Tura New Music presents
Sounds Outback festival

artists

Colin Offord (QLD)
Isaac String Quartet (WA)
Jon Rose (NSW)
Robin Fox VIC)
Nova Ensemble (WA)
Mr Sister (WA)
Taal Naan (WA)
Anne Norman (VIC)
Alan Lamb (WA)
David Burraston (NSW)
Hollis Taylor (USA)

 

Colin Offord (QLD)

For Sounds Outback Colin will perform solo works as well as working with Steve Richter to present the multi-media work featuring video by Yei Yilan.

Colin Offord is a singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, inventor of original instruments, designer of musical theatre pieces and visual artist. Of Anglo-Celtic heritage, his extensive travels and many collaborations have led him to a synthesis of the artistic and philosophical influences of western avant-garde and folk music, experimental Jazz, East Asian, Aboriginal Australian and Pacific island art forms.
Colin Offord sings in a rich voice of exceptional range. He has developed a unique singing style that combines song forms and vocal improvisation, calls and yodels, throat harmonics, falsetto and the exploration of vocal sound. He accompanies his voice with the most noted of his many original instruments: the “Great Island Mouthbow“. Over twenty years in development, it is a complex string instrument which can be bowed, plucked and played percussively. Colin then modifies the sounds harmonically with his throat to produce sweeping, rhythmic soundscapes. The result is a vast array of sonic possibilities from a single instrument.
He also plays a range of original and traditional instruments: Australasian flute, harmonic windpipes, eagle feather flute, double flutes made especially for him by Australian maker Mark Binns, conch shells, Chinese wind instruments: Ti-tze, Bao hu & Hulu se, many types of jaws harps and the Laotian Khene. Original instruments that members of his group specialise on include: the Xylopt: a bailer shell xylophone, Moonbells: multiphonic harmonic plate chimes, Tongue bells, Australasian Belly Bows, a range of bamboo and metal percussion instruments and sound costumes activated by movement.

Isaac String Quartet (WA)

Perth’s latest addition to its new music scene the Isaac String Quartet will present works by Zorn, Part and Reilly. Featuring Charlie McCarthy (viola), Tristan Parr (cello) and Dan Russel (violin). The Isaac String Quartet brings a refreshing new energy and vitality.

Jon Rose (NSW)

For Sounds Outback Jon Rose and Robin fox combine to present their new interactive sound machines – Kite Music featuring interactive kite flying; Digger Music featuring a working digger machine and Team Music featuring a local netball team!
Jon is one of the world’s leading figures in the area of free improvisation being a violin virtuoso who, over the past 35 years, has made his mark across Australia, Europe and America. With an endless string of recordings, exhibitions and Festival appearances Jon Rose is a doyen of contemporary violin and music philosophy. With all work taken with the right taste of humour within a rigorous music practice Jon Rose has earned his place within the greats of musical composition and performance. For full bio and info www.jonroseweb.com

Robin Fox

For Sounds Outback Robin will also present a late Saturday night solo performance inside the Shearing Shed.Robin is a Melbourne-based sound and audio-visual artist who has performed extensively internationally and is a regular performer at music festivals in Australia such as What is Music and Electrofringe. In 2005, his work was screened at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in the Netherlands. He is currently completing a PhD in composition at Monash University.

Nova Ensemble – string theory project

For Sounds Outback Nova ensemble present performances of their new work Omega as part of the string theory project. Featuring the massive new instrument – the bowed om – which has musicians actually performing inside the instrument.

Performers

Anne Norman - shakuhachi
Lee Buddle - various flutes & reeds
Mel Robinson - cello
Steve Richter - percussion
Josh Hogan - percussion
David Pye - bowed om & percussion
Alan Lamb - bowed om

Nova Ensemble is a West Australian contemporary music ensemble consisting of WA's leading composer/performers. Formed by David Pye in 1983, Nova's range of activities has grown to encompass composition, commissioning, performance, touring, recording original Australian music, running workshops and building instruments. Wherever the music has been performed it has proved accessible to the general public, sparking imaginations and an enthusiasm for creative music making.

Anne Norman is a composer and performer of shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). Originally trained on Western Boehm system flute, Anne took up the shakuhachi under Nakamura Shindo in 1986 while living in Japan. In 1990 she received a two year grant from the Japanese Government (Monbusho) enabling her to further her studies of shakuhachi performance at the Tokyo University of Fine Art and Music.  Anne currently resides in Melbourne working as a freelance musician, and has composed for the Federation Bells, choirs, instrumental ensembles, found objects (especially bells made from power pole caps) and music for dance theatre. Much of Anne's work has focussed on improvisation in interaction with other artists, including actors, dancers, poets, visual artists, installation artists and musicians.


Lee Buddle is a composer and performer of music in many styles and on many instruments.   He performs professionally on most instruments of the woodwind family in jazz, symphony and pit orchestras as well as innumerable bands and theatre productions.  As a composer Lee has written music for theatre, dance and concert performance. He is also in great demand as a studio producer and engineer. Lee has been a key member of Nova and pi since the late 80’s.

Mel Robinson is a cellist, singer and composer, collaborating with artists in the fields of music, theatre, dance, technology, noise and video to create a unique approach to her instrument.  She has toured nationally and internationally as a contemporary cello soloist, and with pop/contemporary bands such as the international Multimedia 4-piece SQUINT.  Based in Perth, she performs with a variety groups including pi, Wood (four cellos and percussion), the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and recently, her duo with percussionist Steve Richter, Mr Sister. Winner of the 2000 Pauline Steele Prize for Solo Cello, Best Female Instrumentalist in the WA Music Industry Awards in 2001 and 2002, Mel was also recipient of the 2003 ArtsWA Young Artist's Creative Fellowship. Her debut album After the Storm was released in January 2005 to critical acclaim and extensive national airplay.

Steven Richter has performed as a percussionist in many guises; from West Australian Symphony Orchestra to the acclaimed Australian musical The Boy from Oz. From bars, pubs, clubs and folk festivals to concert halls, theatres and playhouses, there are very few performance scenarios that Steve has not yet encountered. As well as being a founding member and composer for Tetrafide Percussion, Steve performs regularly as the drummer with leading groups Wood and Sabroson (latin big band). He forms half of the Mr Sister duo with Mel Robinson playing electronic percussion, singing and songwriting

Josh Hogan combines his diverse experience as a performer on percussion instruments with a keen interest in composition and research. In 2003, he received a joint Bachelor of Music with Honours Degree from the University of Western Australia and the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, under the tutelage of Vanessa Tomlinson and Tim White. During his time in Brisbane he participated in several notable new music performances, including the co-musical direction of the Australian premiere of Steve Reich's Music for Eighteen Musicians, and the performance of John Cage's Music Circus. In 2005 Josh undertook a year-long scholarship with Fabrica, the Benetton Communications Research Centre in the North of Italy. He is currently a member of the Tetrafide Percussion Quartet and the Indian Jazz group, Mukti.

David Pye is one of Western Australia’s most experienced musicians, working as a composer, percussionist and conductor for the past twenty-five years. As musical director of various organisations, his programming reflects a policy of encouragement of local composers. In 1983 David founded Nova Ensemble to performnew music repertoire with an Australian focus. He has overseen the development of the group into Western Australia's leading contemporary music ensemble, commissioning, writing, performing and recording music primarily by local composers. In 2002 he formed pi to specifically focus on the use of strings, reeds and percussion in an improvisational context. A keen interest in the music of South India and Western Java permeates his compositional style. Recent developments include the use of pre-recorded environmental sounds in instrumental works and the use of free improvisation as both textural and structural elements in his compositions. Over the past five years an increasing use of narrative, poetic, abstract and percussive text has been a feature of many works.

Alan Lamb

For Sounds Outback Alan will be joined by sound artist David Burraston in presenting a new version of Alan’s Wire Music Installation at Wogarno Hill.
Alan is the typical do-it-yourself musician. He has been clambering up and down telephone poles all over Western Australia recording the Aeolian characteristics of long cables.  The resultant "wire music" generated by the action of wind on long wires, has become notable as a unique development in new music over the last decade. He began exploring the musical potential of telegraph wires singing in the wind in the remote Highland regions of the Scottish countryside. On his return to Australia in 1975 he bought from Telecom a one kilometre stretch of abandoned telegraph wires in the Great Southern Outback of Western Australia, and began learning how to record the sounds and making from them the majestic musical compositions for which he is now so well known.

Lamb's music, sculpture and sound art has appeared in many contexts such as concerts, festivals and exhibitions over the last 15 years in Australia and overseas. His most recent work includes a 6 acre sound installation of wind activated wires (Lamb calls such installations "Wind Organs") to celebrate the opening of SPring 8 in Japan (the world's largest electron synchotron), the Bicentennial Gardens Wind Harp with Joan Brassil in Campbelltown, Sydney, and the Wogarno Station Wind Organ, a permanent installation to enhance tourism in the mid-west outback of Western Australia.

Mr Sister

Mel Robinson & Steve Richter folk/world/ambient ...Mr. Sister is the meeting place of two like-minded musicians. One half of the West Australian duo is singer/songwriter/cellist Mel Robinson, whose music has been described by the West Australian as "fresh and engaging, down-to-earth and bubbling with creative brilliance". The other half is percussionist-extraordinare Steve Richter, whom the West Australian describes as " a young virtuoso" with an ability to "tap, seemingly intuitively, into a limitless reservoir of expressiveness."

Combining Mels distinct musical style with Steves effortless and seductive groove, together these two captivating musicians create a melting pot of beautiful melodies, haunting lyrics and earthy percussion. You usually see Mel playing acoustic and electric cellos, at the same time layering live loops and singing her words. Steve plays just about anything that can be struck: darabuka, cajon, electronic drums, vibraphone and keyboard, and he also beatboxes and plays the didgeridoo.

Taal Naan

The musical staple of choice for discerning lovers of all things rhythmical. Join celebrity rhythm chefs Josh Hogan (Mukti, Tetrafide), and Steve Richter (Mr Sister) for a delectable drum treat. Featuring rhythms and sounds from around the globe, cut with some delicious electronics and a generous dash of Indian goodness.

Dave Burraston

Dave is a generative artist/scientist involved in technology and electronic music since the late 70s. After studying and playing classical piano for 10 years from the age of 6 to 16, he was increasingly interested in the possibilities of using electronics / computers in his own music. From the early 80's on he has investigated cellular automata, chaos, fractals and other mathematical systems for his artistic ends using such ancient machines as the Acorn Archimedes, BBC Micro, Dragon 64, Vic 20, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga and Atari ST, as well contemporary machines (Mac, PC, SGI). Since these early experiments he has worked with collaborators as diverse as the MIT Media Lab, Aphex Twin, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Dave had an innovative role in the foremost UK telco’s R&D laboratory in diverse areas such as Artificial Life and Virtual Reality. His PhD thesis (Generative Music & Cellular Automata) developed fundamental new concepts, arising out of generative music practice, to a key problem in complex systems. He is now recognised as a leading practitioner and theorist in the field of generative music, producing both peer reviewed publications and musical compositions.

Hollis Taylor

For Sounds Outback: Hollis will join Jon Rose for a series of Violin Duos as well as accompanying the Kite Music performance.
Hollis is a unique figure in music. Once the youngest member of the Oregon Symphony and concertmaster/soloist at Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC., she went on to win the Oregon State Fiddle Championship. Since then, she has continued to defy categorisation.
Taylor playing is featured in two Gus Van Sant films, My Own Private Idaho and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. The American Center in Paris awarded her a two-year residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts for 1993-94. While based in Paris, Taylor performed and recorded jazz and folk music throughout Europe. Taylor is the author of six books of American fiddle transcriptions and arrangements and regularly contributes in-depth articles, interviews, and music criticism to Strings, Stringendo, and Fiddler magazines.

Taylor's sound/video installation entitled Great Fences of Australia, in collaboration with Jon Rose, has seen numerous international performances. She has written a full-length book entitled Post Impressions based on her and Rose's 35,000 km journey as cartographers making a sonic map of the great fences of Australia.

Taylor was born in the USA and has been a Sydney resident since 2002. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Western Sydney in the song of the pied butcherbird.