Mid 2022
Hi everyone,
Since my last correspondence in February, things have amped up quite a lot!
The Past Few Months
Kicking off the new year, I started as the new administrator for Soundstream: New Music, an Adelaide new music outfit.
Rejoining the Soundstream team brings things full circle, with my early exposure working in experimental and exploratory music taking place with Soundstream and artistic director Gabriella Smart with the support of a 2012 Australia Council JUMP National Mentoring Scholarship, and periods of involvement with the organisation in intervening years.
Working behind the scenes on several projects over the past few months, including the Emerging Composers Forum and Inarma Choir performance at the SA State Library, amongst others, has been incredibly rewarding, and we’re currently working on several exciting collaborations, including Amplified Red, DARK and WAVE.
For regular updates on activities here, consider checking out Soundstream’s Facebook and Instagram.
taking it all in at the Garden of Unearthly Delights, March 2022
For the Adelaide Fringe and Festival Season 2022, I reprised several roles from seasons past.
Amongst them, I accompanied Vicarious Cabaret’s 2022 Fringe season at Star Theatres from 2-5 March. A 4.5-star review from The University of Adelaide’s Scott Bradbrook proclaimed:
“With on-the-spot musical numbers, hilarious story plots, and characters that both inspire and humour, the show is a wild ride of emotions, leaving audiences wondering whether it was truly improvised. The musical numbers seemed to come together out of nowhere but were performed like they had been rehearsed, which is a true testament to the abilities of the cast.”
A return season of Vicarious Cabaret is coming up on 15-17 July – more information below!
Photos: Frank Lynch, at Image Construction.
In the Garden of Unearthly Delights, I once again joined the Darkfield team. As their website explains:
DARKFIELD is a collection of multi-sensory audio experiences in complete darkness.
The DARKFIELD experiences take place inside purpose-built signature white shipping containers and use binaural audio, sensory deprivation and special effects to place the audience at the center of a narrative completely at odds with the space it occupies.
Immersed in the dark, the total loss of visioncauses other senses to heighten, fixating on to every movement and sound.
Adding to the immersive shows FLIGHT, COMA and SÉANCE, this year saw a new offering in EULOGY, bringing a choose-your-own-adventure spin to the arresting repertoire that is Darkfield.
Across the season, I also wrote for online magazine The Serenade Files, profiling folks and reviewing a number of shows:
On May 10, I had the privilege of presenting two songs from Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan (composed by Joseph Twist, with libretto by Christos Tsiolkas and Alana Valentine) at the University of Adelaide’s Kaurna Learning Circle with conductor Christie Anderson, Adelaide Chamber Singers, and soloists Mark Oates and Jack Doherty.
Back in December 2021, I had the privilege of repetiteuring a creative development of the work, a role I reprised during the rehearsal period for its Adelaide Festival 2022 premiere in March.
This occasion marked the 50th anniversary of Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan’s drowning in Karrawirraparri (the River Torrens), near to where we performed.
Joined by a group of some 60 people partaking in Dr Getrude Glossip’s history tour commemorating the night, the songs Drowning Song for Ian and The Question of Love made for a poignant evening, remembering Dr Duncan and the impacts of his death on the South Australian community and broader legislative change.
Other News
Recently, I received a Invisibility Commission for a new string quartet from Chamber Music Adelaide and MOD. (Adelaide’s Museum of Design).
Alongside Hilary Kleinig, Belinda Gehlert, Luke Altmann and Georgina Bowden, the new works respond to works in MOD.’s Invisibility Exhibition (running from February – November 2022) and will be premiered at MOD. in October, with a follow-up performance on November 12 as part of CMA’s On The Terrace program.
The Invisibility Commissions are made possible through funding from Arts SA’s 2022 COVID Recovery Fund.
Read more on the commissions in Limelight Magazine, The Murray Valley Standard and InDaily.
Performances of Sam Hall’s WOMB, which I provided sound design for and has seen numerous creative developments at The Mill, Dancehub and Adelaide Festival Centre will finally take place at The Lab in November 2022, thanks to a Carclew Project Grant.
Stay tuned for more information!
Upcoming Ventures
The next few months are steadily shaping up – check out some of my upcoming performances, exhibitions and presentations below:
A return season of Vicarious Cabaret, a fully-improvised hour-long musical is on at Diverse-City from 15-17 July at 7:30pm and 9:30pm each night.
Come catch a new musical about you!
Opening the same weekend is Lacunae, a collaboration with Tasmanian team Soma Lumia for the Illuminate Adelaide Festival.
An interactive projection and sound installation, the work is exhibiting between the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, Murray Bridge Regional Gallery and Walkway Gallery in Bordertown.
Running from 15-30 July, Lacunae transforms our separation into something where joy and connection bubbles up through movement, music and art.
Joined via live-feed to share silhouettes and music tracks simultaneously from different locations, people can communicate and dance with one another across SA in this joyous shared space full of colour, music and movement.
From August 4-6 at 6pm, I'll be performing Nurture: The Piano Album (Live) at Arthur Art-Bar (66 Currie Street, Adelaide), featuring arrangements by Youtuber keudae of tracks from Porter Robinson's critically-acclaimed 2021 album Nurture.
September 23-30 will see me as Leadership Manager for the 2022 RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) in Rotary District 9510 at Nunyara Conference Centre in Belair, SA.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience organised by Rotary clubs and districts where participants develop skills as leaders while having fun and making connections. Amongst the outcomes of the program are:
– Building communication and problem-solving skills
– Discovering strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in your school or community
– Learning from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors
– Unlocking potential to turn motivation into action
– Have fun and form lasting friendships
Applications are now open on the Rotary District 9510 RYLA website – if you're 18-25 (or know someone who is), consider applying!
And from October 6-15, I'll be musically directing 5 QUARTER Designs & Preachrs Productions season of RENT at the Queens Theatre.
As our production website details:
RENT tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in NYC’s East Village in the thriving days of bohemian, Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Awarded the Tony® for Best Musical, this brand new production creatively led by Benjamin Maio Mackay and Matt Ralph, starring Lindsay Prodea, Tate Simpson and Cassandra Haines is sure to capture the hearts and minds of audiences once again.
Tickets are already selling fast, so get yours now!
With love and compassion,
Jesse
