COLLABORATIONS IN CHAMBER
Whistling Kite New Music returns to present two ambitious and compelling performances of chamber music, with a few surprises!
WORDS TIERNEY WHITE
IMAGE PAZ TASSONE
MUSIC LOVERS ARE invited to experience the collaborative beauty of chamber music, contemporary style, with two very special, and different, performances curated by Whistling Kite New Music Artistic Director, Nick Yates.
The ensemble officially kicked off in 2020, born from a Darwin Fringe Festival performance in 2019 when Yates pitched the idea to his music peers. Made up of a round six, the ensemble presents several performances throughout the year, and have performed at Darwin Festival, AANT Centre, Brown’s Mart, George Brown Botanic Gardens Events Centre, and Audit House in the years since.
This month, they return to Brown’s Mart, collaborating with other invited artists for two shows, the first being Soundtracks – a merging of music and film.
“It's exciting to put together a concert based around original scores that members at Whistling have composed for various different sorts of short films,” Yates says.
“The headline film is the Northern Territory premiere of Homesick, which is a short film by Iona Francis, with original score by myself and Stephanie Arnold. Lots of people in performing arts in the NT will know Iona – Iona and Kostadinos [Hatzivalsamis] have been going from strength to strength with their company Night Lights Pictures.
“Homesick is Iona's, debut as writer/director, and it's a really sweet short film, which she says, is based on her own experience of saying goodbye to her childhood best friend before moving overseas.
It's a love letter to their upbringing, their friendship, and all their teenage antics. It's a very sweet little film.”
Other films screening on the night to the live score include Water is Life by Sam Phelan and Miliwanga Sandy Wurrben, with original score by Netanela Mizrahi, Nick Yates, and Stephanie Arnold. Venus and The Moon by Ayelet Rose Gottleib also screens, with text by Mizrahi 's daughter Bessie, and a new arrangement of the music by Mizrahi.
The second show, Stories of Water and Earth, features music by Mizrahi and poetry by Melanie Mununggurr.
“Stories of Water and Earth is the name of the big work in the program … that premiered a couple of years ago at Darwin Festival ... It's had some performances since then in Sydney, but this will be only the second time it's been performed in Darwin,” Yates says.
“It’s really exciting to be giving that piece, you know, more life, and Melanie's poetry about her Country is very powerful, and it's beautiful music … We'll have some other surprises in there, too. There's going to be a new piece that I'm writing, and Steph's going to play a solo cello piece as well.”
surprises in there, too. There's going to be a new piece that I'm writing, and Steph's going to play a solo cello piece as well.”
Head along to experience some incredible Territory storytelling with Whistling Kite New Music and friends.
Soundtracks
WHEN SUN 1 NOV | 5PM
Stories of Water and Earth
WHEN FRI 13 NOV | 7PM
AT BROWN’S MART
COST $24-$41
INFO brownsmart.com.au
