My teaching philosophy is closely connected with my life experience as a musician. it predicates the notion of a 'complete' musician rather than a specialist. To that end, I have constantly cultivated excellence in a number of spheres of activity.

As a composer, I am possibly the most commissioned Australian composer and have consciously tried to work in as many genres as possible, including opera, theatre, orchestral music, chamber music, solo music, vocal music, transcriptions.

As a pianist I have constantly explored the repertoire through various byways, some quite a long way off the beaten mainstream track and certainly have deliberately concentrated on performing our own Australian music.

As a researcher, my books have honed in on primary research and my various books have become standard texts in areas such as Ferruccio Busoni, Anton Rubinstein, Alkan, Classical Reproducing Piano Rolls, Music of the twentieth century avant-garde, Music of the repressed Russian avant-garde, 20th century Australian piano music.

As a teacher, I have endeavoured to act as a role model and engender in my pupils a similar outlook towards the profession; I feel that a good teacher should aim to make himself redundant; our role should also be that of a facilitator and problem solver, whether it is the fingering of a difficult piano passage, or the structure of a new composition.

I have worked with every orchestra in Australia and lectured at every tertiary institution. The list of CDs of my compositions and of my own playing is very extensive, and mirrors the philosophy outlined above. My areas of speciality, apart from those given already, include Roy Agnew, Rosemary Brown, mysticism, mythology.

I have been the recipient of many honours including Order of Australia, Centenary Medal, Advance Australia award, and cultural ambassadorships to China, Russia, USA.

I have been a foundation member of the School of Music since 1966, and have held the positions of Head of Composition studies, Head of Academic Studies, and Head of Keyboard Studies.

click here to see The Sitsky Collection at the National Library of Australia