Multitudes #3 - Black Cockatoos

multitudes is a four-concert series at Moonah Arts Centre, showcasing the outcomes of violist Katie Yap’s Freedman Fellowship project. 

It sees her collaborate with four of Australia’s most exciting musicians - not just in performance, but also in composition. Through the joyful process of improvisation and co-composition, she and her collaborators have created four new works, which will see their Lutruwita/Tasmania debuts in this concert series. 

Each based on one of Judith Wright’s exquisite bird poems, these works bring together myriad elements that make up an artist. Each work celebrates a juxtaposition - old/new; human/nature; Chinese/Australian; and folk/classical. This is a classical concert series like no other: come experience the intimacy, warmth, and vitality of these new works and collaborations.

Concert #3 - Black Cockatoos

Black Cockatoos brings together renowned early keyboardist and composer Donald Nicolson with Katie Yap in a joyful exploration of old and new. With works ranging from medieval abbess and mystic Hildegard von Bingen, through Telemann and Strozzi of their musical homeland of the baroque period, it culminates in a rare collaboration in the classical world.

Donald and Katie have co-composed Black Cockatoos for harpsichord, baroque viola, and electronics. Based on Judith Wright’s poem of the same name, this semi-improvised piece draws on influences from Hildegard von Bingen, JS Bach, and 70s electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre. Evoking the unsettling moments before a storm, and the heavy wildness of the black cockatoo’s wingbeats, it rounds off a concert not to be missed.