Australian Music

A glint of light on the horizon. A first spot of rain. Clearing and creating space for something new, and a chance to reset at any moment. Possibility is an ever-present source.

rest #7 celebrates new music, with two exclusively Australian concert programs featuring world premieres from Deborah Cheetham AO and Rhyan Clapham a.k.a. DOBBY. This issue also includes an interview with returning guest pianist Kristian Chong.

Composed over just eight days in 1960, Malcolm Williamson described the piece as ‘an overtly Australian work aiming at spontaneity and vigour rather than profundity.’

I am no longer the same person, composer, soprano as the one who entered into 2020 in good faith. Am I more? Am I less? Time will tell. For now I am content to emerge and see what path can be forged.

Solace considers the accelerated regenerative processes that follow extreme levels of fire and natural disaster. The material functions in orbits, presenting the multi-dimensional process of regeneration that is one of both life and death, beginning and end.

Eric Avery is a creative polymath: a Ngiyampaa, Gumbangirr, Bandjalang and Yuin artist, trained in classical violin, composition and dance. Avery’s work traverses the natural and the man-made, bringing together ancient tradition and language with contemporary technology and production techniques.

The piece was commissioned as a work that could celebrate the natural beauty of the Byron Bay area, alongside a celebration of the voices of women. This suite reflects upon three female figures and interprets their voices musically in a series of ‘songs for the hours,’ musical pieces intended for the passage of the day.

Acclaimed Australian pianist Kristian Chong shares insights into his musical journey ahead of his return to the Llewellyn Hall mainstage.

A proud Murrawarri and Filipino rapper, drummer and composer, Rhyan Clapham isn’t afraid to push creative boundaries and draw together diverse influences, from classical to hip hop.