Body is one of Australia's greatest and most influential composers.
She studied with both Peter Sculthorpe and Richard Meale while attending Sydney University, and gained her initial successes when she was awarded the Frank Albert Prize for Music and represented at the International Society for Contemporary Music. She also founded Australia's first contemporary music journal in 1968, and later received a scholarship to study overseas at the University of York. After a number of years as a lecturer in Sussex, she returned to Australia to continue her activities as a composer and teacher. In 1981 she helped found the music department of the University of Hong Kong, and has since returned to head Sydney University's own music department, remaining one of Australia's leading composers and educators. Anne Boyd's music has been greatly influenced by the traditions and styles of Asia, particularly China, and this is represented in a great deal of her music.