He moved to England in 1953 and for a while shared a flat with fellow expatriate, the poet Peter Porter, with whom he collaborated on several projects including the cantata Annotations of Auschwitz (1964).
In London he first studied composition with Mátyás Seiber and then at the Royal Academy of Music with Lennox Berkeley.
Central to all of Lumsdaine's work is the notion of 'ground', a term borrowed from Baroque musical terminology (specifically Purcell).
[citation needed] The orchestral works 'Salvation Creek with Eagle' and 'Hagoromo' (1974 and 1977 respectively) continue and develop Lumsdaine's personal take on Australian nature.
The following is a list of Lumsdaine's acknowledged works: 1973: Meridian (percussion, piano, tape) 1968: Mandala I (wind quintet) 1969: Mandala II (flute, clarinet, percussion, viola, cello) 1971: Kangaroo Hunt (piano, percussion) 1978: Mandala III (solo piano, flute, clarinet, viola, cello, bell) 1983: Mandala IV (string quartet) 1985: Bagatelles (flute, clarinet, piano, violin, viola, cello) 1986: Empty Sky – Mootwingee (flute, trombone/horn, cello, 2 percussionists, 2 pianos) 1988: A Dance and a Hymn for Alexander Maconochie (flute, clarinet, percussion, mandolin, guitar, violin, double bass) 1989: Round Dance (sitar, tabla, flute, cello, keyboard) 1990: Sine nomine (alto saxophone/bass clarinet, percussion) 1993: Rain Drums (4 percussionists) 1994: Kali Dances (flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, tuba, vibraphone, piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass) 1975: Dum medium silentium (SATB) 1985: Where the lilies grow (8 voices) 1991: The Crane (flute, percussion, harp, synthesizer) 1968-9 Episodes (orchestra) 1974: Salvation Creek with Eagle (chamber orchestra) 1975: Sunflower (chamber orchestra) 1975: A Little Dance of Hagoromo (orchestra) 1977: Hagoromo (large orchestra) 1982: Shoalhaven (orchestra) 1988: Mandala V (orchestra) 1990: The Arc of Stars (string orchestra) 1992: A Garden of Earthly Delights (cello, orchestra) 1990: 2 Just So Stories (The Elephant's Child, The Sing Song of Old Man Kangaroo) (narrator, dancer, live electronics) 1966: Kelly Ground 1967: Flights (2 pianos) 1974: Ruhe sanfte, sanfte Ruh' 1980: Cambewarra, 1980 1994: 6 Postcard Pieces 1992: Blue upon Blue 1993: Curlew in the Mist 1994: Metamorphosis at Mullet Creek 1964: Annotations of Auschwitz (soprano, flute + bass flute, trumpet, horn, piano, violin, cello) 1966, rev.