Deborah Cheetham

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.

Bungaree, or Boongaree, (1775 – 24 November 1830) was an Aboriginal Australian from the Kuringgai people of the Broken Bay area north of Sydney, who was known as an explorer, entertainer, and Aboriginal community leader.

“Despair and determination compete. The rare unison moment is celebrated. But still the question remains. What will it take to bring us together?”

“In 2022, we continue to develop and shape the rich canon of Australian music. We present no fewer than 20 Australian works across our season, including composers Richard Meale, Margaret Sutherland, Deborah Cheetham and Malcolm Williamson – and a bold new composition for the mainstage by Leah Curtis.” – Jessica Cottis, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director

“My grandparents lived with permits and curfews for decades under the tyranny of the Aboriginal Protection Board…I wrote an opera about it, but it was not until I experienced a taste of the deprivation they lived with that I truly understood. All I can do is respond in music.” – Deborah Cheetham AO, composer

“Each movement captures a section of the original painting and the artists who created it,” writes Deborah Cheetham in the program note for Song for Dulka Warngiid. “My task as a composer was to respond to capture the vitality and presence of the Kaiadilt women.”

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