music in a Feature Film at the 2009 Australian IF Awards
  • AT WORLD’S END (2009) (action/adventure/comedy) feature film starring Nikolaj Kie Kaas & Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones). Nominated for Best Music in a Feature Film Danish Film Academy Awards 2009
  • CHARLIE & BOOTS (2009) (drama/comedy) feature film starring Shane Jacobson & Paul Hogan
  • 10 CONDITIONS OF LOVE (2009) documentary, Melb International Film Festival
  • TRIPLE ZERO HEROES (2009) Observational TV documentary series, 7 episodes, Channel 7 Australia
  • ONCE BITTEN (2009) documentary series SBS – AFI/AACTA nomination
  • FAMILY FOOTSTEPS (2007-2008) reality/documentary series 1 & 2, ABC
  • MURDER IN THE SNOW (2008) documentary BBC & SBS
  • Composer for Australia’s pavilion at the WORLD EXPO inNagoya, Japan (2006)
  • STRANGE BEDFELLOWS (2004) (comedy) feature film starring Paul Hogan, Pete Postlethwaite & Michael Caton
  • TILL HUMAN VOICES WAKE US (2002) (drama/mystic/romance) feature film written & directed by Michael Petroni. Starring Guy Pearce and Helena Bonham Carter. The Age Newspaper Critic’s Choice for Best Music in an Australian Feature Film 2002
  • THE SADDLE CLUB (2001) 26 episodes

Dale Cornelius wishes to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the unceded lands and waters of the Boon Wurrung people, within the Kulin Nation, on which his work is produced and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.