Composer, music director, songwriter.
A nephew of French composer Gounod, Willy Redstone studied mathematics, Latin and Greek at university in Paris and after graduation initially pursued a career as an engineer. He soon afterwards changed his mind, however, and began studying music at the Paris Conservatoire. While still a student his light opera Le Trou d'Almanzor (1907) became a hit and led to much work as both composer and conductor in Paris and in London during the 1910s.
Brought to Australia by Hugh J. Ward in 1922 to oversee The O'Brien Girl he remained here, carving out a career as music director, songwriter, and theatre and film score composer. He also conducted the first symphony orchestra broadcast on radio (1928), and worked for the ABC from 1932 until his death.
One of his early theatrical hits in Australia was a 1924 musical comedy adaptation of the hit London farce Tons of Money (1922). He later contributed music to such films as The Flying Doctor (1936) and Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940).
Redstone died in Sydney on 30 September 1949. He had been the ABC's Federal Music Editor from 1938.
[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]
