Summers Night Project
The Summers Night Project is a biennial national mentoring project established to support and mentor female and non-binary composers to create a new composition with the aim of growing the gender diversity of composers in music programs Australia-wide.
In 2017, Anne Summers, author of the ground-breaking examination of women in Australia’s history ‘Damned Whores and God’s Police’ released a ‘Women’s Manifesto’. This was intended as a blueprint to create equality for women in Australia, and it articulates clear goals for change, one of which was the right to participate fully and equally in all areas of public life.
Taking inspiration from Anne’s Manifesto, The Summers Night Project aims to provide support and mentoring for women composers to create new compositions for performances in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.
2022
The selected composers in this second iteration of the project were Aviva Endean (VIC), Hilary Kleinig (SA), Bree van Reyk (NSW), Kate Milligan (WA), and Frankie Dyson Reilly (QLD). The composers worked with composition mentors since mid 2020 to expand their practice and create new innovative works.
These works were performed at Melbourne Recital Centre by the Summers Night Project ensemble, featuring members from DecibelNewMusic, Soundstream: Adelaide New Music and Clocked Out.
Limelight Magazine provided a review of the concert.
Photos by Olivia Davies
2019
The selected composers for the first iteration of the project were Olivia Davies (WA), Rachel Bruerville (SA) and Carmen Chan Schoenborn (VIC), who have been mentored by lead mentors Rebecca Erin Smith (WA), Becky Llewellyn (SA) and Cat Hope (VIC), as well as had access to new music practitioners.
They have composed works for members of a chamber ensemble including Gabriella Smart (SA) piano, Cat Hope (VIC) flutes, Stuart James (WA) electronics, piano and percussion, Derek Pascoe (SA) saxophone, and Tristen Parr (WA) cello.
Following a workshop period from 30 June - July 1 2018 at the Subiaco Art Centre in Perth, three concerts were produced featuring new works by both the three lead mentors and composer mentors: 2 July 2018 at the Subiaco Arts Centre, 4 July 2018 at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Hall, and 6 July 2018 at Monash University’s Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music.
More information is available from Tura New Music.