Mia Palencia co-ordinates the Songwriter programme at the Conservatorium of Music. She is passionate about songwriting education, creative process as well as collaborative music that celebrates the old and new.

Biography

Before embarking on her academic journey, Mia spent the first 10 years of her career as a recording musician, releasing 6 albums in both the jazz and singer-songwriter genres and performing extensively throughout South-East Asia. In 2010, Mia was offered a full scholarship to study at the Conservatorium of Music. She has since been awarded a University Medal in recognition of her work and is currently completing her PhD.

Mia is a highly-sought after composer for musical theatre, film and television. In 2014, she was commissioned by the Kuala Lumpur City Council to compose her first musical, MUD: Our Story of KL. The show ran for an unprecedented 3 years, making it Malaysia’s longest running musical. Her second musical, Ola Bola The Musical (2017), has enjoyed three successful runs and won 8 awards at the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards, including Best Original Score. In 2017, Mia was also invited to compose and produce “So Many Hands”, which became the official theme song of the 2017 South East Asian Games. In 2018, Mia embarked on a five-city tour of Malaysia with Tasmania’s Derwent Valley Concert Band (DVCB) to premiere a new suite of works. The Pengertian Suite is a modern-day immigrant story, drawing from Mia’s family heritage, as well as her journey to Australia.

Career summary

Qualifications

• BMus (1^st Class Hons), University of Tasmania, Australia 2014

Languages (other than English)

Bahasa Melayu

Memberships

Other

• Musicological Society of Australia

Teaching

Teaching expertise

Songwriting, contemporary voice