CSO 2022

Guest artist Courtenay Cleary describes Margaret Sutherland’s Violin Concerto as a ‘hidden gem…intense, lush and whimsical.’

“If one of the main reasons we listen to music is to be moved on some level, and we know something about the composer’s life, we will inevitably hear elements of it in their music, and this enriches our listening experience.”

“Music on the screen can seek out and intensify the inner thoughts of the characters…it is the communicating link between the screen and the audience, reaching out and enveloping all.”

I have attempted to depict this ‘perceptual widening’ musically: throughout the piece, more and more of the night sky is gradually revealed in the sonic fabric.

Birds weave this story into our dreaming cosmos, the conventional limitations of earth, sky, death, day, life and night dissolving and creating its own universe of existence.

Brenda Gifford works collaboratively, with an interest in using the medium of music to express her culture.

“We so often hear grand or serious music pertaining to the universe… But what if the beginnings of the universe were simply fun?”

“The seed of knowledge is in your ear. It’s about community, connection, relationship.”

Connor’s work is a constant attempt to bring together sprawling artistic interests, and in doing so, create connections across audiences and communities.

Characterised by striking tensions, and bold rhythms, harmonies and orchestration, its florid passages and extended double-stopping figures demand a virtuosic soloist.