The last few months, with the horrific summer that many have had to endure, has seen devastation to life, properties, businesses, infrastructure and the environment. We have also witnessed a damaging political climate develop, with the visibility of the arts threatened through recent ministry amalgamation announcements which has provoked much response from the sector and its artists.
Despite the lack of arts recognition by the government, artists themselves continue to create and encourage others through their work and to demonstrate the important role the arts play in our everyday lives and in reflecting the contemporary world. We do it in such diverse ways, from a loud shout to the gentlest whisper, in a wide variety of media, but we all do it because we believe in connecting with our contemporary world.
As the MEAA said in a recent statement:
“Art matters. The arts play a crucial role in our society. Art connects us as humans and shapes how we think about ourselves and the world.
Participation in the arts forms community, expresses our humanity, and tells stories about who we are and who we want to be.”
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The YouTube channel is growing and our popular In Conversation With…interview playlist, a series that provides a dedicated focus to the words and thoughts of Australian composers, now features 33 videos and includes nine composers so far with more new faces to come this year.
To start the year off we’ve added a bunch of new clips to the series and regular additions will follow every fortnight.
Katy Abbott On Collaboration
Andrew Ford On Inspiration
Andrew Schultz on Recording
Elliott Gyger on Vocal Chamber Music
You’ll also find a very short clip of Gordon Kerry talking about his fascination with chamber music on our facebook page here.
This month we’re introducing a new composer, Kevin March, to the series with his first clip on Composition I: Finding Your Voice. Kevin has written two beautiful works for Halcyon over the years, including Sea-blue Bird for our Kingfisher 15th birthday project (which you can listen to here) and is passionate about vocal music and poetry - which is clearly why we have so much in common!
These relationships with composers, developed over years of working together, are at the heart of what we do. Bringing any composer’s intentions to life and interpreting them through performance is a great joy, but when you can also ask them questions, debate their ideas, learn their particular language and be part of the creation of a new piece, it is a unique privilege. We hope, through these conversations, that you are able to share some of that experience. Click here to subscribe.
In 2020 I urge you to take all this to heart and to seek out and engage with living arts and artists; be moved, uplifted, provoked, challenged and changed!