Palestinian musicians & Arabic music inspiration, London Tap Jam and Strindberg..

OK, so it seems inevitable that this blog will be a monthly one.. which funnily enough has been happening anyways. i'll keep this post writing short, because there'll be more pics and videos to come, so this is just a taster.. and please check out my previous posts if you haven't before. there's loads of stories!

So this past month, however craazily busy, has been fabulous on all fronts creative and inspirational. and despite the weather settling into winter mode (hats, scarves and gloves all round) and the clocks changing so it's dark by 5pm, i think it'll be a month to remember.

The first three weeks of October saw me writing for a small theatre production by Foreign Affairs, a new theatre company based in London. The play was a new translation of 'simoom', written by the most famous Swedish playwright Strindberg, produced alongside the Scandinavian department at University College London (UCL) to celebrate his centenary.

the actors.. Junior Laniyan, Erica Chestnut and Jamie Pigott

In the third week of October, as part of my masters course, we had a residency off-campus in Hackney, hosting a group of Palestinian musicians, from Beit AlMusica Conservatoire in Shefa’amr and The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Ramallah (Palestine). 

Titled Narrow the Distance, the week long project was a cultural, collaborative and creative exchange project that brought together the Palestinian musicians as well as the various musicians from my Masters course at Guildhall (from the UK, The Netherlands, Greece, America and Australia of course, that's me). It was an intense week of music making, loong hours from morning til night, but very inspiring, creating music collaboratively from the smallest of ideas, rhythms and melodies, culminating in a gig at the Hackney Cut in Hackney Wick, a new live music venue on the London map. 

It was a very special week, creating some great music and magical moments.. here are a few pics from the week (i was a bit slack in taking too many photos, but hopefully some more will be passed on to me!).. 

in rehearsal..

Maya, Nizar and Amer

Akram Haddad

Nizar Kabbany

Mid week we were blessed by the company of Youssef Hbeisch on percussion and Ahmad Al-Khatib on oud, for a workshop on Arabic music and rhythms, after seeing them perform the night prior with the one and only John Williams on guitar, at Cadogan Hall in Chelsea. 

Here's a few pics from the workshop, the first explaining the basics behind Arabic scales, made up of a series of tetra-chords.. the second of Youssef Hbeisch explaining his use of Arabic rhythms in performance.. and the third of them playing together.. i have a video of this, however it's too big for the blog upload.. sorry!

Arabic scales in motion..

Youssef Hbeisch and Arabic rhythms..

Ahmed Al-Khatib and Youssef Hbeisch

and a couple of quick videos behind the scenes...

and a few pics from the gig itself...

On the following Sunday after the gig, I went to a tap dancing masterclass by Guillem Alonso, from Barcelona (yes that's right, with my new tap shoes, I'm reminiscing my dancing days as a youngster.. primarily to draw inspiration from the incredibly complex rhythms that come out!). That evening, October 28, I went along to the 6th birthday of the London Tap Jam, hosted by Junior Laniyan, one of London's finest tap dancers. The London Tap Jam is held at Ronnie Scott's jazz club once a month, featuring a live jazz trio & guests instrumentalists, alongside a myriad of improvising tap dancers.. it was a great evening all round.. 

I'll sign off this blog with a few short videos from the evening.. 
junior...

michael...

guillem...

there were some fab female tappers too and an amazing sand dance by Guillem Alonso, however once again the videos were too big to upload :-(

over and out for now.. more news to come soon!! 
on the horizon.. argentina!! whoop!

romania, bulgaria, war horse, the necks and cantina,

well, another month has passed, summer has been and gone and i've had some fabulous ventures..

the last week of august i flew to bucharest, romania..

flying to bucharest..

i met with a great friend of mine aneli, an artist who i met in brazil whilst in residence at instituto sacatar on the island of itaparica, bahia. we spent a couple of days in bucharest, her home, riding bikes around and taking in the sights of the city.. amazing.. we borrowed a car and i took the plunge of driving a left hand side drive subaru on the right side of the road, down to the seaside (the black sea), and across the border into bulgaria. after a puncture on the highway (they have gigantic potholes in the roads!) we stopped for a few days camping, right by the sea, nearby the small seaside village of krapets.

mojito anyone?

the bar..

the stage & outdoor cinema screen by the beach..

the food was amazing.. local seafood caught daily and traditional bulgarian dishes galore!

nothing left of this sea creature..

so amongst the many hours of laying in a hammock reading a book, i swam in the black sea daily, saw the sunset on the beach and generally soaked up the relaxing atmosphere...

sundown, moon up, over the black sea..

our artistic camping spot..

i knew i was a long way from home when on the way back to bucharest and romanian comforts we drove past these signs..

long way from home..

saturn and venus? really?

and over the blue danube on the way back to bucharest..

the blue danube river...

on my return to london, also marking my one year stay here, i said goodbye to the wonderful view in world's end..

goodbye world's end..

and i moved flats, to haggerston (dalston, hackney).. into a studio. my small upright piano now has a new home with a soundproof wall behind it so i don't annoy the neighbours (who just happen to be australian too.. small world)!

my lil' piano..

since i've been here in london, i'm back in regular contact with the amazing australian performer ivan thorley, an artist/dancer/puppeteer/all round maker of creative things, whom i met waaay back in 2000, whilst working on 'the angel show' (production by peepshow inc theatre company performed at la mama theatre, carlton, australia). anyways, ivan has been involved with some incredible projects over the years living in london (including the massive puppets for the olympic ceremony this year!) and at the moment, puppeteering for 'warhorse', the west end show, inside 'joey'. he flung me a ticket to their dress rehearsal on change of cast, which was fabulous.. the movements of the horse are really something. here's a sneak peak..

next on the agenda was meeting alex mizzen, an aerial artist who is here in london working with cantina (the aussie circus/physical theatre show), for the london wonderground at southbank. i saw cantina twice during its season here as part of the cultural olympiad, so if you get the chance to see the show (especially to see this wonderful lady perform), i highly recommend it!

i also saw the necks when they were playing in shoreditch last week (as always, a mesmerising experience) and next week i'm off to see the brandt brauer frick ensemble play (from berlin) at the southbank centre.

i've been to a few networking events and professional development seminars recently.. run by basca (the british academy of songwriters, composers and authors), apra (australasian performing rights association), the british library business & ip centre, and ukti (uk trade & investment), culminating in very interesting, inspiring information to give me a rev up in creative and business ventures and sometimes all round exciting brain waves.

phew! well, so it's been jam packed, but that's not all yet..
i'm just starting a project with a theatre company here, called foreign affairs. it's a strindberg play (a swedish playwright from many moons ago) called 'simoom'. rehearsals start monday, so i'll keep you all posted with how things progress.

the final year of my guildhall masters has also started and there's some great things in the pipeline. my first project is researching aspects of proprioception in relation to musicians working with physical performers (dance, circus, physical theatre etc). in a sense, it is the essence of proprioception and kinesthesia, and how music creation can be influenced by these studies, if the composer/performer is consciously aware of the physical performers' movements, rather than the gestures solely being an external event through vision. i cannot quite tell if that makes sense or not, but that the gist of my thoughts so far (but they may change too)..

ok, over and out for another month and i'll be back with updates soon!!
:)

olympics, paris, curious festival and more..

so the month of june was filled with rehearsals, writing and practicing for a silent movie performance and preparing my assessments for guildhall.. busy month! the silent film project was a fabulous one, directed by the great tim metherall from melbourne.. i'll be recording the music in the next month sometime, so i'll post it up as soon as it's done.

to end my first year at guildhall, the department had a festival at the 'people show' in london, during the first week of july. I was lucky enough to perform every night with a number of different groups, playing piano, vibraphone and singing even.. there's no photos from this just yet, but hopefully the powers that apparently be will send them through at some stage..

during that week, great friends of mine from minneapolis usa were visiting.. jared and julia.. jared miller, from the filter lab i met in 2006 whilst in residence at the banff centre in canada.. he's one of the best audio engineers i know on this planet (he didn't even pay me to say that)! i had the pleasure of working with him way back in 06, recording in the rolston recital hall, an improvised album with the composer/percussionist extraordinaire eugene skeef from south africa / uk.

for the first time in more than 6 years, jared, eugene and i were in the same room, nattering on as if no time had passed. and i'm pleased to say that our album (albeit overdue) is nearly ready! it's been remixed and mastered this year, using some images from the fabulous photographer brian goff, from tacoma washington, usa, also in residence in banff at the time. we spent much of the day reminiscing and putting the design together for its release. sunwrae fans will love this record!

here's jared and julia making there way home from world's end...
more news to come on the album 'heavy forest air'...

so with school over for the year, performances done, album organised, it was definitely rest time.. as well as catchup time on all the things i've put aside (hence my late blog post here!). and summer time! well, it's the wettest summer here in 90 years apparently, but occasionally the sun has shone through the clouds, with enough warmth to defrost my toes. finally!

managed to spare a couple of hours in the guildhall 'studio' (if that's what they call it!) to record a couple of tracks (including the original version of the machine, with vocals!) with italian singer nicoletta tiberini.. stay tuned to hear some of these sometime soon..

so at this stage, london was getting busier of course, with the lead up to the olympics. the local council here started putting up some quirky sculptures to make life a bit more enjoyable..

and the culture/entertainment kept on coming from the london cultural olympiad festival.. well, bt river of music festival was a hoot. i spent 21st/22nd july in greenwich at the oceania stage, the highlight being the wantok musik sing sing, directed by david bridie (not drowning waving, my friend the chocolate cake).. a fabulous collaborative performance by 24 (i think) artists, from different cultures in the australasian and oceanic region.. amazing! engineered by the master audio guru brett doig (who did the live sound for sunwrae's thornbury theatre show in '09), i was fortunate to get an artist pass and schmooze with the artists (thanks brett!). here's a couple of pics from the weekend:

 

phil wales on the left.. go phil!!

and here's brett hard at work..

on the sunday.. for the first time in, mmm, 5 years?! i saw natalia mann (the original harpist in sunwrae).. she was too far away on stage to get a clear pic with my phone, but the photo below is her performing harp with the maori/irish collaboration from new zealand (and a tap dancer, yay!). natalia has been living in turkey for some time and now spending time between there and new zealand..

and the artists afterparty.. wow jools holland was amazing! so many awesome players and guests on the stage, very memorable. and after the afterparty.. the sky was clear and i saw two stars!! the first time in london i've seen stars! yay!

then it's olympics time.. here, the cloudy old grey day was the opening day.. the view from my flat when the olympic flame travelled the thames to the olympic village...

ok. phew! it nearly takes me up to date.. except most recently (on the weekend) i decided to escape london and catch the eurostar to paris to soak up some days in the sun, sipping wine and tasting an array of their delicious foods.. no photos unfortunately (i was having too much fun!), but i'll be back there soon and will post some up... i did however see the wonderful national jazz orchestra performing for the paris jazz festival.. a tribute to astor piazolla.. fabulous arrangements!

over and out for now..

München, Germany: Classical:NEXT, flash mobs and moving forward..

i'm writing this blog from münchen in germany. i've just finished attending the Classical:NEXT conference at the Gasteig here. it's been a great few days of interesting discussions and discoveries about the classical music industry in europe mainly, but also with great insights into what's going on around the globe generally, in classical music, contemporary works and interpretations, digital trends and consequences, and what's 'next' for the industry in all sorts of ways.

it's the first dedicated classical music conference, which is a little surprising, so obviously well overdue really. in some respects i was well out of place within such a conference, however i drew some interesting information from it, i met some fabulous people amongst the big-wigs, and it really was inspiring in a number of different ways.

many of the attendees were heavyweight classicals: major labels, artist managers, publishers, journalists, major performing art / opera / orchestral institution personnel, as well as the showcasing classical artists, whilst very few people were artists themselves (who were not showcasing), or composers, or independents. hopefully next time there'll be a much bigger contingent of these!

anyway, so, Classical:NEXT consisted of conference sessions and presentations with discussions in Gasteig's Black Box, live showcases in the Carl-Orff-Saal Gallery, video showcases, networking meetings, mentoring sessions (although these were very limited), 'meet the artist' receptions and 'club' showcases (contemporary classical performances in Munich clubs Bob Beaman and Harry Klein~ ie, bringing the music to vastly different venues, performing to new audiences). overall, there was a wide range of music represented, from early baroque to contemporary, traditional to experimental.

i am well aware that i'm not a journalist writing a review about the conference (there was a few discussions about amateur journalists and whether they're good or bad for the industry!), however i feel compelled to write about it as an independent artist and believe my view is valid so i dare to continue, if only to share my experience..

i like to think that i represented the independent artist, the composer, the performer that is not signed, who owns all copyright, who initiates independent arts in an industry that is ever changing. i was pleasantly surprised to hear some initiatives that some classical organisations are implenting to promote classical music (in the broad sense of the word), to develop audiences outside the seemingly traditional fashion.

i arrived at gasteig not knowing a sole (and i believe i was the only australian there), so it provided me with the opportunity to soak up information, meet new industry peoples and (to those that listened) share my experience of my creative journey so far.

the opening concert presented (intentionally), a formal performance of traditional classical repertoire, showcasing a number of exceptional artists, with great strength in presenting poised, engaging performances (mostly!). in the conference environment, at times, the showcases felt a little awkward with attendees coming and going from the venue, not a full audience etc, however that is part and parcel of conferences these days.. many people are conducting business meetings and networking, so it's not everyone's agenda to see everything. over the few days of showcases however, this traditional concert format was challenged somewhat, by presenting contemporary performances in various venues (ie the club showcases), sharing promotional tools to reach a wider audience and highlighting different ways to present 'classical' (for want of a better word) music to the public. ie. performing Handel's piano works on a grand piano attached to a moving vehicle (see Daria van den Bercken's work).

then there's the Copenhagen Phil playing Ravel's Bolero at Copenhagen Central Station or their flash mob performance on the Copenhagen Metro. for some, flash mobs are no surprise of course (well, they are when you experience it live!), they come in all sorts of ways and industries as gorilla marketing.. but for those that haven't seen or heard in person, it's only something you get emailed or you find on youtube. the great thing about these aspects in particular at Classical:NEXT, was to meet the people that initiate these ideas, be in discussions with them and feel a part of the energy that helps classical music (or any music genre for that matter) move forward and find new audiences.

developing audiences was generally a hot topic, with sessions including 'Promoting the Arts in the Age of Digital Reproduction' (awesome presentations about digital media tools by Christopher Gruits from Carnegie Hall NY and Anna Kleeblatt from the Bavarian State Opera) and 'What is Better, a Community or a Crowd?' (funding projects by crowd-funding, social media technology etc with Steven Walter from PODIUM Festival Esslingen).

other sessions included an interesting discussion on film music.. 'Film Music as an Ear-Opener to Contemporary Music' (whether using contemporary music in films has helped it find a wider audience, or if the picture distracts the audience from noticing how abstract the music actually is etc..) and 'Perspectives on Music Journalism Today' (with Oliver Condy from the BBC Music Magazine and Jessica Duchen, a freelance journalist, talking about the shift to internet journalism, PR, print vs online etc).

generally, some interesting topics, questions, conversations, discoveries and presentations.. my only criticism, or rather, suggestive comment, is that in an industry that recognises that a great number of their audience remains true to traditional forms of listening media, ie cds, perhaps a move towards creating environmentally sustainable products would be beneficial (like the digipak or 100% recycled cardboard products instead of jewel case cds etc). additionally, 'greening' activities such as touring, recognising carbon footprints, or using sustainable, ethical products might be a great way to move forward too. perhaps for the major labels or management companies, a partnership with Julie's Bicycle in London would ensure a better future for classical cds and even create a stir with developing audiences in recognising that the industry is moving in the right direction. just a thought anyway.

ok. so it's taken longer than i thought to write this and sorry there's no pics of my own. there's a few on their official flicker site though (you might even see me in there somewhere)..

so on a final note, i had a great time in munich (it's a lovely city i think) and i met some great people who are doing some interesting things, both in classical and the contemporary music industry.. i've come away with some great ideas for my future projects. the 'review' aspect of the conference wasn't my intention at all, i just wanted to share a few thoughts as i've been totally absorbed in it. anyways, i could rattle on for hours about the showcasing artists, but i need to sleep, so i'll leave it there (for more info look at the Classical:NEXT website) and i'll be back soon with more news on my projects in london... bring on the summer!

10 4

the first day of the rest of my life

so we all say at sometime or other "this is the first day of the rest of my life", however i actually had one of those moments today. often it takes a serious step outside your normal (whatever that is) lifestyle to realise it. ok, it may sound huge and life-changing (perhaps it is), but i have to warn you before you read on, it's certainly not one of those life and death situations.. it's just about balancing wherever i am now (generally~ life in london, studying, searching for the next step, trying to become famous etc.. joking about that last thing) with what i really want out of the various situations and places i find myself in at the moment as well as my musical journey into the unknown.

i'm currently in hong kong, it's well past midnight and tomorrow i'm due to fly back to london to resume my studies at the guildhall school of music & drama. i've had a week out of my latest routine in london to investigate a few external projects, which ultimately i've found, feed back in to my studies. i've been in quite some frustration as to whether i'm doing the right thing (the whole thing of studying i mean) and whether they can deliver what i really want. as i said though, i had this revelation today and i feel refreshingly invigorated.. 

the interesting thing is that until now, i've also escaped the academic world to some extend, or rather, i've haven't had a great desire to investigate the academic nature of my musical aesthetic. that is, i haven't felt it necessary to explain why i create and how i create, except for the fact that it is me expressing myself and my experiences, sometimes perhaps in relation to visuals and responding to another artistic aesthetic. i've just had this vague removed obsession to be respected by the academic industry of music, whether that be classical, contemporary, avant garde, conceptual composition (the list goes on).. however it's only now, by taking some time in hong kong and chatting with a great old friend king pan ng, who i studied with during my undergrad at melbourne university 12 or so years ago, that i realise that it is that particular challenge of 'reading' exactly what my musical aesthetic is, that is how i will truly be able to express in perfect form (for me) what i do, how i do, why i do whatever it is that i do (i'm training to be a magician for those who don't know). i understand of course that it will change, develop, evolve, afterall that is the nature of life, and that is the exciting thing, however what i'm trying to say, long-windedly, is that i finally want to articulate in words, what i'm doing, in such a way that it can help my growth as an artiste (or magician). perhaps it can also help me to develop my audience outside my usual streams of searching.

here's a pic of king pan at the piano, talking, playing, rabbiting on..

here's a couple of pics of king pan and i rabbiting on about musical aesthetics...

oops, i didn't agree with this one. 

and last night i went to macau to visit a casino 'the city of dreams', which is not a usual haunt, however i went to see the 'house of dancing water'. it's a spectacle theatre show of sorts for the masses, revolving around a giant pool of water. soo amazing the scale of it, entertaining, wonderful divers, professional performers, acrobatics, theatrical moments (as well as some cheesy ones!).. i took just one pic before my desire to just watch instead of document came through...

ok just looked at the clock and realised it's waay past my bedtime to do what i need to do tomorrow before i fly back to london.... more about my musical aesthetic later, but for now, it's been a truly great venture to hong kong and the many hidden gems it has..

hong kong, til next time...

ps. so many stories still to come!!

april news for rae and sunwrae...

phew! it's april already?! the story of my life at the moment.. it's going too fast! where did the time go? a month since my last post?! ok i'm over my outburst. i have had some adventures though..

march was crazy busy with projects.. first and foremost was the dance and music collaboration with choreographer chris scott and 8 dancers from the london contemporary dance school, along with jenni wright, a fabulous french horn player from the guildhall school of music & drama. i wrote the music and played piano & vibraphone.. my london debut performances!! it truly was a great project to be involved in. chris and i were on the same page from day 1 (that's pretty rare i think!) and so hopefully we'll create something more in the coming year or two.. maybe to tour?! that's be good too! we were the finale act ( i like to think that's a compliment! ) and i think the audience liked it too.. wish i could post it here, but i haven't got the dvd (hoping to soon tho). here's a pic tho from my practice sessions...

next up.. my orchestral work was premiered on march 18.. apparently it was great but i haven't heard the recording yet!! hopefully they'll send me a photo too.. i'll be back with more when i know..

then... i had two weeks break (from my masters classes), which consisted of writing essays, project proposals and funding applications (fun stuff eh?).. but also an easter trip to st ives, cornwall.. the beach! now it wasn't exactly beach weather, but it didn't stop the pomms from gearing up in wetsuits and surfing what looked like not even a foot of surf. i laughed out loud sipping coffee from the warm of the beach cafe out of the rain, but gave them points for the effort.

next stop.. denmark! the home of lego!! legoland was awesome.. it's an amusement park with rides for kids and adults!! and so many amazing lego sculptures..
here's a very short but hilarious video from our trip there...

and some pics... couldn't resist this one..

there's even an underwater world with real sharks, fish and all sorts!

crazy that they're all made from tiny lego block huh!

mmm. so not much else on the cards, oh but ah! that's right.. i've taken up a new hobby.. bouldering! couldn't resist taking a picture of my shoes with the view from my flat in the background too..  ha! not that i'm climbing buildings, just walls and boulders so far. it's indoor too here, but maybe the wild outdoors will call when i'm somewhere with good rocks ;-)

mmm. so next musical venture is a short gig for sunday in the apartment.. then onto a project with an illustrator, idris hussain, to make an animation film... stay tuned for updates!!!

til next time, r