31 March 2010
Australian Music on ABC Classic FM in April
This month is the exact 20th anniversary of weekly new music programming on ABC Classic FM. Throughout this month we're revisiting classic episodes of Random Round, New Music Australia, and New Music Up Late with guest presenter John Crawford. And on the contemporary side, Sunday Live and our other concert programs feature a number of world premieres of new works from Mark Isaacs, Paul Dean and Matthew Hindson.
On the web, we catch our breath as we prepare to launch a special ISCM World New Music Days mini-website and dedicated digital radio station at the end of the month. But you're welcome to check out our back-catalogue of recent podcasts or our growing collection of Australian music recordings from the ABC archives.
New Music Up Late
With John Crawford
Friday 2 April (Digital and online only) - Looking back at twenty
#1: Random Round
Tonight we begin our retrospective with two programs from
Random Round, the program that kicked off weekly new
Australian music programming on what was then called ABC FM in
April 1990. The programs include a range of new releases from
1990 and a recital of mid-20th century Australian art songs by
Helen Noonan and Peter Locke - a program of old 'new music', if
you like.
Saturday 3 April - Looking back at twenty #2: Seymour Group Young
Composers
Tonight we move from Random Round to New Music
Australia, the longer program that replaced Random Round
in April 1994. Both programs were hosted by our guest
presenter for this month, John Crawford. We have chosen a program
which provides a snapshot of young composer activity from 1994 -
a workshop held at the Old Darlington School building in the
grounds of Sydney University and first broadcast on New Music
Australia on 12 October 1994.
Friday 9 April (Digital and online only) - Looking back at twenty
#3: Elision and Liza Lim's The Bardo
Tonight's selection from the New Music Australia archives hails
from November 1994. It's an early example of the growing creative
ambition and reach of the then 7-year-old ELISION Ensemble and
their young house composer Liza Lim.
Saturday 10 April - Looking back at twenty #4: Keith Humble
Memorial Concert
It's April 1996 as we listen back to the New Music
Australia broadcast of a special memorial concert given by
colleagues and students of Keith Humble, featuring his music and
music that he loved. And we follow up with more recent music from
some of his more influential ex-students.
Friday 16 April (Digital and online only) - Looking back at
twenty #5: ABC Classic FM Computer Music Competition
On 29 May 1996 this live electroacoustic concert broadcast on
New Music Australia launched the network's Computer
Music Competition. The line-up includes Ross Bencina, Brigid
Burke, David Karla and Roger Alsop.
Saturday 17 April - Looking back at twenty #6: ABC Classic FM
Improvisatory Music Festival
On 25 August 1999, New Music Australia wrapped up the
nation-wide ABC Classic FM Improvisatory Music Festival with a
live concert broadcast of two finalists and the giving of an
award to the winner - a controversial concept in the context of
the collaborative contemporary 'improv' culture. Featured artists
include Peter Humble, James Wilkinson, Oren Ambarchi and Robbie
Avenaim.
Friday 23 April (Digital and online only) - Looking back at
twenty #7: Mess with Mozart
From the final months of New Music Australia, this
edition comes from a new era of the program now presented by
Julian Day. The date is 5 November 2003 and the program features
string quartet Fourplay and a bunch of composes and sound artists
'messing with Mozart'. We follow on by revisiting music from
New Music Up Late's remix project, the Orpheus Remix
Awards
Saturday 24 April - Looking back at twenty #8: New Music Up
Late arrives
Tonight is the last in our series of trips into the past before
Julian Day rejoins you behind the microphone. And appropriately,
the last of our selected 'classics' comes from New Music Up Late
itself.
Fri 30th April (Digital and online only) - 2010 ISCM World New
Music Days opening broadcast
Tonight we kick off a big 10 days of broadcasting from the World
New Music Days with the broadcast of selected festival
radiophonic works from Australia and around the world.
Sunday Live
Direct broadcast from the Llewellyn Hall, ANU School of Music, Canberra. Concert-goers in Canberra are welcome. Please be seated by 2.50pm as the performance begins promptly at 3pm. Entry is free.
Sunday 11 April - Guitar Trek
Featuring Mark Isaacs's Autumnal Dances (world
premiere), the Australian classic Six Fish, written for
the quartet by Nigel Westlake, and arrangements of Falla and
Ramirez.
Sunday 18 April - Band of the Royal Military College, Duntroon;
Major Geoff Grey CSM, conductor.
Incl. Percy Grainger - Colonial Song; Molly on the
Shore
Sunday 25 April - David Pereira, cello, Timothy Young, piano
Featuring Matthew Hindson's Jungle Fever, Alicia Grant's
Night Spell and David Pereira's Lullaby for
Yvana
Afternoon concerts
Thursday 8 April 1.05pm - Australian Chamber Orchestra; Richard
Tognetti, violin/director.
Incl. Ian Munro - Black is the Night. Followed by Dorian
Le Gallienne - Nocturne and Ross Edwards - Piano
Concerto
Tuesday 27 April 1.05pm - Musica Viva Australia: Jerusalem
Quartet; Zvi Plesser, cello.
Incl. Carl Vine - String Quintet
In Performance
Saturday 10 April 8.00pm - Southern Cross Soloists; Jack Liebeck,
violin
Incl. Paul Dean - Abyss (world premiere) and Matthew Hindson -
Central Australian Song (world premiere)
At Home
Saturdays at 7.05pm
3 April
Nigel Sabin - An Australian Holiday; Mark Isaacs -
Canticle; Carl Vine - Red Blues; Kristofer
Spike - Lament; Peter Sculthorpe - An Australian
Anthem; Ross Edwards - Flower Songs
10 April
Anne Boyd - Goldfish Through Summer Rain; Julian Yu -
Concertino on Chinese Themes; Matthew Hindson -
Beauty; John Carmichael - Thredbo Suite; Anne
Boyd - As I Crossed A Bridge Of Dreams
17 April
Elena Kats-Chernin - Birthday Miniature; Bruce Cale -
Violin Concerto; Raffaele Marcellino - Les Darcy Dances;
Raffaele Marcellino - Heart of Fire; Kristofer Spike -
Summer Waltz
24 April
Michael Hurst - Swagman's Promenade: 'Waltzing Matilda'
and 'Click Go The Shears'; Graeme Koehne - Rain Forest;
Michael Smetanin - Minimalism isn't dead ... it just smells
funny; Helen Stowasser - Flutesongs: Valse Volante;
Flutesongs: Legend; Philip Houghton - News From
Nowhere
© Australian Music Centre (2010) — Permission must be obtained from the AMC if you wish to reproduce this article either online or in print.
Stephen Adams is a composer of concert music, music theatre and digital music. Since 2004, he has been working full-time at ABC Classic FM in the development of Australian music programming, recording and commissioning projects, and online Australian music presentation. Since 2006, he has been co-producer of CFM’s New Music Up Late program. Recent online projects include the AMU podcast, Orpheus Remix Awards, Lute Project and classic/amp.
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