Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Event Details

This program draws inspiration from the footprint of culture: how we know and relate to the people around us and the landscapes we inhabit. For thousands of years, these relationships have been shaped by stories, personal narratives and collective histories. Every story is the beginning of a conversation and an opportunity to deepen our understanding of ourselves and others. The linguistic traditions of these lands have always been oral; text is but a recent technology, while spoken languages have, for generations, been inextricably intertwined with memory.

Composed for two violas, Yitzhak Yedid’s Mother Tongue responds to the violence of linguicide (language killing), drawing particular inspiration from the reclamation of the Barngarla language. In two distinct movements, Harry Sdraulig’s Speak explores the external and introspective domains of language. Deborah Cheetham’s Bungaree invites us to a deeper understanding of our shared history. The piece was originally commissioned for the Flinders Quartet, named for European explorer Matthew Flinders; Cheetham’s piece is named for Bungaree of the Kuringgai nation, who played a vital yet widely unrecognised role in Flinders’ voyages. Rhyan Clapham a.k.a. DOBBY further explores the complex relationship between memory, history and power in a new work. For Brenda Gifford, music and culture are one. Part of Gifford’s larger Gambambarawaraga cycle, Bardju (Footprints) explores individual and collective footprints, including the composer’s own journey as a Yuin woman and her connection to country. Gifford says the work also represents ‘the need to tread lightly on the earth and treat her with respect.’

Further information for this event is available online at the event's website or by phone on 0262 479 191 or by email to tickets@cso.org.au

Featured Australian Works

	Bardju (Footprints) (string orchestra with percussion soloist) (2021) by Brenda Gifford — performed by CSO Chamber Players
	Bungaree : string quartet (2020) by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon — performed by CSO Chamber Players
	Mother Tongue : for viola duo (2020) by Yitzhak Yedid — performed by CSO Chamber Players
	Speak : for flute/piccolo, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (2018) by Harry Sdraulig — performed by CSO Chamber Players
	New Work by Rhyan Clapham — World premiere

Featured artists

• New work by Rhyan Clapham
• Performer CSO Chamber Players