Music, She Wrote 2023
Music, She Wrote
ALPHA60 Chapter House & online
Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD
29 – 31 March, 8pm
3MBS Melbourne 103.5FM presents its third chamber music festival celebrating women in music. Partnering once again with iconic Melbourne fashion label ALPHA60, the festival will see ALPHA60’s stunning concept store in Chapter House on Flinders Lane transformed into a very special, intimate concert venue for three nights 29–31 March.
This year’s festival revolves around the theme of breaking step, cutting loose, and the courage required to speak up with an authentic voice. Society often expects women to behave and appear in particular ways and we want to shake things up using the intimate medium of chamber music.
CONCERT 1: TURNING IN
Wednesday 29 March, 8pm
Georgina Lewis x Billie Tumarkin
Program
Vitezslava Kapralova – Navždy (Forever), What Is My Grief
Stefania Turkewich – selected songs
Missy Mazzoli – You Are The Dust
Patricia Corceido – selected songs
Nadia Boulanger – selected songs
Ann Southam – Remembering Schubert
Otilie Suková – Lullaby
Pianist Georgina Lewis and soprano Billie Tumarkin join forces to take a journey to the inner landscape of the soul. Known for her sensitivity and authentic, unfiltered musicality, as well as her curation of captivating programs, Lewis is a cornerstone of Melbourne’s chamber music scene. Turning In sees her collaborate with Billie Tumarkin, a young singer at the intersection of classical, folk and contemporary music. Their program muses on the acts of weaving, women’s work, and journeying. From 1930s Czechoslovakia to Ukrainian art songs, to Canadian minimalism, and the vibrancy of American Missy Mazzoli, Lewis and Tumarkin’s program is richly coloured and deeply touching.
CONCERT 2: BREAKING STEP
Thursday 30 March, 8pm
Rubiks Collective
Program
Anna Clyne – Fits and Starts
Sam Wolf – Want Not
Julia Wolfe – East Broadway
Molly Joyce – Less Is More
Leah Blankendaal – Beacon
Gemma Peacocke – Sky Fields
The festival’s central concert marks the act of breaking step, of venturing out from the status quo. Melbourne’s beloved contemporary art music ensemble Rubiks Collective has championed female composers since their formation in 2015.
Rubiks brings their signature dynamism and vivacity to Chapter House, with the vibrant combination of piano (Jacob Abela), percussion (Kaylie Melville), cello (Gemma Kneale) and flute (Tamara Kohler). With a particular interest in storytelling and cross-art collaboration, Rubiks has quickly established a reputation for excellence, delighting audiences with their unique programming and dazzling virtuosity.
CONCERT 3: NEW BEGINNINGS
Friday 31 March, 8pm
Ceridwen McCooey
Croissants & Whiskey
Program
Ceridwen McCooey (originals)
A Starless, Fatherless Sky
When you are ready for words
How Green Is My Valley?
For the Performer (World Premiere)
Croissants & Whiskey
Louisa Trewartha – Baroque Quartet
Alice Chance – O Pastor Animarum
Katie Yap – Multitudes (World Premiere)
Elizabeth Younan – The Fertile Crescent
The final concert celebrates the new paths that emerge after change. Cellist and 2022 winner of 3MBS The Talent, Ceridwen McCooey tells the story of forging her own path. With a program of original works, including a world premiere, her music draws on the clarity of contemporary classical music, combining it with the freedom of improvisation and using live-looped layers to create rich, ever-changing textures.
Prog-baroque quartet Croissants & Whiskey rounds off the festival. Representing a new direction for baroque instruments, theirs is an unconventional blend of harpsichord (Joy Lee), recorders (Ryan Williams), baroque viola (Katie Yap) and G violone (Miranda Hill). They are quickly becoming known for the musicality, flair and humour they bring to their performances, blending the sonorous with the sharp, and drawing audiences from around the state.
Hero image: Elina Faskhi taken by Darren James
