Program
Yinya dana: lighting the path 2025 NAIDOC Week Celebration
11 July 2025
Hamer Hall
Arts Centre Melbourne
Yinya dana: lighting the path
THE MUSIC AND LEGACY OF DEBORAH CHEETHAM FRAILLON
Friday 11 July at 7:30pm
Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
Co-presented with Short Black Opera
Presented in association with Creative Australia, Creative Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne, ABC Classic and Vic NAIDOC
Proudly presented by MSO Major NAIDOC Week Partner, Equity Trustees
Cover art by Tom Day
Artists
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Aaron Wyatt conductor
Nicolette Fraillon* conductor
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon soprano
William Barton yidaki (didgeridoo)
Jess Hitchcock mezzo-soprano
Lillie Walker soprano
Christopher Moore viola
Dhungala Children’s Choir
MSO Chorus
Steven Hodgson guest chorus director
Program
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon
Long Time Living Here [3’]
Dutala – Star Filled Sky [18’]
Long Night Chorale – Parrwang Lifts the Sky [5’]
Two movements from Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace [7’]
Nanyubak (To Dream) [10’]
Interval [20’]
Ghost Light [18’]
Baparripna (Dawn) [15’]
Earth* [8’]
Running time: 2 hours including interval. Timings listed are approximate.
Acknowledging Country
In the first project of its kind in Australia, the MSO has developed a musical Acknowledgement of Country with music composed by Yorta Yorta composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon ao, featuring Indigenous languages from across Victoria.
Generously supported by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust and the Commonwealth Government through the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, the MSO is working in partnership with Short Black Opera and Indigenous language custodians who are generously sharing their cultural knowledge.
The Acknowledgement of Country allows us to pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land on which we perform in the language of that country and in the orchestral language of music.
About Long Time Living Here
As a Yorta Yorta/Yuin composer, the responsibility I carry to assist the MSO in delivering a respectful acknowledgement of country is a privilege which I take very seriously. I have a duty of care to my ancestors and to the ancestors on whose land the MSO works and performs. As the MSO continues to grow its knowledge and understanding of what it means to truly honour the First People of this land, the musical acknowledgement of country will serve to bring those on stage and those in the audience together in a moment of recognition as we celebrate the longest continuing cultures in the world.
—Deborah
Cheetham Fraillon ao
Our musical Acknowledgement of Country, Long Time Living Here by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon ao, is performed at MSO concerts.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is Australia’s preeminent orchestra, dedicated to creating meaningful experiences that transcend borders and connect communities. Through the shared language of music, the MSO delivers performances of the highest standard, enriching lives and inspiring audiences across the globe.
Woven into the cultural fabric of Victoria and with a history spanning more than a century, the MSO reaches five million people annually through performances, TV, radio and online broadcasts, as well as critically acclaimed recordings from its newly established recording label.
In 2025, Jaime Martín continues to lead the Orchestra as Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor. Maestro Martín leads an Artistic Family that includes Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor – Learning and Engagement Benjamin Northey, Cybec Assistant Conductor Leonard Weiss, MSO Chorus Director Warren Trevelyan-Jones, Composer in Residence Liza Lim am, Artist in Residence James Ehnes, First Nations Creative Chair Deborah Cheetham Fraillon ao, Cybec Young Composer in Residence Klearhos Murphy, Cybec First Nations Composer in Residence James Henry, Artist in Residence, Learning & Engagement Karen Kyriakou, Young Artist in Association Christian Li, and Artistic Ambassadors Tan Dun, Lu Siqing and Xian Zhang.
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra respectfully acknowledges the people of the Eastern Kulin Nations, on whose un‑ceded lands we honour the continuation of the oldest music practice in the world.
MSO musicians performing in this concert
First Violins
Anne-Marie Johnson
Acting Assistant Concertmaster
David Horowicz*
Peter Edwards
Assistant Principal
Zoë Black
Peter Fellin
Deborah Goodall
Lorraine Hook
Jolene S Coultas*
Kirstin Kenny
Michelle Ruffolo
Anna Skálová
Jacqueline Edwards
Cameron Jamieson
Matthew Rigby
Jaso Sasaki
Marie-Louise Slaytor
Second Violins
Monica Curro
Assistant Principal
Dr Mary Jane Gething AO*
Mary Allison
Isin Cakmakçioglu
Freya Franzen
Cong Gu
Andrew Hall
Robert Macindoe
Philippa West
Andrew Dudgeon AM*
Patrick Wong
Cecilie Hall*
Roger Young
Shane Buggle and Rosie Callanan*
Jo Beaumont
Michael Loftus-Hills
Violas
Christopher Moore Principal
Jenny Khafagi
Associate Principal
Margaret Billson and the late Ted Billson*
Lauren Brigden
Katharine Brockman
Anthony Chataway
Peter T Kempen AM*
William Clark
Morris and Helen Margolis*
Gabrielle Halloran
Fiona Sargeant
Sophie Kesoglidis
Isabel Morse
Cellos
Rachael Tobin
Associate Principal
Rohan de Korte
Andrew Dudgeon AM*
Angela Sargeant
Caleb Wong
Michelle Wood
Andrew and Theresa Dyer*
Jonathan Chim
Heesoo Kim
Oliver Russell
Double Basses
Jonathon Coco Principal
Benjamin Hanlon
Acting Assistant Principal
Rohan Dasika
Suzanne Lee
Siyuan Vivian Qu
Caitlin Bass
Flutes
Wendy Clarke
Associate Principal
Sarah Beggs
Joolee Kim
MSO Academy
Piccolo
Andrew Macleod Principal
Oboes
Michael Pisani
Acting Associate Principal
Ann Blackburn
Margaret Billson and the late Ted Billson*
Cor Anglais
Rachel Curkpatrick
Clarinets
Philip Arkinstall
Associate Principal
Craig Hill
Rosemary and the late Douglas Meagher*
Bass Clarinet
Jonathan Craven Principal
Bassoons
Tasman Compton
Guest Principal
Natasha Thomas
Patricia Nilsson*
Colin Batt Abrams
Contrabassoon
Brock Imison Principal
Horns
Peter Luff
Acting Associate Principal
Rachel Shaw
Gary McPherson*
Josiah Kop
Natalia Edwards
Mel Simpson
Ciara Wrede
Trumpets
Shane Hooton
Associate Principal
Glenn Sedgwick*
Rosie Turner
Dr John and Diana Frew*
Sophie Spencer
Learn more about our musicians on the MSO website. * Position supported by
Trombones
José Milton Vieira Principal
Richard Shirley
Michael Lo
MSO Academy
Bass Trombone
James Littlewood
Tuba
Timothy Buzbee Principal
Timpani
Matthew Thomas Principal
Percussion
Shaun Trubiano Principal
John Arcaro
Tim and Lyn Edward*
Robert Cossom
Drs Rhyl Wade and Clem Gruen*
Robert Allan
Scott Weatherson
Harp
Yinuo Mu Principal
Pauline and David Lawton*
Piano & Celeste
Laurence Mattheson
A word from the composer
When I am planning a performance, I like to think about you, the audience. The effort you have made to be here in person matters to me. You have chosen to spend the evening with us and so we have a unique opportunity to communicate with each other in a way only music can make possible.
Yinya Dana (Yorta Yorta meaning light path) is a special kind of celebration, one which our ancestors would have recognised and understood well. It is the celebration of both the legacy and continuity of cultural practice.
Most of the works featured in this performance came to life through the vision and commitment of the MSO’s commissioning process. By partnering with Short Black Opera and helping me to champion the visibility and voice of First Nations musicians, the MSO has had a profound impact on the classical music sector nationwide, inspiring many other organisations to do as they have done. I will always be proud that so much was achieved here first with the MSO.
To receive a concert honouring my work, from colleagues at the MSO on the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC week celebrations, is a moment I will treasure forever. This event has afforded me the opportunity to bring to the concert platform multiple generations of now established Short Black Opera artists, including Ensemble Dutala Artistic Director Aaron Wyatt, founding member of Short Black Opera Jess Hitchcock and Dhungala Children’s Choir graduate Lillie Walker, who will make her solo debut with the MSO in the performance of my Acknowledgement of Country – Long Time Living Here (2020).
Ialsoacknowledgetheyoungmembersof DhungalaChildren’sChoirandtheir families,whohavetravelledfromGeelong, Shepparton,BallaratandColacto contributetothisevening’scelebrations: AngelAtkinson,AlanaandRyleeBrown, JobeCooper,AprilCraig,SiennaDean, KadenceDehon,PoemaFrangos,Tiranna Gibbs,OllieHickey,AidanMay,Ashton Mikota,JoshMcNamara,EllaThomas, HarperTrindall,RiverleaUppilland SharleeseWalker,withmentorandDCC graduateNgaraMcEwenandlongtime SBOsupporter,choirwranglerandspecial projectsmanagerKerryGerraty.
Iamthrilledthatmydearfriendof30 years,WilliamBarton,willreprise Baparripna,aworkIcreatedforhimin 2022;delightedthatMSOviolistChris MoorewillbringtolifeNanyubak,created originallyforAaronWyattin2021;and lookingforwardtohearingtheMSO ChorusinfullflightforEumerallaand Dutala–StarFilledSky.Itgoeswithout sayingthatIamoverjoyedtohavemywife MaestroNicoletteFraillonam joinmeon stageasguestconductorforanencore performanceofEarth(MSO,2024).
ThankyoutoTomDayforyourmagnificent artworksandinspiration;BelindaBriggs; VickiCouzens,TraversEiraandCorrina Ecclesforrevivingthetraditional languagesheardinthisconcert;Aunty CarolynBriggsforyourwisdomand guidance;andAuntyPamPedersenfor yourstrengthandsupport.Thankyouto theConsortofMelbourneandSteven Hodgson.ThankyoutoeveryoneatMSO whohaschampionedmycareerasa composeroverthepastsevenyears, especiallyMelissa,Sophie,Guy,Ben, JaimeandSuzanne,andtotheallthe
MSO musicians who have brought this music to life. Special thanks also to my family who are here this evening, especially Eva, Michele, Jennifer and Lionel, Jess, Chris and Nicolette.
To Creative Victoria, ABC Classic, Art Centre Melbourne, Equity Trustees, the Naomi Milgrom Foundation and the many Patrons and Supporters of Short Black Opera who have made possible this incredible journey of practical
reconciliation through the power of music and the arts, I say thank you for your continuing support.
Happy 50th NAIDOC 2025.
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon ao faha Artistic Director, Short Black Opera First Nations Creative Chair, MSO Elizabeth Todd Chair of Vocal Studies, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
PHOTO:
Aaron Wyatt conductor
Aaron Wyatt is a violist, conductor, composer, programmer and academic. As a violist, he played regularly with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra before moving to Melbourne to take up an assistant lectureship at Monash. He continues to play with the award-winning Decibel New Music Ensemble and is the developer behind the Decibel ScorePlayer app, the group’s cutting edge, animated graphic notation software for the iPad. In 2021, he was the soloist in the premiere of Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Nanyubak for viola and orchestra, presented by the MSO.
An emerging conductor, he was musical director of Cat Hope’s Speechless, at the 2019 Perth Festival, receiving a Helpmann Award nomination. He has since taken on the role of director of Ensemble Dutala, a group created by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon ao to bring together Indigenous classical musicians from around the country. In 2021 he conducted the premiere of the first opera in Noongar, Koolbardi Wer Wardong by Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse, followed in 2024 by their opera Wundig Wer Wilura, both for WA Opera. In 2022, he was the first Indigenous Australian to conduct a state symphony orchestra in concert, directing the MSO in Long Time Living Here at the Myer Music Bowl. He has since conducted the Adelaide, Sydney and West Australian symphony orchestras, including opening the WASO’s 2024 Master Series with his own work The Coming Dawn.
As a composer, he was a participant in the Ngarra-Burria First Peoples Composers program, writing for Ensemble Offspring, and his recent commissions include work for the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. He has also written a number of electro-acoustic works for Decibel, GreyWing, Ensemble Dutala, and Kyla Matsuura-Miller’s Freedman Fellowship project, Three Conversations, and he is Artist in Residence with Speak Percussion.
Aaron Wyatt’s work with the MSO is generously supported by the Sage Foundation. Special thanks to the Members of the MSO First Nations Giving Circle.
PHOTO: JESSICA BADER
PHOTOGRAPHY
Nicolette Fraillon conductor
Nicolette Fraillon am is one of the world’s most esteemed ballet conductors. Following her undergraduate degree in Australia, she studied in Vienna and Hannover. Her trailblazing international career began in 1992 after she gained international attention as a prize-winning finalist in the Kirill Kondrashin Conducting Competition at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. This led to a season with Jiří Kylián and the Netherlands Dance Theatre and her appointment to the position of Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Dutch National Ballet (1994–96). During this time, Nicolette was guest conductor for orchestras and ballet companies such as the Finnish National Ballet, Kanazawa Chamber Orchestra (Japan), Limburg Symphony Orchestra, Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Noord Nederlands Orkest, North Holland Philharmonic Orchestra and the Residentie Orchestra. In 1995, she was invited to work with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, becoming the first Australian woman to conduct an Australian symphony orchestra.
In 1998, Nicolette returned to Australia as Director of the Canberra School of Music (ANU). As Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Australian Ballet (2003–22), she conducted thousands of performances throughout Australia, Europe, Japan, China and North America. In 2014 she was also appointed Artistic Director of Orchestra Victoria. During this period, her guest engagements included critically acclaimed productions with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet.
Since 2022, she has worked with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Norwegian National Ballet, New York City Ballet, and most recently, Short Black Opera in Denmark, as well as returning to the Australian Ballet for its 60th anniversary programs. In 2017, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia. She is also a recipient of the Sir Bernhard Heinze Memorial award as a ‘testament to her unparalleled dedication, artistry and unwavering pursuit of excellence’.
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon
Soprano and composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon ao (Yorta Yorta/Yuin) is a respected human rights advocate and recognised thought leader on the importance of cultural authority in the Art Music space. Throughout a long and distinguished career, Deborah has championed the voice and visibility of classically trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island musicians through her achievements as a composer and performer, and as artistic director of Australia’s national First Nations Opera Company Short Black Opera (est. 2009) and Dhungala Children’s Choir (est. 2008). In 2019, Deborah established the One Day in January project designed to develop and nurture First Nations orchestral musicians and from this emerged the Ensemble Dutala chamber ensemble.
Deborah’s landmark compositions include Australia’s first Indigenous opera Pecan Summer (2010), Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace (2018), Parrwang Lifts the Sky (2020) and Woven Song (2018–2025). Her major commissions include works for the Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Hawaiʻi symphony orchestras; the Flinders, Goldner, Australian and WASO string quartets; Chineke! Orchestra (UK); Rubiks Collective; Melbourne Ensemble; Plexus Collective; Sydney Philharmonia Choirs; Victorian Opera; the Australian Ballet; the MPavilion Project and the ABC.
Deborah’s significant awards include Australian Women in Music Lifetime Achievement Awards (2022), Don Banks Music Award (2023), JC Williamson Lifetime Achievement Award (2021), Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award for service to music, and the Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement for artistic excellence (2025). She holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of South Australia (2018). In 2014 she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia. In 2022 she was named a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA). In 2021 she began a five-year appointment as MSO First Nations Creative Chair and in 2023 was appointed the inaugural Elizabeth Todd Chair of Vocal Studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
PHOTO: JORGE DE ARAUJO
William Barton is Australia’s leading yidaki (didgeridoo) player as well as a highly esteemed composer, instrumentalist and vocalist. He learnt the instrument from his uncle, Arthur Peterson, an elder of the Wannyi, Lardil and Kalkadunga people, and worked from an early age with traditional dance groups and fusion–rock jazz bands, orchestras, string quartets and mixed ensembles. Throughout his diverse career, he has forged a path in the classical musical world, from the London, Berlin and Bremer philharmonic orchestras to historic events at Westminster Abbey (Commonwealth Day 2019), Anzac Cove in Gallipoli and the Beijing Olympics. He has released five albums on the ABC Classic label, including Heartland (2022) with violinist Véronique Serret and the words of his mother, Aunty Delmae Barton. He has been developing a new musical language, which is epitomised in this recording.
In 2023 he was named Queensland Australian of the Year, received the Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music, and was an Australian of the Year nominee. In 2022 he was recognised for his work with the Australian Chamber Orchestra on the soundtrack from the film River, which won Best Soundtrack Album and Best Original Song Composed for the Screen (APRA–AMCOS Screen Awards), Best Original Score in a Documentary (AACTA Awards) and Best Original Soundtrack (ARIA Awards). Other awards include the Australia Council’s Don Banks Music Award (2021), Best Original Score for a Mainstage Production (2018 Sydney Theatre Awards) and Best Classical Album (ARIA) for Birdsong at Dusk in 2012. William Barton holds honorary doctorates from Griffith University and the University of Sydney.
William Barton yidaki (didgeridoo) PHOTO: TANJA BRUCKNER
Jess Hitchcock mezzo-soprano
Jess Hitchcock is a Melbourne-based Indigenous singer-songwriter, opera and jazz singer, writer and composer. Her powerful voice and knack for storytelling have seen her shine across pop, country, folk, opera and music theatre. Jess began working with Deborah Cheetham Fraillon in 2009 as a founding member of Short Black Opera. Together they have collaborated on and publishd more than 20 songs in the much-loved Dhungala Choral Connection Song Book (2018) and How to Make a Cheeky Opera (2021).
Other notable collaborations include legendary Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly: together they performed and recorded his song, ‘Everyday My Mother’s Voice’, earning standing ovations across the nation, and later this year they will tour Australia and New Zealand. Jess has also collaborated with Archie Roach, Tina Arena, Kate Miller-Heidke and Lisa Mitchell, and last year she performed to acclaim in the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
In 2023 Jess released her second album, Unbreakable, reaching #4 in the AIR charts, and the first single, ‘I Don’t Have the Heart’, was described by The Music as ‘an arenasized pop ballad’. She is currently writing her own opera.
When Jess is not on stage with her own band, or joining forces with Australian music legends, she performs as a mezzo-soprano with leading arts companies, most recently touring with the Penny Quartet for Musica Viva. Highlights include her award-winning debut as Alice in Pecan Summer (Short Black Opera), the role of Flinch in The Rabbits (Opera Australia, 2015), Tjatjarrang in Parrwang Lifts the Sky (Victorian Opera, 2021), Wudjang: Not the Past (Bangarra Dance Theatre, 2022) and Wilura in the Noongar language opera Wundig wer Wilura (West Australian Opera, 2024).
Jess’s connection to her family throughout the Torres Strait Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific, drives her passion to create and advocate for a more just world.
PHOTO: TESSA THAMES
Lillie Walker soprano
Lillie Walker is a proud Yorta Yorta, Kukuyalanji and Girramay woman. Coming from a family of artists across many generations, she is interested in all forms of art, but admits to most enjoying the performing arts, particularly her passion, singing. A graduate of the Dhungala Children’s Choir, Lillie is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Music degree at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
Lillie made her debut with Short Black Opera as a soloist in the 2016 Sydney Opera House production of Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Pecan Summer. In addition to Pecan Summer, her opera credits include Parrwang Lifts the Sky, and she has performed in numerous concerts and galas, including the State School Spectacular, MPavilion, Womindjeka Song Cycle 2022, Top Acts 2023 and Dhungala Choral Connection 2024, as well as a host of local events on Yorta Yorta country.
Lillie currently mentors members of the Dhungala Children’s Choir and is assistant conductor to Deborah Cheetham Fraillon.
Christopher Moore viola
Born at a very young age, Christopher Moore’s formative years were shaped by the rich amateur choral scene in Newcastle. His mother played the organ at their local Catholic church and has sung in the University of Newcastle Choir since its inception in 1977.
Acclaimed worldwide for his musicianship, Christopher enjoys a distinguished career as an orchestral and chamber musician, soloist, conductor and teacher. After ten years as Principal Viola of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, in 2015 he joined the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as Principal Viola. He is in demand as a principal player with the Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Queensland, Tasmanian, New Zealand symphony orchestras, Australian World Orchestra and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Japan. Being a half-decent viola player means that Christopher is also in high demand as a chamber musician around the country and overseas. This all leaves very little time for the losing battle between himself and the little land mines his miniature pinscher leaves in the back yard.
He is a proud father of two talented teenage girls; Isabella plays upright and electric bass, Dorothea plays cello and drums and they both sing in Young Voices of Melbourne, who are currently on tour in Europe! Christopher also plays the theremin. If you don’t know what that is, just ask him (here’s a hint: he hasn’t touched it for years).
Christopher is fortunate enough to be able to play a 1610 Giovanni Paolo Maggini viola –kindly on loan from an anonymous benefactor. He also owns a wonderful 1937 Arthur E Smith viola, currently being lovingly looked after by the MSO’s William Clark.
PHOTO: LAURA MANARITI
Dhungala Children’s Choir
For thousands of years First Nations people have passed down their traditions, language, dreaming and culture through song. Dhungala Children’s Choir, formed in 2008 by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon ao, is a continuation of this tradition, and has become the peak choral performance group for First Nations children in Australia. Affectionately known as ‘DCC’, the choir has championed the languages of the Yorta Yorta, Wadawurrung, Gunditjmara, Boon Wurrung, Parkanji, Kamilaroi, Bunjalung and Banjima people in countless performances, receiving recognition and awards along the way. In addition to performing in Cheetham Fraillon’s Pecan Summer at the Sydney Opera House (2016), notable performances include Parrwang Lifts the Sky and the on-country and orchestral premieres of Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace, as well as an ever-increasing number of professional engagements in major venues and events throughout Australia.
The Dhungala Children’s Choir’s appearance in this concert is supported by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation.
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon Musical Director
Lillie Walker Assistant Conductor
Ngara McEwen Mentor
Kerry Gerraty Special Projects Manager
DCC Members 2025
Angel Atkinson
Alana Brown
Rylee Brown
Jobe Cooper
April Craig
Sienna Dean
Kadence Dehon
Poema Frangos
Tiranna Gibbs
Ollie Hickey
Aidan May
Ashton Mikota
Josh McNamara
Ella Thomas
Harper Trindall
Riverlea Uppill
Sharleese Walker
MSO Chorus
Celebrating 60 years of creating inspiring musical moments, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus gives voice to the Orchestra’s choral repertoire. The MSO Chorus has performed with the finest conductors including Jaime Martín, Sir Andrew Davis, Edward Gardner, Mark Wigglesworth, Bernard Labadie, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Xian Zhang, Nodoko Okisawa and Simon Halsey.
Committed to developing and performing new Australian and international choral repertoire, the MSO Chorus has commissioned works such as Brett Dean’s Katz und Spatz, Ross Edwards’ Mountain Chant, and Paul Stanhope’s Exile Lamentations, and its recordings have received critical acclaim. The Chorus has performed across Brazil and at the Cultura Inglese Festival in São Paolo, with the Australian Ballet and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, at the AFL Grand Final and at Anzac Day commemorative ceremonies.
Steven Hodgson has worked with various choirs and vocal ensembles for more than 20 years, appearing as a vocalist with the Song Company, e21, Australian Chamber Choir, Alchemy and Consort of Melbourne, and in 2023 as the baritone soloist for Wynton Marsalis’s epic first symphony All Rise with the Jazz at Lincoln Center and Sydney Symphony orchestras.
He completed a Bachelor of Music degree with Honours at the University of Melbourne in 2004, studying composition with Stuart Greenbaum, Brenton Broadstock and Brett Dean, and voice with Stephen Grant. Most recently, he completed the Kurt Thomas Course at the HKU Utrecht Conservatorium, specialising in chamber choir repertoire.
Steven Hodgson guest chorus director
As a conductor, Steven has held the position of Artistic Director of the Consort of Melbourne since 2016. He has a particular interest in contemporary Australian music, frequently premiering new works with the ensemble, including Sally Whitwell’s Lockdown Alphabet, Meta Cohen’s Swerve, Kym Dillon’s Robbie’s Daydream and Wally Gunn and Maria Zajkowski’s I heart Artemis. In 2023, he assisted in preparing the MSO Chorus for Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace.
Choristers performing in this concert
Sopranos
Philippa Allen
Aliz Cole
Roger Dargaville
Catherine Folley
Penny Huggett
Judy Longbottom
Karin Otto
Tanja Redl
Beth Richardson
Jodi Samartgis
Kathryn Scully
Tracey Thorpe
Katy Turbitt
Tracy Videon
Ariane Vrisakis
Altos
Kate Bramley
Andrea CliffordJones
Mari Eleanor-Rapp
Dionysia Evaputri
Claudia Funder
Jill Giese
Jennifer Henry
Kristine Hensel
Helen Hill
Julie Lotherington
Christina McCowan
Helen Maclean
Kate Rice
Kerry Roulston
Lisa Savige
Julienne Seal
* Members of the Consort of Melbourne
** Members of Dhungala Children’s Choir
Tenors
Steve Burnett
Peter Campbell
Allan Chiang
James Dal-Ben
James Dipnall
Alex Gorbatov*
Jack Jordan*
Lilijana Matičevska
Michael Mobach
Colin Schultz
Stephen Wood
Basses
James Allen
Richard Allison
Maurice Amor
Tharanga Basnayake
Jobe Cooper**
Andrew Ham
Jordan Janssen
Gary Levy
Lachlan McDonald*
Douglas McQueenThomson
Tim March
Aidan May**
Bailey Montgomerie*
Douglas Proctor
Program Notes and Texts
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon (born 1964)
Long Time Living Here – Acknowledgement of Country
Lillie Walker soprano
Nganak nitel deya imilang
Wamadaman Bunjil Birrarunga
Ina lotjpa Yorta Yorta, lotjpa biyiya
Nyank ngunhu galnyan yakarrumdja
Yenbena baparra banarra
Yorta Yorta translation by Belinda Briggs
Dutala – Star Filled Sky
MSO Chorus
For a long time, I considered the addition of a subtitle for this work – the spaces between. For this is where Indigenous cultures focus their attention when interpreting the sky. The spaces between the stars.
This commission was first described to me as a companion piece for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, for the opening gala of the MSO 2020 season, in the 250th anniversary year of the great composer’s birth! No pressure!!
Of course, this stand-alone masterpiece requires no companion, but the framework for Dutala is drawn from the same orchestral and choral forces that changed the way we would think of the symphonic form forever. There are so many reasons why this work bears such significance. Perhaps the most obvious reason is the
Biami gabra ngata nhurrag wuta wungi?
Biami yamutj Dutala bukut
Biami banga dhona Dutala bukut
Yorta Yorta translation by Belinda Briggs
We gather here together Upon Bundjil’s River Country In the language of the Yorta Yorta and the language of music
We pay our respects to the people who are Long time living here
Text by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon
addition of language. Schiller’s text (with Beethoven’s additions) rings out with timeless clarity.
Give me my language and I will show you my identity. You will recognise at least two humble references to Beethoven’s rhythms and orchestral signature, but like every composer since 1824, his legacy is intrinsic and it is celebrated here. To quote from the final stanza of Schiller’s text, with an acknowledgement of the Yorta Yorta* language from Dutala:
Do you sense the creator, world?
Seek the creator above the starry canopy! Above the stars must Biami* dwell.
Dutala was commissioned by the MSO and premiered on 21 February 2020, conducted by Benjamin Northey.
Do you sense the creator world?
Seek the Creator above the starry canopy
Above the stars the creator must dwell
Text by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon
Long Night Chorale from the opera Parrwang Lifts the Sky
Jess Hitchcock mezzo-soprano
Lillie Walker soprano
Dhungala Children’s Choir
In December 2019 Richard Mills and I sat in Mario’s Café and discussed potential ideas for a story for my second opera, which would be commissioned by Victorian Opera. I suggested the Wadawurrung story of Parrwang the Magpie lifting the blanket of darkness from humanity would make an ideal subject. How prescient it turned out to be. We were only months away from a global pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns that would descend on humanity like a blanket of darkness and define our future in ways we could never have imagined.
Despite the premiere falling victim to one of the snap lockdowns of 2021, Parrwang Lifts the Sky become the centrepiece for Victorian Opera’s 2021 education program as a filmed production and has since enjoyed seasons in Melbourne in 2023 (Short Black Opera), Ballarat in 2024 (Victorian Opera), at the Malthouse in 2024 (Victorian Opera), and most recently in May 2025 as a co-production between the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and Short Black Opera.
Long Night Chorale is sung entirely in the language of the Wadawurrung people. The translation of my libretto was made possible thanks to the research and
Bengadak Nyatne Karringalabil Murroopak Karringabilak Murroopak Karringabilak Wadawurrung
Wiya wurriyn yirram Barrimirri yu mirri maiwan barrimorrgal nyipma
Parrwang gunyang gurta delema Wadawurrung
Nyatne Bunjil Nyatne Parrwang Ngarrwannyayl ngin
Kungadji Murrkal Kardinee yoo
Wadawurrung translation by Corrina Eccles
restoration work of senior Wadawurrung language custodian Aunty Corrina Eccles.
In the scene which precedes this chorale, Parrwang the Magpie attends the Great Council of Birds to explains the plight of Tjatja and Koki – two young humans she has met earlier that day. ‘They live in darkness, and I would like to help them,’ Parrwang explains as she presents her case to Bundjil the creator. After much thought and debate the decision is made to allow the Parrwang to gather a tiding of Magpies to help lift the blanket of darkness from humanity so that they may learn to live in harmony with nature.
This evening we present a special arrangement of Long Night Chorale, which will feature four generations of Short Black Opera artists, including current members of the Dhungala Children’s Choir, SBO founding artist Jess Hitchcock, Dhungala Children’s Choir graduate Lillie Walker and Ensemble Dutala director Aaron Wyatt. This performance of Long Night Chorale was made possible with support from the Naomi Milgrom Foundation.
This is the first performance of a new arrangement of Long Night Chorale.
We thank Creator Spirit for creation of Wadawurrung country.
Where is your morning? Your midday sun? Long time midnight close your eyes. Trust Parrwang embrace the Wadawurrung.
Thank you Bunjil, thank you Parrwang, I believe your words.
Goodbye night sky, embrace the sunrise.
Text by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon
Two movements from Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace
iv. kooyeen‑wanoong (Liber scriptus)
xi. tamboorawanangan ngeeye (Confutatis)
Jess Hitchcock mezzo-soprano MSO Chorus
The Eumeralla journey began for me more than ten years ago, when I first walked on the lands of the Gunditjmara people. It is a land haunted by the restless spirits of those who lost their lives in a brutal resistance conflict known as the Eumeralla Wars. This history was barely known outside of the Aboriginal communities who bore the brunt of it. Senior Gunditjmara Elder Uncle Ken Saunders (dec.) asked me to write a work which would commemorate the events and lasting effects of this war so that more Australians would come to know and understand this part of our shared history.
The premiere was given on Gunditjmara country in October 2018 with a much smaller ensemble than the one you will hear this evening. On that occasion the performance was conducted by long-time Short Black Opera friend and mentor Dr David Kram. Joining me on stage that day were members of the Consort of Melbourne, Dhungala Children’s Choir and Plexus Collective, SBO artists Don Bemrose and Linda Barcan, and PJ Barker Lovett (Gunditjmara) and Jennifer Williams (Gidabul) dancing choreography by Larrakia choreographer Gary Lang, with art created by Gunditjmara/Yorta Yorta artist Tom Day.
Following the 2018 on-country premiere, MSO leadership made the visionary decision to ask me to rewrite the work for large orchestra. This version of Eumeralla has now been performed on five occasions and the most recent was recorded by ABC Classic for release as a CD available later this month.
At the heart of this work is the Gunditjmara translation of my text, made possible by
senior Gunditjmara language custodian Vicki Couzens and linguist Travers Eira.
Tonight you will hear two movements from Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace: Kooyeen wanoong, sung by SBO founding artist Jess Hitchcock, and Tamboorawanangan ngeeye, which features the MSO Chorus with members of the Consort of Melbourne, and Senior Dhungala Children’s Choir members Aidan May and Jobe Cooper, with the full strength of the MSO under the baton of SBO Artist Aaron Wyatt.
Eumeralla received its on-country premiere in Port Fairy on 14 October 2018; the version with orchestra was premiered by the MSO on 15 June 2019, conducted by Benjamin Northey with the Consort of Melbourne, Dhungala Children’s Choir, MSO Chorus, and vocal soloists Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, Linda Barcan and Don Bemrose. It has since been performed again by the MSO (2023), as well as by the Queensland University Orchestra (2019), West Australian Symphony Orchestra (2022) and most recently by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (2024).
iv. kooyeen-wanoong
kooyeen‑wanoong yang–teeyt‑ngeeye leenyoong ba marnmarn kooweetpa pangyangteeyt marrangmara n deen malayeeto‑kooweetpa meerreeng moongay tyama wanoong ngootyoong takoort yooloowa‑na pang yooloowa mayapa takoortakoort tyama k wanoong xi. tamboorawanangan-ngeeye
tamboorawananga n eeye ngal koorrook‑eeyt‑een ba ngameeleemoo teeyt een yoonggama n eeye peeneeyt torrowan oo karnda kee ngeeye yakeeneeyt‑eeyt‑ee
Gunditjmara translation by Vicki Couzens and Travers Eira
Nanyubak (To Dream)
Christopher Moore viola
In January 2020 this work was still forming in my imagination. It was destined for exciting performances on distant shores – the Edinburgh Festival, the BBC Proms. Audiences in Spain would hear this work and connect to the oldest music practice in the world, even if only by virtue of the title and a brief program note – such as the one you are reading.
That was January. By late February the winds of change had blown away the smoke haze from our streets bringing with them a new threat. When the door slammed shut on our industry it felt to me like a physical blow. It resounded in my ears. Nanyubak begins with this shock –sudden and percussive – and is punctuated twice more throughout the course of the movement, each time with increasing intensity. As lockdowns
(Liber scriptus)
we recorded our loss in name and great detail the winners who wrote this history from the time we know the truth all that is hidden will be made apparent everything we will know (Confutatis)
we were condemned by their hatred and their confusion we were consigned to keen flames call us with the dreaming ones
Text by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon
deepened and restrictions closed in around us, curfews and permits were imposed, the city fell silent and the silence was deafening. A year of loss, sorrow and confusion. We bore witness to the global Human spirit rising, stumbling and rising again. We staggered forward into 2021.
In spite of the darkness which inhabits sections of Nanyubak, I found the urge to move towards the celebration of our resilience – particularly as Victorians and even more so as residents of Melbourne –irresistible. As the soloist deals with doubt and uncertainty his voice is subsumed by the forces around him. Straining to break free and to be heard until finally joining forces with the ripieno (full orchestra) to acknowledge the combined effort of a community. No single voice but a community of voices striving, sacrificing
and succeeding together. Nanyubak is the musical articulation of a year I can barely define. It is the first movement of my first concerto and at its premiere in February 2021, it was brought to life by Noongar violist Aaron Wyatt, also director of Ensemble Dutala, Australia’s then newly formed First Nations chamber ensemble. A night of firsts and a chance to reimagine our dream.
Nanyubak means ‘to dream’ in Yorta Yorta
Nanyubak was commissioned by the MSO and premiered on 26 February 2021 with Jaime Martín conducting and Aaron Wyatt as soloist.
Ghost Light
In the silent theatres, richly haunted with halcyon memories, a single lamp glows. My heart is drawn to that light and waits in longing. Hope, never entirely absent or still, voyages onwards until we could enter, once again, into the most intimate communion of spirit that is live performance. The fourth wall of our need comes crashing down and you are here. That is all and that is enough.
This work was conceived and developed during sustained periods of lockdown during 2021. As the ghost lights burned on in theatres around the world, a kind of contemplative solitude inhabited each day and I sought solace in the deep romanticism of late 19th-century composers and in particular Rachmaninov. You will hear his influence in many of my choices. This work was dedicated to every singer, musician, conductor, director, actor, technician and the broader family of dedicated souls who make live performance possible and to the audiences for whom the ghost light burned.
A ghost light is a single bulb left burning whenever a theatre is dark. Some argue that its function is to chase away
mischievous spirits; others insist it lights the way for the ghosts that are said to inhabit virtually every theatre, keeping them happy and contented. Either way, that light ensures that no one takes an accidental tumble off the stage.
Ghost Light was commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as part of its 50 Fanfares Project and premiered on 1 June 2022, conducted by Benjamin Northey. This is its MSO premiere
Baparripna (Dawn)
William Barton yidaki (didgeridoo)
Waking beneath our mutual sky, all the sweetness of life’s possibilities laid out before us. Dawn sits peacefully and powerfully on the endless horizon of longing for our return. Time has ceased to be linear, if it ever was and the carolling of the Gorngany fills the air pierced with blue solitude. We walk together with our ancestors in this rare light, as our dreams are carried away by the morning star.
During my career as a soprano I have often observed that dawn is not a particularly familiar time of the day, however, as a composer I have witnessed many a dawn as the solitude provided by working through the night suits my compositional process.
I had long anticipated this collaboration with William Barton and was so thrilled that it took place at the suggestion of then new chief conductor Jaime Martín. Yidaki (yolngu – didgeridoo) is an ancient instrument with an immediately identifiable sound. Traditionally, women do not play this instrument and so that presented a new challenge for me, as usually I will at least have some hands-on knowledge of the instruments for which I write. Fortunately, the musical language and symbolism developed by William
made this commission an exciting and rewarding journey of discovery.
Gorngany is the Yorta Yorta name for Magpie; Baparripna is the word for ‘dawn, beautiful morning’
Baparripna was commissioned by the MSO and premiered on 25 February 2022 with Jaime Martín conducting and William Barton as soloist.
Earth
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon soprano
It is possible, if not probable, that in my lifetime I will have the chance to view our Planet from space. Like me, you too may enjoy contemplating what new perspective that experience would bring for humanity, the chance to survey our planet in context. How would it change us to see, firsthand, the Earth in its finite solitude?
This work represented my seventh composition created for the musicians of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The original premise for the commission was to create a movement which would complement the intent of Holst’s Planets suite by adding the Earth to the seven movements named for our neighbours in the solar system. A daunting enough task
but with all the excitement and challenge of a large orchestral palette.
Somewhere along the way, Earth became a standalone companion work for The Planets, changing some of my initial plans for the composition. But as with each commission the main point is to find your inspiration and begin. Ultimately the Earth is set apart from its neighbours in this solar system by our humanity. And so, in the process of composing this work I decided to include that which truly defines us – our Voice. The glimmering, shining beauty of nature inspired me to write this text and to set it as the finale of this work.
Come shining world moving through silence just for a moment let me shine with you carry my song moving through silence shining world Sun breathing Earth
Glistening in space
When I dream, you tell me all you know let me remember moving through silence this shining world is our home.
Earth was commissioned by the MSO and premiered on 21 March 2024, conducted by Jaime Martín with Deborah Cheetham Fraillon as soloist.
Program notes by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon ao © 2025
PHOTO: LAURA MANARITI
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