The Composer Is in the Room

2021 The Composer is in the RoomElena Kats-Chernin Andrew Ford Photo: Steven Godbee Ann Carr-Boyd Matthew Hindson Moya Henderson 2pm Sunday 28 February Chevalier Performing Arts Centre Burradoo 7.30pm Saturday 6 March Wollongong Town Hall 2pm Sunday 7 March Nowra School of Arts 2021Upcoming Programs 2021The Program JUNE Bright Shiners Andrew Ford (b.1957) ‘Celebration of Youth’ showcasing the outstanding talent of our local young composers, soloists and musicians. 2pm Sunday 20 June Chevalier Performing Arts Centre Burradoo Fandango Ann Carr-Boyd (b.1938) 7.30pm Saturday 26 June Wollongong Town Hall 2pm Sunday 27 June Nowra School of Arts. The Dreaming – IV AUGUST Utterly Sacred – In Honour of 60,000 years Moya Henderson (b.1941) ‘Earth Connections’ featuring William Barton performing his own compositions on didgeridoo and other Indigenous composers and performers in music about our land. 2pm Sunday 22 August Chevalier Performing Arts Centre Burradoo Blue Poles Andrew Ford (b.1957) 7.30pm Saturday 28 August Wollongong Town Hall 2pm Sunday 29 August Nowra School of Arts. Elegy in Memoriam Rupert Brooke Frederick Septimus Kelly NOVEMBER (1881–1916) ‘Seasons’ where Steel City Strings revels in its characteristic chamber orchestral sounds in this all-baroque program. 2pm Sunday 14 November Chevalier Performing Arts Centre Burradoo Nothing is Forever Matthew Hindson (b.1968) 7.30pm Saturday 20 November Wollongong Town Hall 2pm Sunday 21 November Nowra School of Arts. INTERVAL BOOKINGS: www.steelcitystrings.com.au or 0467 869 478 Cinque Forme d’Amore (“Five kinds of love”) Elena Kats-Chernin (b.1957) World Premiere. Commissioned by Sue Kirby in memory of Jack Goldring. I. Waltz II. Love III. Tango IV. Memory’s Heart V. Finale (Work) www.steelcitystrings.com.au P: 0467 869 478 E: [email protected] 2 3 2021Artists CONDUCTOR: Shilong Ye such as the Tuggeranong Valley Band, THE ORCHESTRA Rhythm Syndicate Choir, Forrest National A sought-after musical Chamber Orchestra and Musica da Camera Conductor Shilong Ye director, conductor, Chamber Orchestra. Other ensembles soloist and event Shilong has conducted in the past include First violins Kyle Little manager, Shilong Ye ANU School of Music Orchestra, Canberra regularly travelled (concertmaster) City Band, Sydney Conservatorium of Music between Canberra, Monique Ziegelaar Orchestra, Arco Music Academy Chamber Sydney, Wollongong and China to work Orchestra (co-founder), Kuringai Youth Kate Malone on multiple musical projects each year. A Orchestra, Ashfield Community Band, Steel Matthew Tsalidis top student in music from Narrabundah City Strings, Australian New Goldburg College, Shilong went on to study violin and Orchestra, Australian Chinese Musicians Second violins Jacob Antonio* viola with Tor Fromyhr as well as conducting Association Orchestra and Choir, and Siobhan Mewes with Max McBride and Dominic Harvey at Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra. ANU School of Music. He later completed Mitra Ahmadi his Master of Music Studies in Conducting Pirshahid with Professor Eduardo Diazmuñoz, Dr. Hannah Roberts Stephen Mould and Associate Professor ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND Neil McEwan at Sydney Conservatorium CONCERTMASTER: Kyle Little Violas Adrian Davis* of Music and received “Alan Bellhouse Janine Jackson Award for a Young Conductor”. Since 2006, Kyle Little is founding Miffy Ryan Shilong has performed and conducted in Artistic Director and regional NSW, major performance venues Concert Master of Jonathan Karanikas in Canberra, the Sydney Opera House, and Steel City Strings. enjoyed concertising in Shanghai, Taiwan He completed his Celli: Karella Mitchell* and Czech Republic. Bachelor of Music in Louisa Lovasz violin performance from the University of Shilong began his musical journey on piano Rita Woolhouse Dalhousie, Canada in 2006. He graduated at the age of four and made his public from the University of Wollongong in 2010 Catherine Barnett conducting debut at the age of twelve. with a Graduate Diploma in Education and in After winning the Golden Award in the Double Bass Ethan Ireland* 2013 with a Masters in Education - Research. English Vocal category at the China National Arts Competition of Youth, Shilong moved Kyle is the full-time instrumental ensemble * denotes principal to Australia and joined Canberra Youth director and classroom music teacher at Orchestra (CYO) in 2004. Between 2004 and Campbelltown High School of Performing 2007, Shilong was the principal viola for CYO Arts. He was awarded the NSW ACEL Mary and later became the assistant conductor Armstrong Award for educational leadership and string tutor at Canberra Youth Music. in 2017. With over 10 years of association with Kyle teaches violin at Wollongong CYO and James McCusker Orchestra Conservatorium and taught the Music (Canberra), Shilong is known to the Methods course at Wollongong University in Canberra community for bringing up young 2019. He advocates for the importance of talents through his orchestral training, and quality music education in schools. his association with local musical groups, 4 5 2021Program Notes Bright Shiners (2009) for solo arranged for many different ensembles and lyrical seamlessness of Gregorian chant in Blue Poles is dedicated to Peter Sculthorpe violin and string orchestra today’s arrangement was made in 2008 for my style, which means that I muster the on his 70th birthday. It is the fifth movement the Sydney Symphony Fellows. forces of my own cultural background to of Manhattan Epiphanies (1994 - 99) Andrew Ford (b.1957) pay deep reverential homage to ancient commissioned by the Australian Chamber When the Australian Chamber Orchestra first Recently, Fandango was broadcast twice Aboriginal cultures with their awe-inspiring Orchestra. asked me to compose this piece to celebrate in ABC Classic’s Listeners’ Choice. I am land-spiritualities. Aboriginal music is also a Richard Tognetti’s 20 years at the helm, I honoured and excited that the Steel City © Andrew Ford, 2021. strong influence in this work, but only at the immediately heard a kind of sparkling music: Strings has included me in their program, The subliminal level, there are no direct quotes. In high-pitched spiccato dots glittering in relief Composer is in the Room. Elegy in Memoriam Rupert recent years I have written my music within the against slowly drifting harmonics. © Ann Carr-Boyd, February 2021. framework of uncomplicated time signatures Brooke for Strings The title, ‘Bright Shiners’ comes from that in order to bring back into it that living, Frederick Septimus Kelly (1881–1916) mysterious counting song ‘Green Grow the The Dreaming – IV breathing, singing rubato that is intrinsically Frederick Septimus Kelly though born in Rushes O’ with its arcane imagery of the two Utterly Sacred – In Honour of suited to passionate melody. Australia was largely educated in England, ‘lily-white boys’, six ‘proud walkers’ and eight his talent for music being nurtured, first at 60,000 years © Moya Henderson (written, circa early 1990s and ‘April rainers’. There are plenty of theories Eton College and later at Oxford University Moya Henderson (b.1941) updated for today, 2021.) about the meaning of these references and where he also acquired skills as an oarsman, The Dreaming, a work in four movements, also the identity of the nine ‘bright shiners’, winning a gold medal in rowing for England for string orchestra, was commissioned but none that bears much scrutiny. I have no Blue Poles (1999) at the London Olympics in 1908. Further by Musica Viva and written in 1985. It was idea what the bright shiners are or were, but Andrew Ford (b.1957) studies in composition and piano in Frankfurt first performed by the Australian Chamber I’ve known the song since I was a small boy Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles has always made prepared him for a musical career. He Orchestra in the Concert Hall of the Sydney on the back seat of the family car and, 40-odd me want to play it; or to be precise it made made his debut as a concert pianist first in Opera House, during the International years later, the phrase nicely summed up the me want to play from it, because in many Sydney (1911) and then in London (1912), Conference of Pharmacology, 1987. sparkling music I was imagining. ways it resembles a musical score. Because having already established a reputation as a The second movement, written for seven solo it is wide, like ‘cinemascope’, it invites us The first performances of Bright Shiners notable young composer, keen to promote strings, has never been performed. It deploys to read it from left to right. Most paintings were given by the ACO with Pekka Kuusisto. the music of his contemporaries. But Kelly’s the then newly invented ‘nooses’: one for do not. And because it is a large canvas, it The piece has since been taken up by the performing life was to be rudely interrupted violin; one for viola and one for cello. The also invites us to take it in by walking past Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the Norwegian with the outbreak of World War I that saw him nooses enable the entire movement to be it. In this, Pollock’s painting approaches the Chamber Orchestra. commissioned into the Royal Naval Volunteer performed using only natural harmonics. But, condition of music, revealing itself in stages. Reserve. © Andrew Ford, 2021. as mentioned, this movement was barred The famous poles themselves help this Amongst his fellow officers was the poet from the premiere and so has never been approach. On the most obvious level they Rupert Brooke with whom Kelly developed a Fandango performed. divide the painting into sections so that the close friendship, documented in his eloquent Ann Carr-Boyd (b.1938) The fourth movement of The Dreaming eye passes from one to the next, adding diaries. It is here, in the entry for April 23, 1915, Fandango was commissioned by Adrian is entitled Utterly Sacred - in honour of to that sense of movement.

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