Abbey Felton: These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens...

These are a few of Maria Von Trapp's favourite things, and now Abbey Felton wants to share some of her favourite things with you. With the enthusiasm of a young nun jaunting across the Austrian alps, Felton will perform a handful of solo guitar works that hold a special place in her heart, and which she hopes you too will enjoy.

Abbey is a Boorloo (Perth)-based guitarist, composer, and teacher, and a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). She is enthusiastic about the performance and creation of contemporary classical guitar works, particularly by Australian and female composers. Abbey continues to develop her practice, collaborating with artists from a diverse range of fields. She has studied guitar with Jonathan Paget, Melissa Fitzgerald, and Duncan Gardiner, and has participated in master classes with Karin Schaupp and Slava Grigoryan, among others. Her compositions draw inspiration from such diverse artists as Carolina Eyck, Joni Mitchell, and the Oh Hellos. She specialises in composition with looping station. Highlights of her composing career include performing with contemporary dancers for The Blue Room Theatre’s Winter Shorts 2019 program, participating in the first development of Stratified Knowing with Bethany Reece in 2020 (supported by Regional Arts Australia), and performing her original composition Broken Record for guitar and looper in Melbourne whilst on tour with the WAAPA classical guitarists. In 2020 Abbey undertook honours research into contemporary classical guitar works by Australian women composers, culminating in a recital of four works. Abbey has since performed selections of these works throughout 2021, in concerts in Perth, at the Twisted Spruce online symposium-competition based in the United States, and as a semi-finalist of the 2022 Adelaide International Guitar competition.