Resources
Halcyon has a range of resources available to watch and listen for free, including In Conversation With…, our composer interview project, a 20 year history of archival performance footage, and a wide selection of tracks and audio samples available to be listened to online.
In Conversation With...
Over the past twenty years, Halcyon has developed many strong relationships with a wide network of Australian and international composers. In Conversation with… is an opportunity to get a little closer to some of these composers and find out a bit more about them and their work.
In this ongoing series, we discuss with them their craft, their process, their influences, and of course their approach to vocal writing. Recorded in conversation with Halcyon’s director, Jenny Duck-Chong, these interviews have an ease of familiarity but also provide useful insights into each composer’s work, their relationship with Halcyon and the pieces that they have written for the ensemble. Started as a way to share some of the conversations that often remain off-screen, it quickly became apparent that it was an important exercise in exploring the breadth of contemporary Australian vocal writing.
Existing only on YouTube and supported by the Australian Music Centre, the conversations remain technical and yet still approachable, edited into bite-size clips on specific topics that give insight into the composers’ methods and ideas. An educational resource, a tool for the budding composer and also just a fascinating look into the world of new music, In Conversation With… isn’t simply about interviews, it’s about starting a conversation.
Current uploads include conversations with Elliott Gyger, Raffaele Marcellino, Ross Edwards, Matthew Hindson, Andrew Schultz, Andrew Ford, Katy Abbott, Gordon Kerry, Kevin March, Nicole Murphy and Cameron Lam and interviews with Helen Gifford and Larry Sitsky are in production.
You can stay updated as new clips go online by subscribing to the Halcyon YouTube channel.
Archival Footage
Nothing can replace the thrill of hearing music played live, of hearing the music being created in front of you, watching the interactions of the players, and being connected to the physicality of the sound and ensemble as it happens. This is one of the great joys of chamber music, to be able to share very intimate music at close range with a responsive audience. However, concerts are infrequent events and dependent on one’s ability to be geographically close to performers. There will always be people unable to experience this music live (even more so with the restrictions introduced since COVID-19) and we want to enable people from all over the globe to be able to experience these wonderful works more easily.
While Halcyon has documented much of its performance history on video, these clips have always remained locked away in the archives unseen. We are now making a selection of these video recordings available to the public from across our 20 year history. The quality of recording equipment has certainly improved over the years but we hope you enjoy exploring the early archives as well.
On the channel, you'll find one or more works by: Katy Abbott, Kerry Andrew, Sally Beamish, Michael Berkeley, Diana Blom, Nigel Butterley, Unsuk Chin, Rachel Clement, Edison Denisov, Ross Edwards, Gabriel Erkoreka, Andrew Ford, Kasia Glowicka, Elliott Gyger, Graham Hair, Ross Harris, Sadie Harrison, Jonathan Harvey, Moya Henderson, Matthew Hindson, Simon Holt, Claire Jordan, Gordon Kerry, Earl Kim, Libby Larsen, Nicola LeFanu, James Macmillan, Raffaele Marcellino, Ruth Lee Martin, Nicole Murphy, Rosalind Page, Steve Reich, Kate Reid, Kaija Saariaho, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Andrew Schultz, Joseph Schwantner, Larry Sitsky, Jane Stanley, Brad Taylor-Newling, Claude Vivier, Dan Walker, Gillian Whitehead and Julian Yu.
New recordings are added regularly. To ensure you don’t miss out on an upload, you can subscribe to the channel or our mailing list.
Explore Halcyon on Youtube
| Piece | Composer | |
| Three Haiku | Julian Yu | |
| Stars | Brad Taylor-Newling | |
| Typewriter Music | Michael Berkeley | |
| Aster I | Sadie Harrison | |
| Nga Haerenga | Gillian Whitehead | |
| Winter Fragments | Michael Berkeley | |
| Puneña No. 2 | Alberto Ginastera | |
| Ombrone | Brad Taylor-Newling | |
| I lost a world the other day | Moya Henderson | |
| Petit Testament | Elliott Gyger | |
| Epithalamium | Andrew Ford | |
| Floof (Songs of a Homeostatic Homer) | Esa-Pekka Salonen | |
| Nuits, Adieux | Kaija Saariaho | |
| Adivinanza De La Guitarra and Pita from Six Caprices | Simon Holt | |
| From The Hungry Waiting Country | Elliott Gyger | |
| Tehillim | Steve Reich | |
| A Strange Kind of Paradise | Raffaelle Marcellino | |
| The Tranquil Mind | Ross Edwards | |
| Akrostichon-Wortspiel | Unsuk Chin | |
| Opalescence | Kasia Glowicka | |
| Aquila's Wing | Rosalind Page | |
| Grammaire des reves | Kaija Saariaho |
Listen
Over the past 20 years, Halcyon has amassed an impressive collection of studio albums and live recordings, as well as having performances recorded by ABC Classic FM, Fine Music and others. This vast catalogue allows us to share a selection of our history with you.
You can listen to the following full tracks at the links below.
| Piece | Composer |
| Music (La Musique) | Gordon Kerry |
| I Lost a World the Other Day | Moya Henderson |
| No Ordinary Traveller | Katy Abbott |
| apple and blackberry, from fruit songs | Kerry Andrews |
| Claire de lune | Rosalind Page |
| To My Excellent Lucasia, on our Friendship | Andrew Ford |
| Buzz | Sally Beamish |
| Fracture | Rachel Clement |
| Black Anemonesfrom Two Poems | Agueda Pizarro |
| News of a Baby and Unfractured Light, from giving voice | Elliott Gyger |
| Secret Meetings, from I am writing in this book | Andrew Schultz |
| Safety Glass, from Paradise | Andrew Schultz |
| To The Evening Star, from To The Evening Star | Andrew Schultz |
| A Strange Kind of Paradise movt 1 | Raffaele Marcellino |
| Wimmera Song Cycle | Ruth Lee Martin |
| Lífiõ Sjálft from Hrafnsöngvar | Rosalind Page |
Many of our studio albums are available for purchase and download in our store.
You can also listen to extracts of:
• Andrew Ford’s Willow Songs
• Ruth Lee Martin's Wimmera Song Cycle
• Ross Edward’s Maninya I
• Matthew Hindson’s Ants in the Shower Recess from Insect Songs
• Larry Sitsky’s Autumn Thoughts, from A Feast of Lanterns II
• Ross Edwards’ The Forest, from Five Senses
• Elliott Gyger’s Petit Testament
• Elliott Gyger’s Part One: Wet, from From the hungry waiting country
• Nigel Butterley’s Orphei Mysteria III
• Dan Walker’s King Ludwig’s Swans
• Rosalind Page’s Llagas De Amor from Sonetos Del Amor Oscuro