NOMINATION: Work of the Year - Chamber
Chamber music is defined as works for between 1 and 12 players, with or without vocal parts, and with or without electronics
A work is defined as a single complete musical composition, or expression. This includes music with movements or sub-works (i.e. song cycles), installations, and real-time compositions (improvised music).
If you believe your work to be nominated in the wrong category or the details of your nomination to be incorrect, please contact the AMC via email at awards@australianmusiccentre.com.au before proceeding with the nomination.
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Nominee
Netanela Mizrahi & Melanie Mununggurr
Title of the work
Stories of Water and Earth
Performer
Melanie Mununggurr, Ensemble Offspring, Arafura Music Collective
Performance Date
5/12/2024
Venue
Woodburn Creatives (Sydney)
Nominator Statement
Stories of Water and Earth, a truly original collaboration between Djapu poet Melanie Mununggurr and NT based composer Netanela Mizrahi, is a profound artistic achievement that seamlessly intertwines spoken word and music, illuminating the strength, resilience, and beauty of First Nations culture and demonstrating the vast expressive possibilities that emerge from sensitive and respectful intercultural collaboration.
Commissioned by Ensemble Offspring, Arafura Music Collective and BackStage Music, this new work was performed in both Darwin and Sydney (I attended the Sydney performance). It truly captivated me with its innovation, evocative storytelling and deep connection to Country.
I heard also that the Darwin performance, held at sunset on August 8, was particularly unforgettable. As the fading light bathed the landscape, Mununggurrs powerful poetry resonated through the air, carried by Mizrahis sensitive and intricate score. The performance was received as an inspiring example of how composer and poet can work together, creating a powerful and mesmerising reflection of the potential for intercultural collaboration in the NT and beyond. The partnership between Sydneys musical mavericks Ensemble Offspring and Darwins Arafura Music Collective was seamless, their synergy so refined that it felt as though they had been collaborating for years. Their masterful execution of the work culminated in the only standing ovation of the Darwin Festival, a testament to the impact of this extraordinary chamber work!
Stories of Water and Earth is a series of interconnected movements that explore Mununggurrs relationship with her country her family and her life as a First Nations woman living with neorodiversity. Woven with dreaming stories and reflections on pre-colonial life, the work moves effortlessly between delicate, celestial textures and moments of fiery urgency. The ensemble provided an exquisite foundation for Mununggurrs words, at times offering a bed of sound and texture for the words, at others surging forward with uncontainable strength.
The final verse delivers a powerful statement: Resistance is an orchestra, a symphony over time, each era a different instrument we are our ancestors greatest dreams realised. These words, underscored by a rich music texture, left an impression on all who witnessed the performance.
As a new and entirely original collaborative Australian chamber music work, Stories of Water and Earth epitomises the power of artistic collaboration, showcasing the ways in which First Nations artists and innovative leaders such as Ensemble Offspring and Arafura Music Collective can come together to create something truly extraordinary. The work challenges conventional perceptions of chamber music by seamlessly integrating ancient storytelling traditions with contemporary composition, forging a path for future cross cultural collaborations in the art music landscape.
Nominee
Netanela Mizrahi & Melanie Mununggurr
Title of the work
Stories of Water and Earth
Performer
Melanie Mununggurr, Ensemble Offspring, Arafura Music Collective
Performance Date
5/12/2024
Venue
Woodburn Creatives (Sydney)
Commissioned by Ensemble Offspring, Arafura Music Collective and BackStage Music, this new work was performed in both Darwin and Sydney (I attended the Sydney performance). It truly captivated me with its innovation, evocative storytelling and deep connection to Country.
I heard also that the Darwin performance, held at sunset on August 8, was particularly unforgettable. As the fading light bathed the landscape, Mununggurrs powerful poetry resonated through the air, carried by Mizrahis sensitive and intricate score. The performance was received as an inspiring example of how composer and poet can work together, creating a powerful and mesmerising reflection of the potential for intercultural collaboration in the NT and beyond. The partnership between Sydneys musical mavericks Ensemble Offspring and Darwins Arafura Music Collective was seamless, their synergy so refined that it felt as though they had been collaborating for years. Their masterful execution of the work culminated in the only standing ovation of the Darwin Festival, a testament to the impact of this extraordinary chamber work!
Stories of Water and Earth is a series of interconnected movements that explore Mununggurrs relationship with her country her family and her life as a First Nations woman living with neorodiversity. Woven with dreaming stories and reflections on pre-colonial life, the work moves effortlessly between delicate, celestial textures and moments of fiery urgency. The ensemble provided an exquisite foundation for Mununggurrs words, at times offering a bed of sound and texture for the words, at others surging forward with uncontainable strength.
The final verse delivers a powerful statement: Resistance is an orchestra, a symphony over time, each era a different instrument we are our ancestors greatest dreams realised. These words, underscored by a rich music texture, left an impression on all who witnessed the performance.
As a new and entirely original collaborative Australian chamber music work, Stories of Water and Earth epitomises the power of artistic collaboration, showcasing the ways in which First Nations artists and innovative leaders such as Ensemble Offspring and Arafura Music Collective can come together to create something truly extraordinary. The work challenges conventional perceptions of chamber music by seamlessly integrating ancient storytelling traditions with contemporary composition, forging a path for future cross cultural collaborations in the art music landscape.