Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Event Details

Bridges Collective's ENCOUNTERS 2014 project is a cultural exchange that brings together composers and musicians from Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia to collaborate on, produce and perform music which crosses traditional cultural and genre boundaries. Led by Malaysian-born Artistic Director Brenna Wee, the Collective will tour Malaysia between the 11th to the 17th January of 2014, giving public concerts, masterclasses and workshopping new compositions by emerging Malaysian composers.

Project members Wendy Grose (soprano), Taryn Richards (flute), Paul Zabrowarny (cello) and Brenna Wee (piano) will be artists-in-residence at the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Shah Alam, and at the Classical Music Society (CMS), Selangor/Kuala Lumpur.

The concert series in Malaysia (hosted by UiTM and CMS) & Australia (Melbourne) will showcase commissioned works by internationally regarded composers with a strong multicultural ethos, including Australian composers Julian Yu, Tim McKenry, and Indonesian composers Krisna Setiawan & Slamet Sjukur.

The concerts will also feature existing works by other Australian composers (Ross Edwards, Alison Bauld, Katia Tiutiunnik) with significant cross-cultural content. The music will reflect interactions with aboriginal rhythms, Australian wildlife, Malaysian and Indonesian poetry, Australia’s English and European heritage and Middle Eastern influences.

With their interactive format, Bridges’ concerts aim to give audiences a nuanced and insightful glimpse into the musical and cultural landscapes of the three countries and it is hoped that listeners will leave with a greater appreciation and understanding of musical idioms that are not their own.

Concerts will also feature the winning composition from the Bridges Discovery Composition Award. This is a competitive prize awarded for an original composition from student composers at UiTM. Prior to concerts held in Malaysia, Bridges’ members will participate in rehearsals and workshops at Shah Alam with gamelan players led by specialist Encik Mohammed Kamrul Bahri bin Hussin, to learn about each other’s musical traditions in greater depth. Australian gamelan specialist Ilona Wright will be performing with project members in the Melbourne concert.

Featured non-Australian music: Works by Indonesian composers

Further information for this event is available online at the event's website or by phone on 60340650001 or by email to info@bridgescollectve.com

Featured Australian Works

	Banquo's buried : soprano voice with piano by Alison Bauld — performed by Bridges Collective
	Canto di Enheduanna : for flute, violoncello and pianoforte (2001) by Katia Tiutiunnik — performed by Bridges Collective
	Kabalevsky Plus 2 (trios: flute, piano, cello) by Julian Yu — performed by Bridges Collective
	Lament of the flutes for Dumuzi : flute with piano (1999) by Katia Tiutiunnik — performed by Bridges Collective
	Nura : for flute and piano (2004) by Ross Edwards — performed by Bridges Collective

Featured artists

• Performer Bridges Collective