One more Sunwrae show for 2011..

Since the tour.. A theatre show, mixing some new DVD tracks, the packing up, the selling off (including my amazing grand piano) and the announcements of ONE MORE SUNWRAE ENSEMBLE EXTRAVAGANZA SHOW FOR 2011!!! 

The days and weeks have flown since the tour. After a quick break in Hong Kong in June, I came back to prepare and perform a live original score for a wonderful theatre show 'The Lost Girl' at St Martins Youth Arts Centre. It was a show devised and performed by a group of nine 13-17 year olds, developed through a series of workshops in improvisation, storytelling and physical theatre, from their own personal experiences. Loads of fun, inspiring and challenging all at the same time! There were 4 performances between July 7-9, including an Auslan and audio described performance. So great to work on a theatre show again and be challenged by creating all sorts of different music for the various scenes in the show.

Now it has come to a close, I have only one creative project left before my venture to the UK starts.. an orchestral piece! Phew, what a task! Before I rabbit on about that however, I am off for a few weeks to say ciao to friends and family interstate.

I've also begun the daunting task of packing up for the UK.. I've sold my van already! Sad to see it go, but it had to be done so I don't get stuck at the last minute with too many loose ends to tie! The pile of clothes and knick-knacks for the Salvation Army has grown to a mountain in the middle of my living room.. I've rummaged through piles of paperwork in my filing cabinet to be shredded... And the list of things-to-do on the whiteboard in my studio stares back at me every time I go past...

Last week in Melbourne we completed the mixing from the ABC Iwaki Auditorium final tour performance on June 9. Over the next few months, be prepared for some new audio and visual tracks up online!

AND.. in August, I'm happy to say that there will be one more Sunwrae Ensemble performance... an extravaganza! A performance of, at last count, 12 musicians from the past 7 or so years to see me off in style. It's a fundraiser for my studies, to make sure I really leave the country!!!

So, if you're in Melbourne on Thursday August 18th, please come to our show and support my departure into the unknown! It may well be the last big performance for two years in Australia... 8pm start, at Richmond Uniting Church, 310 Church Street in Richmond Victoria. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.trybooking.com/RWT

One more thing... I'm selling my amazing antique grand piano.. it's a English beauty, a Chappell. If there's anyone out there that's interested, let me know!!!!

I'll leave you with a few photos from our recent performance at ABC Iwaki Auditorium... Photos by Dean Jones.

ANZAC Day

i played the last post and reveille this morning, for the buninyong rsl. and what a lovely and moving ceremony it was. a new initiative for this year (by vic bradley~ a member for 65 years!), there were 206 white wooden crosses next to the cenotaph, each representing a deceased local anzac. the sun was shining, clear blue skies above and many people gathered to pay their respects. over a cuppa & scones afterwards, i figured out with the local rsl members that it has been 17 years since i joined them. it was 1994 when i first played the last post on bugle for the club, in my school uniform! i remember asking my dad if i really had to wear my uniform on a holiday!! and i'm still there (not in my school uniform though). wowee.

and now as the sun goes down, i'm back home practicing piano, preparing for the first sunwrae 2011 tour rehearsal tomorrow. can't wait! got some new tunes to put in front of the fab four (the string quartet that is).. just gotta finish a few bits and pieces on their parts/notations tonight and i'll be ready. the fire is lit and i have a bottle of red at the ready too, so i'm set for the evening!

better get back to it. stay tuned for more news soooon!

a whole new world...

so recently i joined twitter. and i upgraded the sunwrae group to a 'page' on faceybook (with a little help from some computer-friendly friends ). it's a whole new world in the social stream for me and frankly i'm not sure i can keep it up, but i'll give it a red hot go for the sunwrae tour (you'll notice, all four of you that are reading anyway, that even this blog is out of date.. you see? i tells the truth). anyway, back to tweeting. still not sure exactly what i should tweet. afterall, who wants to know that it's past 11pm and i'm still working? don't i have anything better to do? well, at the moment, no. just tour stuff. i updated my website, the faceybook thingemy, i tweeted about limelight mentioning the sunwrae tour, drafted an e-mailout to the subscribers, replied to way too many emails, had a skype meeting with my fabulous tour manager KJ and it'll start again all tomorrow. i suppose however, that the most part of the day (until 4) was spent (finally) at the piano... i want more days like today!

i'm nearly finished writing the string parts for 'sem duvida', a brazil-inspired work. can't wait to perform it... but there's a long way to go on my other new pieces before they'll get to the stage. still, tomorrow will again be at the drawing board (literally, it's where i'm writing music, with a big screen, laptop & midi keyboard, next to my grand piano), with less business, more music.

my playing has been given a rev-up the past month, with me practicing some crazy scalic runs. trying to train my let hand to be more like my right. i think it has become a little lazy after the summer silly season. but you get that. well, i do. the book's called 'the virtuoso pianist'. apparently it's meant to be playable (up to speed) in an hour. freak, if anyone can do that, with this book, including the repeats, they deserve a medal (it'd want to be a big one and i'm not paying). but good luck to them with having any kind of life. i don't think it's possible anyway. and if someone challenges me (that probably means one of your four as i'm not sure anyone else reads this), go for it. i'll give some kind of special prize. if you have suggestions, bring them on.

oh. and trumpet practice this week too. of course, anzac day is coming up and i'll be suitably celebrating the day (well, commemorating) with the buninyong rsl in victoria. i think this, 'the last post', my community service, now stands at 16 years (or thereabouts).. who would've thunk i could have lasted that long?

other stuff...
played a gig with david ross macdonald last week, an album launch at the northcote social club. lovely show all round, playing with some fab muso's.. and i'm happy to say that my name is now on a vinyl release. it's definitely inspired me to release something of sunwrae on vinyl. sometimes it's all i play at home (vinyl that is, not sunwrae, that'd just be weird).

and last thing for tonight. lordy how many things i'm learning, day by day, i can't believe it. even if it's to nod, smile and back away from people who you know aren't going to listen. or to double check that last move in that hard sudoku (you feel crap if you mess it up in pen). or practice makes perfect (or does it?!). whatever the case, i'm listening and learning and can't wait to turn off my computer and fall asleep. if anyone is still reading this, thanks. you've made my day, and certainly the blog, worth writing.

i'll leave you with an image i found from the archives... from the apollo bay music fest in 2007.. sketched by kellie o'dempsey during our performance there... not sure who took the photo..