Dear Friends,
This is a quick note to wish you a very happy International Women’s Day and to draw your attention to three wonderful events you might like to explore further. Enjoy!
1. This Will Be Our Reply
Many of you may have heard of a special event that took place last night at Melba Hall in the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. I was honoured to have my new work When We Speak for solo cello and electroacoustic track premiered by the unstoppable cellist, Gemma Tomlinson. The concert was titled ‘This Will Be Our Reply’ and also featured the world premiere of five works by talented Australian composers, including: Samantha Wolf, Alice Humphries, May Lyon and Jessica Wells. The event was run by Samantha Wolf and held in celebration of International Women’s Day 2016 and raised $500 dollars at the door for the Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre. It’s not too late to do something so tangibly helpful this #IWD, you can still make a donation to our separate Safe Steps online fundraising link here.
I look forward to sharing the recording of When We Speak with you very soon! It incorporates the words and music of one of my musical influences, Finnish composer, Kaija Saariaho. As you might imagine, there is a little mixing of the electroacoustic track and live cello to be done first! In the meantime, here’s a little snap of Gemma playing so beautifully. For more upcoming performances, please see my website.
2. Female Australian Composers on 3MBS Fine Music Melbourne
Today 3MBS broadcasts a very special program celebrating female Australian composers! I was lucky enough to be interviewed for the project, along with some incredibly talented and established composers! The documentary airs on 103.5FM on 8/3/16 between 8 – 10pm, and can be heard any time streamed online here. I can’t recommend listening to this highly enough – it’s inspiring and a wonderful resource!
Laila Engle and I after our 3MBS interview in December, 2015.
To read more about how 3MBS are celebrating International Women’s Day, I encourage you to check out these articles from the Australian Music Centre and 3MBS.
3. Making Waves
Lastly, Peggy Polias and I have released a special bonus edition playlist featuring over 5 hours of music by amazing Australian female composers. I hope you will take a look, listen and share, to support Making Waves‘ goal of helping a wider audience discover Australian music!
Lisa Cheney | Australian Composer 