Classical music collective, Tenth Muse, shares music performances from the past, present, and future — each piece being written by composers who have been marginalised or disempowered throughout history. A crash course on the diverse voices who can be overlooked in classical music, for reasons that have nothing to do with talent. Ranging from vocal music written by the Romantic period’s brightest stars that have never been professionally recorded, to a piece that combines contemporary saxophone with dubstep, this concert will have something for everyone.

Naoko Uemoto (Saxophone) performing a piece by Victor Arul, which combines saxophone with dubstep-inspired electronics, as well as new composition by Jenni Watson.

New composer, Rose Russell, will be performing piano in their own composition “you will fall in love with the city” with garfieldfemme singing.

Megan Barnetti (Flute) will be performing a stunning piece written in 1876 by Clemence de Grandeval, which has only recently been rediscovered, as well as a piece by celebrated contemporary composer Amanda Harberg.

Lucinda Nicholls will be singing, and improvising around, some chants by Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th Century composer, poet, polymath, abbess, philosopher, and saint considered to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany.

Maddie Hammond's vocal work ‘Remnants of the Sea’ will be performed by singers, Hannah, Maduvanthi, and Luce. Remnants of the Sea draws on imagery from Maddie’s hometown, the port city of Fremantle/Walyalup. Her original lyrics point to the ominous rumblings and wildness of the sea, as well as its serene and natural beauty, through evocative three part harmony.

Joe Ryan of @hermit_arts will be accompanying several of the musicians.

Doors open at 6:30 pm. Refreshments available for purchase.

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TENTH MUSE INITIATIVE

Tenth Muse is a local collective founded by the next generation of classical musicians. While borne out of frustration with the lack of diversity which can be a mainstay of art music, Tenth Muse is now looking for the light, and showing the way. In under three years they’ve held an award winning Fringe Show; commissioned new works by emerging composers, poets, and artists somewhere between; and held concerts centred around everything from opera to cups of tea. All with the goal of highlighting the diversity that already exists in classical music, creating a platform for new voices in WA, and designing concerts which make classical music engaging and welcoming.

PERFORMERS & COMPOSERS

Rose Russell (they/she) is an 18-year-old composition student in her second year at UWA under James Ledger. They’ve been involved in various UWA and non-UWA events; most recently their orchestral work "Images of a Forgotten Seafarer" was performed by the UWA Symphony Orchestra, and received People’s Choice Award in the Ransom Prize. Before uni, Rose was a junior scholar at St John’s Anglican Church in Fremantle, studying piano, organ and composition under Dr Daniel Masmanian. Choral works she composed for the choir at St John’s were her first to be performed live. In terms of compositional style, Rose has a deep love for late-romantic sound-worlds but has really enjoyed experimenting and expanding their compositional horizons at UWA.

Naoko Uemoto is a saxophonist based in Boorloo (Perth). Her curiosity for contemporary music and arts has led to many fruitful collaborations exploring interdisciplinary relationships. Recent projects she has worked on have involved videography, animation, narration, and art galleries. During her studies at the UWA Conservatorium of Music, Naoko has been supported by numerous awards and scholarships and was recently invited to compete in the Aeolus International Competition for Wind Instruments in Dusseldorf, Germany. Naoko has a keen interest in electronic soundworlds, which stemmed from her exposure to the contemporary classical saxophone repertoire. She hopes to continue expanding her practices within the digital realm despite having poor technological literacy “for a Gen Z”.

Megan Barbetti began learning the flute at the age of seven, and has studied under Neil Fisenden, Mary-Anne Blades, and most recently Andrew Nicholson. Upon entering the University of Western Australia, Megan was awarded the prestigious Delano Scholarship, and she graduated in 2020 with a Masters of Music. During her studies at the UWA Conservatorium of Music, Megan travelled to the UK to participate in the British Isles Music Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as the winner of the Royal Over-Seas League Arts Travel Scholarship, and undertook a semester’s exchange studying music at McGill University, Montreal, amongst many other things. Megan is currently associate principal flute with the West Coast Philharmonic Orchestra, and has performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, and Western Australian Youth Orchestra.

Maddie Hammond is a Perth-born composer studying honours at the University of Western Australia. Her composition, Remnants of the Sea draws on imagery from Maddie’s hometown, the port city of Fremantle/Walyalup. Her original lyrics point to the ominous rumblings and wildness of the sea, as well as its serene and natural beauty, through evocative three part harmony.

Maduvanthi (she/her) is a vocalist and climate justice organiser who has been a part of WA’s chamber choral music scene since 2017. Maduvanthi has sung in choirs since she was nine years old and is happiest when she is singing with others. She was a member of the @uwamusic Vocal Consort in 2017. In 2018, she joined @thechoralcollective with @voyces_perth and is also a member of the newly formed @vanguardconsort which launched in 2021. Over the past few years, she has relished developing her musicianship and craft and hopes to continue to explore and perform choral works from an array of rich musical traditions, especially pieces written by diverse composers and those which explore and highlight social issues. Her passion for the climate justice movement led her to become a member of Climate Justice Union, where she currently works and volunteers as their Climate and Health organiser. Her work focuses on building power and capacity in our communities and institutions to collectively organise towards reaching net negative emissions as soon as possible, ensuring we’re equipped to adapt and cope with the impacts of climate damage, and realising a just transition across every sector and community, with no one left behind

Joe Ryan of @hermit_arts is a fantastic pianist who will be accompanying some of our musicians to play works from the past and present alike. Joe started learning piano at the age of 4, after being inspired by the music and passion of older family members. He later went on to complete a Bachelor and GradDip in music at WAAPA, where he earned the moniker ‘Smiley Joe’. Since graduating, Joe occupies himself with a number of passions including teaching, accompaniment, and solo and chamber performance. His joy for community and amateur music-making encouraged him to co-found Hermit Arts.

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This event is part of FLOCK FESTIVAL, a 31 day showcase of WA Creativity & Culture in October 2022 in celebration of Pigeonhole's 15th Anniversary. PIGEONHOLE is a retail store established in Perth in 2007 celebrating friendship and curating beautiful things that bring joy to you and those you love. For updates on Flock Festival 2022 follow us at @pigeonholeperth.

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Special thanks to our partners

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Flock Festival + Pigeonhole acknowledge the Nyoongar Whadjuk people as the traditional custodians of this land. We wish to acknowledge the strength of their continuing culture and offer our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded, and we recognise their strong enduring connection to land and culture. Always was. Always will be.

This is an 18+ event.