Emerald Ruby | Five Short Thoughts composer masterclass

The Emerald Ruby - Five Short Thoughts for Solo Flute Workshop

Central Coast Conservatorium of Music welcomes multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and ABC Classic-commissioned composer The Emerald Ruby (aka Jen Hankin) back to Robert Knox Hall for a composition and performance masterclass of her debut solo flute piece Five Short Thoughts for Solo Flute.

Released as an EP/video and sheet music collection, Five Short Thoughts for Solo was composed over a period of six months in 2019. It fuses the whimsy of Irish folk with the elegance of Western classical flute. These minimal arrangements feature an outpouring of emotion through meditative melodies. A salve for the soul and balm for the ears, this collection is a soothing escape to simpler times.

“I have always been one to struggle with my mental health, and in 2019 I was having a particularly bad year,” said Jen. “I had a long string of breakups, was working harder than ever, seeing no career growth or financial return, and was generally feeling pretty lost and sad. I wrote these pieces as a response to these overwhelming feelings I was struggling with.” 

The Emerald Ruby will guide five selected students through her work, with each student performing one of the five pieces in front of a live audience in Robert Knox Hall, sharing her insights on the composition and performance techniques. There will also be a Q&A session, with opportunities for audience members to ask questions. 

The Five Short Thoughts are:

• Treading Water
• Floating Through Time, Like a Leaf on the River
• Grief for a Lost Future
• Thinking at the Speed of Light
• Sinking into a Missed Deadline

About the Emerald Ruby

Imbued with the ethereal textures of folk music, ornate instrumentals, and bardic storytelling, the sonic pallet of multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and ABC Classic commissioned composer The Emerald Ruby share’s musical milieu with Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom and Missy Higgins. Whimsical in nature, her gentle songs are juxtaposed by dark undertones cultivated in the chaos of late-diagnosed neurodivergence.

A kaleidoscope of influences nourish every performance from this multi-genre powerhouse; The hazy virtuosity of 18th-century French flute music, chaotic abstractions of a moonlit jazz jam, and trading traditional jigs and reels at a folk session are drenched with a mood only decades of musical adventures along Australia’s east coast can inscribe.

After graduating from the University of Newcastle in 2015 under the tutelage of Sally Walker (flute), Phillip Rutherford (composition), and Colin Spiers (composition) with a Bachelor of Music (Honors) and the Maurice and Betsy Sendak award for outstanding performance, The Emerald Ruby has journey down an unconventional path, Touring and recording extensively with the rock band’s Othrship, Cacti Moon, Lachlan X morris; folk bands The Button Collective and Vanishing Shapes and Ekstasis chamber music collective. Her prolific appearances in these acts have seen her grace stages at Falls Festival, Great Southern Nights, The Lismore Lantern Parade and Bulga Beats.

Since the release of Five Short Thoughts for Solo Flute, The Emerald Ruby has toured the collection across NSW and the work has been performed by flautist/composer Keyna Wilkins (Australia) and Sarah Jeffery (Amsterdam). 

The Emerald Ruby was named the 2022 Dots and Loops Composer Fellow (mentored by Sally Whitwell, Conner D’Netto, Chris Perren, Vanessa Tomlinson, and Flora Wong), premiering a new work for percussion (toy drums, rainbow glockenspiel) and electronics (double gameboy, octave pedal, and otamatone) titled “H4LT THE HUSTLE/FROLIC 4EVA” alongside internationally acclaimed percussionist Nozomi Omote. 

This was followed by a commission from ABC Classic to write and record a collection of Flute duets titled “Finding Fondness” alongside internationally acclaimed flautist Sally Walker which premiered officially at the 2023 Australian Flute Festival.

2023 saw her complete a fellowship in conjunction with Accessible arts NSW and Musica Viva Australia, shaping her beloved instrumental series “Folksy Dreams” into a sculptural installation, live show and workshop series. She is an Australian Music Centre-represented composer and published by Syrinx Music.

In 2023, The Emerald Ruby released the debut track Safety House  from her EP Patchwork which was featured on Sydney’s FBI radio. 2024 will feature the conclusion and releases of multiple long term projects as audio, music video and sheet music including “Finding Fondness” (flute duets), “Folksy Dreams volume 3” (instrumental folk music), Patchwork (folk songs) as well as premier new commissions for concert series Backstage Music, Maitland Regional art gallery and Kathryn Bennett.