Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Gina Ismene Chitty is an Australian composer, author, artist and pianist who blends classical precision with multicultural influences and jazz rhythms. Her unique, rhythmically complex compositions are regularly performed and published.

How do you describe your music to someone hearing it for the first time?
To describe my music to someone hearing it for the first time would be a little difficult as I write so many works which are so different from each other. My works incorporate influences of diverse genres, styles, blends of exotic Arabian and Spanish influences, lively Brazilian rhythms, intricate Baroque elements, and fusions of Classical and Jazz genres. If there is a common thread running through my music, it is perhaps the balance between classical craftsmanship and contemporary imagination. My works tend to retain a sense of structural clarity and precision while embracing modernist ideas, unexpected stylistic juxtapositions and a spirit of exploration.

How does a new work begin for you?
Shortly before I set about writing a piece, fragmented strands of harmonic sequences and melodies form in my mind, eventually creating a mounting and irresistible euphoria. Sometimes it is a languorous and intoxicatingly 'scented' euphoria. I long to write works of great emotional depth that shift towards a higher register. I may feel the buzz of Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Kapustin coursing through my veins as it were, but eventually I end up writing lighter and more humorous music and not exactly what I set about to compose initially. I then begin to absolutely love what I am composing, with each phrase leading to another - each with its own new invigorating and rejuvenating energy and life, far distanced from what I originally intended to compose.

The next thing I look forward to, is sketching the illustration for the cover of the future publication. I have an extensive collection of works published by Wirripang. Each of these publications contain my cover illustrations - mostly colourful caricatures of the characters I write about, such as "extraordinarily imperious" men in hats, Zumba dancers, Grimmolows, as well as the "recklessly impetuous" and adventurous duos that feature in my lively duets.

What ideas or sounds are inspiring you right now?
I begin to compose with a mindset of the inspiration of isolation, inspired by perhaps a walk alone in the forest, something I do quite regularly. I would like to leverage exact timbres in my mind that mimic natural sounds and rhythms, such as the sonic patterns of the wind sifting through the leaves. The sounds that form the foundational micro-rhythms of music, the silences and spaces between sounds. Sometimes I may want to write about the sounds of the gently undulating sea waves touching the shore. But what actually happens when I sit down to write? I often find myself dabbling with applications of complex polyrhythmic structures blending in with Afro-Brazilian or Western classical or jazz rhythms and instrumentation.

In a nutshell, I sit down to write about leaves, petals and birdsong but end up contemplating cross-pollinations of highly energetic, multidimensional musical textures. Occasionally those impulses find a middle ground, resulting in more reflective works such as my piano duets The Island Dancer and Lazy Sway at Coogee Beach.

Can you tell us about a recent project or work?
My most recent project, one that I have now completed is a new work for two pianos and string orchestra, commissioned by the Artistic Director of the Duettissimo Festival in Kraków and the Head of the Chamber Music Department at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music. The work is a three-movement exploration of sensations that are at once ethereal, surreal and physical. It will receive its world premiere at the Duettissimo Festival by the Chopin Duo, one of Poland's leading piano ensembles with an active international concert career. The opportunity to write for such outstanding artists has been both exciting and deeply rewarding, and I look forward to hearing the work come to life in performance.

What do you hope listeners experience in your music?
That depends very much on the piece. With my humorous works and musical character pieces - such as The Extraordinarily Imperious Man in a Hat, Baroque Bear's Happy Day, Three Jazz Preludes and The Baby Grimmolow's First Dancing Lesson - I hope listeners smile and enjoy the playful theatricality of the music.

In my Brazilian-inspired dances, I aim to create a sense of joy, vitality and exuberance. I want audiences to feel energised by the rhythmic drive and infectious spirit of the music. In my more reflective works, such as The Island Dancer or Lazy Sway at Coogee Beach, I hope listeners experience a sense of calm, warmth and gentle contemplation. More virtuosic works like The Dance of the Robotic Cyborg require displays of exceptional technical skill and artistry. These works would appeal to performers with a level of execution that is highly advanced, possibly to international level competition candidates.

Ultimately, I hope each work offers its own distinct emotional journey.

If you were to name one Australian work everyone should hear, what should it be?
It is difficult to choose just one, but Roy Agnew's Sonata Fantasie (1927) would certainly be among my recommendations. It is an extraordinary work - atmospheric, imaginative and pianistically brilliant. Agnew was not only a gifted composer but also a remarkable pianist, and hearing the work performed by its composer offers a fascinating insight into Australian musical history.

What excites you about Australian art music right now?
What excites me most is the richness and diversity of voices contributing to Australian art music today. Contemporary Australian composers have created a repertoire that is distinctive, adventurous and deeply reflective of the nation's cultural landscape. I admire the way many composers draw upon environmental, social and personal narratives while engaging with intercultural collaborations and genre-crossing practices. Particularly inspiring are works that bring together Western classical traditions with First Nations perspectives, Asian musical influences and experimental approaches to sound. The result is a repertoire that is both uniquely Australian and internationally relevant.

What are the works you most enjoy writing?
I absolutely love composing piano duets, particularly high-energy works written for virtuosic duos. Pieces such as The Two Sassy Girls from Rio, The Two Rockin' Girls from Brazil, Two Brazilian Dances - Piano Duets and Festa Na Avenida on Samba Rock Island draw on samba rhythms, improvisatory gestures, neo-swing influences and bebop-inspired energy. They demand technical agility, rhythmic precision and a highly articulated touch in order to capture the buoyancy and exuberance of the music. I enjoy writing these works because they allow me to explore the driving force of Brazilian rhythms while creating an engaging musical dialogue between performers.

In 2025, some of these works were performed at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music by four exceptionally talented pianists. Earlier this year, The Impetuously Reckless Duo from São Paulo received its world premiere at the 10th International Duettissimo Festival in Kraków, where it was warmly received by audiences.

What's next for you?
I see my compositional path as an evolving one, and at present I am embracing a wu wei approach - allowing ideas to develop naturally and reveal their own direction. Following the completion of my work for two pianos and string orchestra, I find myself increasingly drawn towards a new project that revisits themes from an earlier song cycle for voice, piano and marimba, The Songs of the Bionic Girl. That cycle centres on Neo-Tatiana, a bionic being from the year 2099 endowed with extraordinary intellectual capacities and conditioned reflexes.

In the new work, I am interested in exploring a different aspect of her character: her capacity for emotion, perception and physical sensation, particularly through touch. The project is still taking shape, but I am excited by the questions it raises about humanity, consciousness and feeling.

I am also looking forward to the world premiere of my new piano duet Boogie Bossa on the Rock, which will be performed this August as part of the Polish concert series Pod rękę z Chopinem ("Hand in Hand with Chopin"), presented in association with the renowned International Chopin Piano Festival.