Songs From The Heart
music by Elizabeth Sheppard & Sonya Holowell
Tues 4 October 2022 7pm
NEW VENUE -
Larry Sitsky Recital Room
The Australian National University, ANU School of Music – Building 100, William Herbert Pl, Canberra ACT 2601
The Song Company is proud to continue its relationship with First Nations’ composers Elizabeth Sheppard and Sonya Holowell. Elizabeth and Sonya are creating with us a new a cappella program that is a musical reaction to, and exploration of, the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
ARTISTS
Amy Moore – Soprano
Susannah Lawergren – Soprano
Sonya Holowell – Mezzo-soprano
Jessica O’Donoghue – Mezzo-soprano
Elias Wilson – Tenor
Ethan Taylor – Tenor
Alasdair Stretch – Bass-baritone
Antony Pitts – Director
Songs From The Heart is a totally new kind of creative collaboration between The Song Company and Indigenous composers and singers Elizabeth Sheppard and Sonya Holowell. Elizabeth and Sonya are working together with Artistic Director, Antony Pitts, and seven of The Song Company’s Principal and Associate Artists to create an a cappella presentation directly inspired by the Uluru Statement from the Heart. As we journey through uncertain times, some things become more certain and necessary than ever. For all of us who live in Australia, engaging directly with the experience of our First Nations hosts is the meaningful way forward into the future. The Song Company has been fortunate to be able to work alongside Indigenous artists and musicians over many years, from William Barton to dance company Karul Projects in recent projects, Four-Colour-Season (2018) and Arms of Love (2021–22). Songs From The Heart embraces all that The Song Company is renowned for – exciting and meaningful collaborations which build the cultural capital of Australia through both the commissioning process and the performances. The text and principles underlying the Uluru Statement are the direct focus and inspiration of Elizabeth and Sonya’s musical creativity. Expect the unexpected from our unaccompanied singers on stage, confronting the past and the present with newly-created music, and be moved by its intense beauty and raw emotion.