There are Three works in total, please scroll down to view each one.
1. Śūnyatā - orchestral work
2. Imago - flute, soprano, electronics
3. Spider - string quartet and electronics
1. Śūnyatā - orchestral work
2. Imago - flute, soprano, electronics
3. Spider - string quartet and electronics
Śūnyāta
For Symphony Orchestra
Runtime 9' 12"
Runtime 9' 12"
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Śūnyāta was written for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra as part of a series of workshops with the Sydney Conservatorium of music, Composing Women program.
The work starts with three yogic breaths and then grows organically into a big swell, reminiscent of a deep spiral rising from the depths of the earth. The title Śūnyāta is a Sanskrit word which has multiple meanings depending on its doctrinal context. It is generally described as a Budddhist concept of 'emptiness' where everything is interconnected in a state of constant flux. Whilst composing the work I surrounded myself with symbols from Neolithic Goddess mythology and resonated with the concept of a deep spiral which grounds us to the earth and traces lines to our ancient ancestors. This recording is of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Miriam Nemcova. Video and images created by director Sue Healey. PERFORMANCES Śūnyatā was premiered by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra on 14 June 2021 with conductor Simon Reade. It received a further performance with the Sydney Youth Orchestra with Toby Thatcher conducting on 26th March 2023. AWARDS Śūnyatā was a finalist in the APRA AMCOS AMC 2020 Art Music Awards for Work Of The Year 2022 Work for Large Ensemble. It is featured in an educational kit through the Australian Music Centre Exploring Tone Colour by Joanna Drimatis. |
Imago
Electroacoustic work for flute and soprano
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Warning: Strong language and traumatic events.
Video of full 16' 22" version with Butoh Performance
Audio only 9' 11" excerpt
filmed by Phoenix Central Arts
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| other_voices_imago.pdf |
Imago is a response to the stories of those affected by forced adoption within Australia. The work layers dialogue derived from victim transcripts, interviews and governmental hearings with live and processed flute and voice and music concrete derived from domestic soundscapes. It reflects the prevailing societal attitudes throughout this period and the eventual governmental apology to the victims. The text for the work is drawn from transcripts on the History of Adoption Project by Monash University, the government apology by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the book Coming Home To Truth by Judith Hendrikson.
The word Imago is a scientific term referring to the stage that an insect reaches sexual maturity during the process of metamorphosis. In Judith Hendriksen’s book she refers to herself as the butterfly lady. The title references Judith Hendrikson, the diaspora of women affected by forced adoption and the resilience of humans to heal and emerge from trauma in a transformed state.
The object of the compositional process is to blend the acoustic and electronics elements so that they form a unified soundworld, intrinsically linked to the extra-musical content. The work is devised to be performed in immersive 5 or 9 channel speaker array, with a stereo version also available for performance. The piece is controlled via a Max MSP patch (a visual programming language for music and multimedia). The flute and soprano are amplified through the patch with various filters applied to their sound. The patch also controls the backing track and the surround sound elements of the work..
Imago features on the album Other Voices curated and performed by Lamorna Nightingale. The recording features Lamorna Nightingale on flute, Jane Sheldon soprano and Fiona Hill on live electronics.
PERFORMANCES
Imago has been performed at the Tilde~ New Music Festival 2019, the Australasian Computer Music Conference 2019 (multi-channel performance), Western Sydney University and BackStage Music 2019. It was also featured on ABC Classic Drive with Vanessa Hughes interviewing Fiona Hill about the work.
AWARDS
Imago was a finalist in the APRA AMCOS AMC 2020 Art Music Awards for Work Of The Year 2020 Electroacoustic/ Sound Art. It was created with the support of the APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund and the Australia Council for the Arts, with in kind support from Western Sydney University and Trinity Grammar School.
The word Imago is a scientific term referring to the stage that an insect reaches sexual maturity during the process of metamorphosis. In Judith Hendriksen’s book she refers to herself as the butterfly lady. The title references Judith Hendrikson, the diaspora of women affected by forced adoption and the resilience of humans to heal and emerge from trauma in a transformed state.
The object of the compositional process is to blend the acoustic and electronics elements so that they form a unified soundworld, intrinsically linked to the extra-musical content. The work is devised to be performed in immersive 5 or 9 channel speaker array, with a stereo version also available for performance. The piece is controlled via a Max MSP patch (a visual programming language for music and multimedia). The flute and soprano are amplified through the patch with various filters applied to their sound. The patch also controls the backing track and the surround sound elements of the work..
Imago features on the album Other Voices curated and performed by Lamorna Nightingale. The recording features Lamorna Nightingale on flute, Jane Sheldon soprano and Fiona Hill on live electronics.
PERFORMANCES
Imago has been performed at the Tilde~ New Music Festival 2019, the Australasian Computer Music Conference 2019 (multi-channel performance), Western Sydney University and BackStage Music 2019. It was also featured on ABC Classic Drive with Vanessa Hughes interviewing Fiona Hill about the work.
AWARDS
Imago was a finalist in the APRA AMCOS AMC 2020 Art Music Awards for Work Of The Year 2020 Electroacoustic/ Sound Art. It was created with the support of the APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund and the Australia Council for the Arts, with in kind support from Western Sydney University and Trinity Grammar School.
Spider
Electroacoustic String Quartet
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Spider and was commissioned by the Zephyr Quartet for their WIRED concert series in 2006. It was supported with an Australia Council for the Arts grant.
It features the voice of poet Granaz Moussavi reciting her poem Spider about the suppression of women by the Iranian authorities. Spider featured on ABC Arts Sunday and was reviewed in the Adelaide Advertiser by Stephen Whittington. Spider is the first electroacoustic string quartet that Fiona Hill wrote and is performed with an electronic backing track and click track. |
