Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Image: Julius Schwing  

Julius Schwing is the recipient of the Australian Music Centre's MOMENTUM Commission: Composing lutruwita. The Commission will see the creation of a new improvisation-based work for guitar and trumpet.

Julius Schwing is an improvising guitarist and composer from Bruny Island, Tasmania (lutruwita), whose distinct voice is shaped by the elements and landscapes around his home in Adventure Bay. His proposed work meets the Commission's call for music that responds to some aspect of life in Tasmania. Inspired by the natural landscape, Julius's work will deal with the natural cycles of the coast of Fluted Cape, south-east of Adventure Bay.

On receiving the Commission, Julius said, "I am thrilled to have received the 2024 Momentum commission: composing Lutruwita. This is my first commission and I am very grateful for the opportunity to focus on creating a new work for guitar and trumpet named "Crumbles:Fluted". I will be drawing upon the many seasonal, weather, melodic and rhythmic cycles present within nature, especially those around Fluted Cape, Bruny Island."

In developing the work, Julius will visit the Cape, listening and making field recordings of the dramatic landscape. The work itself will demonstrate a signature approach to rhythm and melody free from traditional metric conventions and will form part of a larger suite of works inspired by Fluted Cape. The work is slated for future release on his independent label Isthmus Music, as well as a site-specific performance along the shorelines of Fluted Cape.

Backed by an anonymous supporter, the Composing lutruwita round of the MOMENTUM Commissions aims to address the underrepresentation of Tasmanian composers in Australian music. Composing lutruwita called for new works that responded to an aspect of life in Tasmania. The call attracted a competitive pool of 21 Tasmanian creators, marking an increase from 4 Tasmanian applications in the previous national-based Commission, many of which represented composer-performers, improvisors, and unique projects inviting use of electronic components.

Australian Music Centre CEO Catherine Haridy says, "We are proud to create opportunities for the creation of new Australia work from creators diverse in the music practices and backgrounds. This Commission highlights the vibrant creativity and unique music cultures in lutruwita, and we look forward to hearing Julius's work come to life."

The Australian Music Centre's MOMENTUM Commissions connects Australian creators with the support of private philanthropists. Recent recipients have included: Christine Pan, Aaron Wyatt, Connor D'Netto, Maria Grenfell, Reuben Lewis, and Helen Svoboda.