Creative Explosion in the West: 2009 Creative Arts Festival Festival
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School of Communication Arts, University of Western Sydney presents Creative Explosion in the West: 2009 Creative Arts Festival Festival Information Creative Explosion Festival Team Coordinator: Bruce Crossman Advisory Committee: Michael Atherton, Hart Cohen, Diana Blom, John Encarnacao, Clare Maclean, Claire Edwardes and Damien Ricketson Technical Team: Ian Stevenson, Mitchell Hart, Petar Jovanov, Adrian Barr, Noel Burgess, Jon Drummond Administration: Jenny Purcell, Sandra Wantuch, Robyn Mercer Creative Explosion Publicity: Danielle Roddick, Martin Francis, Frank Davey, Michael Macken Partners: Ensemble Offspring, Wirripang, University of Western Sydney Abstract Images by Wallace Crossman (art work), The Blue Barrier (1992) pastel on paper. Used with kind permission of the artist. Contents Creative Explosion Festival Overview.......................................................................................................................................2 About.............................................................................................................................................3 Featured Artists...........................................................................................................................4 Creative Explosion 1—New Minds.........................................................................................6 Creative Explosion 2—East & West Confluences..............................................................6 Creative Explosion 3—Intercultural & Performative Confluences....................................6 Full Program.................................................................................................................................7 Composers, Filmmakers, Performers, Poets & Presenters.............................................11 1 Creative Explosion Overview Creative Explosion in the West: Communication Arts Multi-Disciplinary Festival 14-23 October 2009 The School of Communication Arts (UWS) • 23 Oct: Intercultural & Performative presents ‘Creative Explosion in the West’, a multi- Confluences—6 Short films & My Tehran for disciplinary festival and forums for the General Sale Public, Staff, School-based Honours and Higher Degree Research (HDR) candidates as well as Contextual Concerts undergraduates. • 22 Oct: Clocked In (Poetry-Improvisation Jam) • 22 Oct: Intercultural Interactive (Concert) The events will be held on the 14, 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23 October 2009 on the Penrith • 16 Oct: Music Project Performance 1 Campus (The Playhouse, The Performance • 23 Oct: Music Project Performance 2 Space, Kingswood and Building BJ, Werrington South). It features leading new music group Workshops Ensemble Offspring interacting with the rich • 14 Oct: Music Project Workshop 1 knowledge Diaspora and improvising traditions characteristic of Western Sydney, especially the • 21 Oct: Music Project Workshop 2 Korean, Philippine and Japanese traditions, as well as Macedonian and Iranian film projects. Scholarship Performance Space (Kingswood) & BJ (Werrington South): Creative Explosion in the West is partnering with the University of Western Sydney’s School • 15 Oct: Reflective-Practice Forum 1 of Communication Arts in a composition and • 22 Oct: Reflective-Practice Forum 2 performing arts mentoring project for students • 23 Oct: Vision-Sound Forum 1 and staff of UWS exploring intercultural interaction and improvising traditions within • 23 Oct: Vision-Sound Forum 2 contemporary classical music and film. The documentation will include a Wirripang The following events will be featured at The commercial compact disc release. Playhouse, Performance Space & Café-Bar: The festival features a professional concert by Ensemble Offspring with Claire Edwardes Creative Explosions and Dr Damien Ricketson participating in • 15 Oct: New Minds Concert—Ensemble associated events. Offspring • 22 Oct: East & West Confluences Concert- Panel—Ensemble Offspring 2 About Creative Explosion in the West The creative aesthetic behind this project is to The festival will feature concerts by Ensemble have a strong intercultural focus featuring Asia- Offspring with UWS staff and postgraduate Pacific traditions of Korean samul nori drumming students with Workshops, Panels and techniques, Filipino kulintang percussion, Forums including two invited speakers, Claire Japanese shakuhachi ‘moment’ aesthetic and Edwardes and Dr. Damien Ricketson from East Asian string techniques (Korea, Japan, Ensemble Offspring. The performers will include China) interacting with contemporary music. The pianist Zubin Kanga (London), percussionist trajectory from modern violin through to Chinese Claire Edwardes, violinist James Cuddeford erhu and Korean kayageum techniques interacting and clarinettist Jason Noble. The festival is a within contemporary composition will be used practice-based research project. Participation to engage audiences. The sound of Asia-Pacific in the festival is open to all and is an important gongs (Korea, China, Philippines) intersecting feature of research training offered by the School with modern percussion as an enlargement of of Communication Arts. the contemporary music tradition in performance and composition will be another angle. Finally Dr Bruce Crossman the use of the techniques of reed membrane Creative Explosion Coordinator/ and coloured breath from Western clarinet to Senior Lecturer, Music Japanese shakuhachi exploring the ‘single-note’ School of Communication Arts aesthetic of East Asia within contemporary composition and improvisation will form a focus. This will be contextualised by poetry readings and improvisation, a series of intercultural ethnographical films, and panel and forum presentations. 3 Featured Artists Individual Artists “... responsible for some Damien Ricketson of the most innovative and Co-Artistic Director & Composer adventurous programs currently heard in Sydney” Damien Ricketson (Sydney Morning Herald) is a composer and the Co-Artistic Director of Ensemble Offspring. Much of Damien’s music has been performed, and received critical acclaim through Ensemble Offspring as well as performances by many internationally renowned ensembles. Damien’s music is fragile and otherworldly Ensemble Offspring – characterised by unusual timbres, exotic pitches and intricate textures. Recent composition commissions have Ensemble Offspring represents a diverse group included the prestigious Warsaw Autumn of Sydney’s most talented young musicians. All Festival, the Transit Festival (Belgium), the the members have unique careers performing Grainger Quartet and ABC Classic FM. in a wide range of contexts - as international Damien completed a PhD at the Sydney soloists, in major orchestras and in pop groups. Conservatorium where he also teaches. When the musicians come together as Ensemble Offspring, they are committed to trying out new Website: www.curiousnoise.com ways of making music. The ensemble embraces a wide variety of progressive repertoire from wild improvisation to meticulous complexity and has a particular focus on experimental and interdisciplinary presentations. Noted interdisciplinary projects include projects as part of the Sydney Film Festival where the musicians presented new music to accompany classic experimental films. In programs such as ‘The Imaginary Opera Project’ and ‘Light is Calling’ the ensemble produced new works in collaboration with video artists. In November, Ensemble Offspring will present The Origin Cycle: a cycle of new works based on Charles Darwin’s seminal text the Origin of Species. 4 Claire Edwardes Jason Noble Co-Artistic Director Clarinet & Percussion Jason Noble is a Percussionist, Claire freelance clarinettist Edwardes, is a specialising in leading interpreter of contemporary contemporary classical repertoire. He music and the Co- has performed at Artistic Director of Ensemble Offspring. Recent prestigious festivals such as the Warsaw career highlights include concertos with the Autumn, Aldeburgh (UK), Sydney Spring Radio Chamber Orchestra (The Netherlands), Festival, and Sydney Film Festival. As both Melbourne Symphony and The Queensland a soloist and chamber musician Jason Orchestra as well as solo festival appearances has appeared with Ensemble Offspring, at the Huddersfield Festival of Contemporary Sonic Art Ensemble, Halcyon Ensemble, Music (UK) and the Australian Festival of Synergy, and Sydney Childrens Choir. He Chamber Music (Townsville). In 2007 she was also teaches in the Musicology faculty at the awarded an AMC/APRA award for outstanding Sydney Conservatorium of Music. contribution to Australian music, in 2005 she was the recipient of the MCA Freedman Fellowship and in 1999 she was named Zubin Kanga Australian Young Performer of the Year. Piano Website: www.claireedwardes.com Zubin Kanga performs with many of Australia’s and James Cuddeford Britain’s leading new Violin music ensembles: AARK, Halcyon, James Cuddeford Sonic Art Ensemble, Azalea Ensemble has performed and Ensemble Offspring and has worked throughout Europe, closely with many eminent composers Asia and Australia including George Benjamin, Michael as both a soloist and Finnissy, Howard Skempton, Damien chamber musician. He Ricketson and Michael Smetanin. Recent has performed concertos with orchestras performances include recitals and chamber including the Camerata Lysy Switzerland, performances at the Aldeburgh, Southbank BBC Scottish National, Hong Kong and Late Music Festivals and as well as Sinfonietta, Queensland, Adelaide and recitals for