Emerging Composers Forum
2019-2023

“Last year, amongst the stunning backdrop of the Aldinga scrub, the four composers were tasked with developing a site-specific work that captured the spirit of the scrub’s unique diversity. The composers approached the task in a variety of ways, offering different snapshots that captured not only the flora and fauna, but also the ecology and local environment, through varied approaches.

The performer mentors were Brisbane’s Clocked Out duo, Vanessa Tomlinson and Erik Griswold, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s composer in association and esteemed oboist, Cathy Milliken, along with Soundstream’s artistic director, Gabriella Smart. The Forum culminated in two performances of the works, one in the Aldinga scrub and one at the ABC studios. These performances demonstrated the importance a venue can have on site-specific composition...

During the first concert, the interplay between the sounds of sand being poured and the wind through the trees was very similar, thereby linking the composed work with the natural world. The extended tones from traditional instruments allowed for a focus upon the various dissonant and consonant sounds that were produced. The similarity of timbre produced a collective ringing quality to the work, reminiscent of a calm, still day near the beach, with the sound of the ocean in the distance. As the worked progressed, it became thicker and darker, with the addition of low rumbles in the harmonium and louder calls from the melodica. The dissonant sounds took on a sinister edge at this low pitch with the harmonium being a continuous presence towards the end of the work.

The second concert in the dry acoustic of ABC Studio 520 removed the interplay between instruments and naturally occurring sounds. As such, the listener’s attention was drawn to the different rhythms produced through the process of pouring the sand, and on the different ways in which the performers poured it. By having a stronger focus on the traditional instruments, it became obvious that the timbres gradually began to contrast each other more as the pitch lowered through the composition. This created the illusion of a thicker texture.”