Juwoon, Tu, Ngin’anga

The concert in Brisbane on June 2, 2024, in the Concert Hall of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre which featured the premiere of my latest composition ” Juwoon, Tu, Ngin’anga” (Country, Heart, Life), was a ground-breaking event and a wonderful all-round concert. The young rising-star operatic singer, Nina Korbe and master didgeridoo virtuoso Chris Williams, shone through the new work with the text in Wakka Wakka language. Both Nina and Chris are descendants of the Wakka Wakka people, an indigenous country north of Brisbane and inland from the Sunshine Coast in Australia. As you can see in the photograph, both Nina and Chris have an amazing presence on stage.

The players of the Southern Cross Soloists also displayed their brilliance and sensitivity to my new score and versatility throughout the whole concert. Thank you everyone concerned as it is so nice for the players to come up and tell you directly how much they enjoyed playing the piece and how terrific it was to hear the didgeridoo treated in such a transparent and sensitive manner. The journey bringing the text work to fruition was challenging but, thanks to Chris and Uncle Kevin, everyone was happy in the end. I hope the recording by 4MBSFM captures to evocativeness and richness of the vocal and instrumental sound world. Stay tuned.

Music review: Southern Cross Soloists: Perfumes of the East, QPAC (artshub.com.au)