Little Eggs Collective makes the ‘niche’ universal

SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE Little Eggs Collective ★★★★★ A physical theatre piece named after an orchestral composition may seem a little 'niche' - perhaps devised for a classical music audience, perhaps quite narrow in scope. The opposite could not be more true, here. With the energy of a session at Barry's Bootcamp and the varied excitements of…

Oliver talks SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE

Irish actress Harriet Smithson was not in attendance at Berlioz's 1830 premiere of Symphonie Fantastique. Her absence would have been particularly biting for Hector, who wrote the damn thing about her! Well, about his obsession with her. In happier news, I will be in attendance at the premiere of Little Eggs Collective's 2021 SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE,…

On Composition, Isolation, and Silver Linings.

Sydney-based, 'singin', songwriting', producin'' girl, Josie Mann (also known as Jofi) is in her last year of Composition at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. I am drawn to her musical style. At times ethereal and at times playful, her tracks emphasise rich, beautifully-woven harmony, delicate melodies, and relatable themes. She brings me up to date…

Chloe Chung on BIG BLUE

Dream Box Collective artists rehearse: Pavle Cajic, Jolin Jiang and Chloe Chung.Today, I will be ‘attending’ a very unique, ‘collaborative’ concert between marine conservation organisation TANGAROA BLUE & @dreambox_collective. It’s over Zoom, and it’s called BIG BLUE. So what is Dream Box Collective all about? Enter Chloe Chung, artistic director.So, Dream Box Collective is performing over…

The Guy with all the Gifts

Featured Image: Woolworths Carols in the Domain Meet Ryan. He has won awards during a career in film-making, sung lead roles with our national opera company, and is now the recipient of the N.C.W Beadle scholarship in botany from the University of New England. To receive a prestigious scholarship to study botany, after singing a…

Sound Up Meets the Challenges of Lockdown

The pandemic has impacted the healthiest and fittest of us in society. This interview considers what people living with a disease such as dementia might be facing amid the presence of COVID-19, and how music can help. Lucy Temby is an Australian-born singer, and the enterprising founder of Sound Up Arts. Her UK-based company provides…

BTS – A Young Maestro

Image: Sydney Youth OrchestraPhilip Bacon Studio | Opera Centre, 3 Dec ‘19 Sam Weller is encircled by his Apex Orchestra in a cheerful, button-up shirt.  ‘I like how the strings are playing.’ He says, part-way through Stravinsky’s Infernal Dance. ‘Everything has bite, and menace, and… accuracy.’ This last word is emphasised, with a cheeky smirk. …

Elena Kats-Chernin’s ‘The Spirit & The Maiden’

After managing to secure Kats-Chernin for a video interview between a series of tightly-scheduled engagements across Australia, a local dog now attempts to interrupt proceedings, barking with a stamina that could keep me in Kats-Chernins' living room far longer than would be appropriate. I renounce my devotion to the digital age for today and do…

MUSE Presents Grease!

The cast of Grease tonight weathered a storm of latecomers not quite as turbulent as the downpour outside, but close to. These tardy folk clamoured around with their phone lights and quibbled over seating, dropping coins, fiddling around with brollies, producing a show of their own up the back. One latecomer tried to persuade me out…