ABOUT ME

Baroque & folk

I enjoy delving into the repertoire, and techniques of the late 17th to early 19th centuries, and believe that approaching these traditions with a sense of respect and curiosity opens up new sonic possibilities. Historically informed performance also allows the performer to be more involved in the music-making process, particularly in chamber settings. I thrive on collaborating with like-minded musicians, primarily through my ensemble The Muses’ Delight, but also through other projects and ensembles.

My folk practice is rooted in Celtic traditions. While I know the odd Scottish & Irish tune, my practice is focused on writing new music that reflects my connection to place, essentially me trying to figure out what it means to be an Australian folk musician. I primarily explore this through my band Tapsalteerie. In searching for my ideal Australian folk sound, I chose to collaborate with musicians from varied, improvisatory background, to enable this open ended musical exploration.

Both these practices fuel each other and share musical threads: a connection to oral traditions, the rhythmic vibrancy of various dance forms, and the aim to move audiences and capture something, whether that’s from 300 years ago or right now.

Some of my credentials:

Performances with Genesis Baroque, including Holding Court with JS Bach at Melbourne Recital Centre concert in March 2024, repertoire included Orchestral Suite No. 2 & Brandenburg Concerto No. 5; Paris Quartets in June 2024; 2023 Bach aria & cantata, with soprano Sara Macliver

'The traverso’s gentle tone carried effortlessly...'

(Sue Kaufmann, 16 March 2024, Classic Melbourne Review)

Whistle & flute player in the Good Girl Song Project’s Voyage, a new Australian folk musical
Joint winner of the 2021 People’s Choice in Cygnet Folk Festival’s Song & Tune Competition
Other Freelance work:
- VIC: Eliza Shephard’s March of the Women project 2024, Melbourne Baroque Orchestra, National Celtic Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields Festival, Peninsula Summer Music Festival,
- NSW: Orchestra of St James
- QLD: Brisbane Baroque Players, Badinerie Players, Opera at Jimbour

Education:

Master of Music degree at Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Hans-Dieter Michatz and Dr Neal Peres da Costa.
- Highlights include winning the Conservatorium’s Early Music Concerto Competition and the Early Music Ensemble tour to Europe.
- Research thesis: Interpretation and perception in the era of historically informed practice
Developing Artist with Ironwood during my time in Sydney.
Informal study with prominent Historically Informed Performance & folk/traditional musicians including Rachel Brown, Georgia Browne, Liz Carroll, Marcello Gatti, Peter Hostslag, Catherine McEvoy, Riccardo Minasi, Chris Norman, Ashley Solomon, Masaaki Suzuki, and Jed Wentz.

Original & improvised

In my original works and performances, I explore the fluidity of semi-composed music and free improvisation. In my recordings this comprises a combination of improvisation, sound collage, field recordings, and various sound manipulation. My work explores the ideas of memory and place as drivers for personal narrative and remembering; a process of creating memoryscapes, a type of aural memory map.

Using simple system flutes and pushing them into new areas is a driving force in my improvised practice. This includes the exploration of pitch possibilities partly due to the flutes’ unequal temperament, but also through alternate fingerings, half holing/venting and unusual harmonic information. The speaking nature of these flutes is another characteristic I explore including the nuance of tone and colour, and gestural figures.

My improvised practice is a more recent area of musical exploration, prompted by my participation in the Australian Art Orchestra's Creative Music Intensive in 2021. I have performed at Make It Up Club and Brunswick Green and have a release of original music planned for 2024. The below videos are of recent collaborations with Jasmin Wing-Yin Leung on erhu and Rachel Lewindon on synths.