In Her Footsteps
TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day, Arafura Music Collective invites you to take in the gorgeous surrounds of the George Brown Botanical Gardens as you are delighted, engaged and moved by the rich intimacy of chamber music, all penned by women.
Famous composers featured include Hildegard von Bingen, Elizabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and Grażyna Bacewicz, and a light is shone on local ladies including Nora Lewis and Netanela Mizrahi.
Arafura Collective Artistic Director Claire Kilgariff says International Women’s Day presents the perfect opportunity to raise awareness on the challenges female composers have faced that people may not beaware of – issues some still face today.
“International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to feature the innovation and creativity of women through a full concert of chamber music by women.” she says.
“During the Romantic period [19th century] it was thought that women who practiced the art of composition suffered from mental illness. Men in particular believed that women’s brains were different from men’s, and that women couldn’t do the work of a composer.
“Today, Australia is represented almost equally by women as men composers, but even so, it’s not easy for them. During the performance, Territory-based composer Cathy Applegate provides insight into the creative life and challenges of being a female composer.”
Illuminating the courage and creativity of women composers across time, genre, and place, the performance includes works from the Middle Ages, from baroque and romantic to contemporary Australian. From ethereal beauty to downright quirky, this display of female talent is diverse, clever, and beautiful.
In Her Footsteps
WHEN SUN 7 MAR | 4.30PM DOORS, 5PM PERFORMANCE
AT GEORGE BROWN BOTANIC GARDENS
COST $42 | $35 CONC | $12 12-17 FREE U12
INFO facebook.com/arafuraensemble
Inset: Cathy Applegate
