Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

This is an album of compositions by Australian composer Cat Hope, performed by the Decibel new music ensemble. The ensemble has provided a collaborative environment where Hope's composition has evolved, and the group is made up of close colleagues with skills as musicians, composers, producers, sound engineers, and software programmers. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this group in Hope's development as a composer. For example, it was within this group that the Decibel ScorePlayer software was developed, software that Hope uses to present her animated graphic notations. Recording engineer and Decibel member Stuart James led the first recordings of Hope's work, and as a performer in the ensemble, Hope was able to become intimately familiar with the repertoire of her favorite composers, including works by composers in the ensemble itself. The ensemble premiered some of her earliest notated words. Sharing a common interest in commissioning and performing Australian new music, the group has toured Australia, Europe, Japan, and Malaysia, committing to residency periods where they would develop new works, performance approaches, software, and concert programs. Currently, Decibel's six performance members are spread between the Australian cities of Perth and Melbourne.

Cat Hope: flutes, double bass, composition, artistic director;, Lindsay Vickery: reeds, composition, programming; Aaron Wyatt: viola, iOS programming; Tristen Parr: cello, production; Stuart James: piano, composition, programming, sound design & Louise Devenish: percussion.