Multitudes #2- Night Herons

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 #2 - Night Herons

Night Herons sees Katie Yap joins forces with long-time friend and collaborator, violinist/violist/singer/composer Emily Sheppard for this very special concert celebrating the nexus of classical and folk forms, and the spectacular resonance of open-tuned strings that embrace and envelop the voice. From works by Alice Chance and Hawai’ian composer Leilehua Lanzilotti, they explore folk music from around the globe, improvisation, and Emily’s much-loved work Aftermath.

At the center of the program is the Lutruwitan/Tasmanian premiere of their collaboratively composed piece Night Herons, named after Judith Wright’s poem of the same name. Written in their shared language of folk harmonies and complex grooves, it’s inspired by dreaming and wonder, and the whispered connection of strangers brought together in the face of wild birds on a wet, sunset-gleaming road.