Program - Composition concert

Journey and encounters: Suite for Solo Cello Bobby C.H. Huen

The idea of this composition begins with a chat with a friend on how there’s nothing you could define as “wrong” when talking about artistic output. Instead, there is only “if people like what you offer”. In an audition for example, it doesn’t mean you are a horrible performer on your instrument simply because you failed the audition, it might just be the judges who don’t appreciate your style or interpretation.

However, not making any “mistake”, in many situations like this one, might directly affect your life. This piece contains all the emotions one experiences when they tripped over in the middle of their journey, and attempts to stand up. By that means, it’s not only negativity that we have, but it also contains passion, our passion, as musicians.

Nostalgia in C Shelby Devenish

Nostalgia in C is a solo piano work that was composed with the intention of evoking and communicating a sense of nostalgia.

I’ve found that nostalgia can feel different to many people and can change at different points in peoples’ lives which is an incredible concept to consider. So to try and capture these different versions of nostalgia, I’ve begun writing a series of piano works, of which this is the third, that evoke different sensations of nostalgia at different points in my life.

Silence Inge Dekker

Soprano 1: Shanna Goh Soprano 2: Zoe Catchpoole Alto 1: Erin Power Alto 2: Aylish Ryan

Silence: Silence is a piece which predominantly reflects the stillness of the night through the use of word painting as well as the manipulation of duration and pitch. Through

Falling: A State of Vulnerability Imogen Ferdinando Soprano 1: Etienne Steven Soprano 2: Grace Arnell Alto 1: Sophia Van der Gulik Flute 1: Issie Brown Flute 2/bass flute: Braden Simm Organ (Nord): Alexandra Angus Viola 1: Sebastien Masel Viola 2: Julian Lachmund Cello: William Bland Double Bass: Justin Todd

Falling: A State of Vulnerability is a contemporary style piece that encapsulates the feeling of being vulnerable, and being open to the fragile feeling of falling, and ultimately finding your ground. It may feel raw and daunting at the beginning, but with time we learn that being open and vulnerable can lead to beautiful things, and change the way we view the world around us. By surrendering to the feeling, we can find peace whether that be in a place, another person or within ourselves.

Music Agrodolce (abridged) Emma Percival Piano: Nava Ryan

Musica Agrodolce, or bittersweet music, is a solo piano piece about the concept of something being bittersweet or nostalgic; this idea of something being for the best but letting you down, or a memory you can’t quite grasp anymore no matter how hard you try. The frustration of a happy moment tinged with sadness. I find such duplicitous emotions very complex and intense and have tried to reflect that in my music. I didn’t have a predetermined structure in mind when creating it, however the piece does bookend itself with motives reappearing and intertwining as it goes along. Some parts are highly stable, with easily digestible harmony and rhythmic structure, while others are fairly chaotic, using asymmetric time signatures and complex cross-hand rhythms to disturb the peace, in order to create music as twofaced as its inspiration.

The Music Box Isabella Tate Piano: Alex Angus Violin: Maddisyn Dixon-Whitbourne

The Music Box is composed for a piano trio (piano, violin and cello). As the title suggests, this piece was inspired by music boxes. The piece starts with a piano solo – depicting the original tune of the music box. The violin and cello are then introduced as one gets lost in the music. The piece then concludes with the original piano solo as the music box winds down and the gentle tune slowly fades.

Cityscape Ray Lin Piano: Ray Lin

Cityscape: Cityscape is a piece for programmed soundscape/electronics and live piano, the music incorporates environment sounds, processed instrument sounds and live instrument to create a sound world which invites the audience to an immersive hybrid musical experience.