8 June 2011
MODART diaries 2011 - Ekrem Mülayim
Image: Ekrem Mülayim In February 2011, seven young composers attended the first MODART workshops for 2011 in Sydney. This year is the 5th edition of the biennial professional development program, initiated by The Song Company and the Australian Music Centre. The participants discuss their experiences in their MODART diaries - for more MODART blog articles and information about the program and its participants, please see the MODART web page on AMC Online.
It seems to me that the topography of human activities is eroded into shape by deadlines. More so these days than perhaps, say, two decades ago. All is very fast now. Quick and swift. Consequently, most of our endeavours, including the creative ones, are those of little patience and straight to the point, with no time-consuming detours. At school and in professional life we are much more interested in answers; to fix things, to conclude and to make things. Quickly… Yet, in the process, we neglect the questions. Sometimes we are not even aware of them. We don't ask them. We praise the formula more than the equation, the finding more than the experiment.
In a climate like this, it appears to me that the opportunity to ask, be asked or to be made to ask is invaluable. During and after MODART workshop in late February, I ended up with more questions than answers. So, the significance of this project was immediately evident to me. After witnessing the wide spectrum of the talent of the singers I was overcome with possibilities. The feedback of the singers, coming from experience, knowledge and skill, was inspiring. Roland Peelman, succinct, knowledgeable and, quite frankly, mesmerising, lead us to question and explore, rather than state and direct us with his comments, anecdotes and analysis. So he did, subtly and cleverly, almost sneakily like a true mentor… I mean, we all know he is a genius, right?
So, by the end of the workshop I was a big, happy ball of question marks. I was excited about sifting through them and finding the core question that I would attempt to answer or just simply ask in the piece that I was to write.
Further links
MODART
(AMC Online)
'Seven composers participate in MODART 2011 workshops' -
Resonate 28 February 2011
The Song Company (www.songcompany.com.au/)
© Australian Music Centre (2011) — Permission must be obtained from the AMC if you wish to reproduce this article either online or in print.
Ekrem Mülayim is a Sydney-based composer, born in Istanbul, Turkey. Currently doing a Master's degree in composition at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, he has been actively involved in the Australian music scene since his arrival in 2005. Along with his involvement in new music, he specialises in composing for theatre, film and dance. His theatre credits include Belvoir Street Theatre productions of 'Yellow Moon', 'Cut' and 'The Kiss, Tell it like it isn’t' for Australian Theatre for Young People and 'Vigil' for Spirit House Theatre Company. His other collaborations include Critical Path, Campbelltown Arts Centre for Composers-Choreographers Lab Residency, The Australian Voices and The Song Company. Ekrem made his international debut with 'Lost Souls', composed in 2009 for a speech choir. Lost Souls has recently been released on the album 'Playing with Words' by GruenRekorder in Germany.
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