Composing his own music comes naturally to James Cuddeford

In classical music tradition, orchestra leaders - also known as concertmasters - are masters of the violin. Their experience in directing an ensemble may lead some to conducting, but few take up the lonely task of composing: James Cuddeford, therefore, is a rare example.

"I started composing almost immediately when I started playing," the Hong Kong Sinfonietta concertmaster recalls. "I didn't understand why I had to be playing funny old pieces, so I started making up my own pieces on the piano. Even now, I don't see any separation between [performing and composing]."

The Brisbane-born violinist recalls his first work, titled Cat and Mouse, which he composed on the piano when he was eight. "I thought it was quite inventive. It has two endings: one has the cat actually kill the mouse in the C minor key, and the other one, through some happy scales rushing to the top of the keyboard, shows how the mouse got away," he says, laughing.

By a rare coincidence, Cuddeford's two hats will be showcased this week. On Wednesday, his latest opus for double bass and percussion will receive its world premiere. Two days later, he will perform the Alban Berg Violin Concerto. Both works have stories behind them: the first from the distant past, the second from the more recent past.

"I played the Berg concerto when I was a student at the [Yehudi] Menuhin School in England. I was very young then, and I did it with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Shell Competition, which is a workshop programme for young musicians," he recalls.

The choice of a non-mainstream concerto, even though it's a major work of the 20th century, is very much in line with his musical temperament for novelty.