Plus OneChoral Music + Instruments

Directed by Dr Robert Braham

Sunday 9 SeptemberChrist Church, Claremont

Voyces is a West Australian arts organisation whose focus is on the performance, production and promotion of contemporary choral repertoire, with Musical Director Dr. Robert Braham leading the ensemble through diverse and challenging choral music. Voyces has showcased works by acclaimed Australian composers such as Peter Sculthorpe, Iain Grandage, Dan Walker and Stephen Leek, alongside international composers including Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen and Ola Gjeilo. As a strong proponent of emerging composers, Voyces has showcased works by a number of local composers including Perry Joyce, Stefan Pugliese and Alex Turley. Since its inception, Voyces has been involved in a number of choral events across the country. In 2011, the ensemble was the featured choir at the relaunch of the Australian National Choral Association and later that year premiered a work commissioned for the National Council of Orff Schulwerk 17th Biennial Conference. The following year saw Voyces reach the finals of the ABC Classic FM 2012 ‘Vocal Romp!’ competition and in August formed a partnership with the City of Perth Winter Arts Festival. Voyces continued its efforts in supporting emerging composers by establishing a composition competition, Voyces:Aspire in 2013, which has so far produced two new works by West Australian composers. During 2014, Voyces collaborated with The Song Company and West Australian Young Voices, and toured to the Hobart Festival of Voices as the only West Australian choir in the International Choral Program. During 2015, Voyces commissioned a work by Dan Walker which was showcased at the 2015 ANCA Choralfest in Melbourne. Voyces was part of the opening of the 2016 Perth International Arts Festival and was invited to Brisbane as a showcase choir for Choralfest 2017. Voyces is the archaic spelling of voice and this anachronism references both the long-standing choral artform and the innovation of contemporary choral music.

VoycesBiography

As the Musical Director of Voyces, Robert has developed a choir that sings ‘contemporary classical’ choral music of the highest quality. In recent years Voyces has focused on an all Australian program for its debut self-titled CD; works from Iceland, Norway and Finland in its Tundra program and juxtaposing traditional choral pieces against modern counterparts they have inspired including Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands. Robert looks to perform the most recent of choral compositions, including David John Lang’s Sorry I Missed You and Matthew Orlovich’s Sonnet to the Comet of 1825 this year. Robert has toured with Voyces to the 2014 Festival of Voices in Tasmania, the 2015 ANCA Choralfest in Melbourne, and the 2017 ANCA Choralfest in Brisbane, with the choir enjoying significant musical success on all occasions.

Robert has also done much to promote Australian choral music through commissioned works. His list of premièred commissioned works includes Wheatbelt (Iain Grandage, Australian Society for Music education), Let Go of My Hand and Buckley’s (Paul Jarman, Trinity College), Vast Sea, Sleeping Mother (Dan Walker, Orff National Conference), The Hooves of Fate (Dan Walker, Voyces), Ark of My Hopes, Ark of My Dreams (Dan Walker, Trinity/Mercedes Chorale) Canticle of the Word (Andrew Partington, Perth Oratorio Choir), The Wexford Carol (Arr.Stefan Pugliese, Voyces), Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei (Perry Joyce, Trinity College Senior Chorale) and The Frog Prince, being premièred today by Voyces.

As Director of Music at Trinity College Robert also conducts the senior school choirs who have sung in festivals in Sydney, Llangollen, Beijing, New York, Dublin, Belfast, London and Sydney. Robert works as an adjudicator, tutors choral conducting for ACCET at their annual Melbourne summer school and is active with the Australian National Choral Association. In 2017 Robert conducted the Vancouver Chamber Choir as part of their annual symposium, and the Giovanni Consort in a program of modern English repertoire.

For fourteen years Robert was the Musical Director and conductor of the Perth Oratorio Choir where he conducted an extensive range of major choral works with orchestra. He has also prepared Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for the WASO Chorus. Robert was the founding conductor of the WA Youth Chorale. In 2006 the WAYC won the state final of the ABC FM Sing Out competition and represented WA in the national final.

Dr Robert BrahamMusical Director

Perry JoyceComposer

Perry Joyce is a singer, composer, and conductor who is actively involved in the Perth classical music scene. This year Perry was nominated for the West Australia Young Achiever Awards for his achievements in music and community outreach.

As a soloist Perry has performed with West Australian Opera, West Australia Symphony Orchestra and many ensembles around Perth including as a member of St George’s Cathedral Consort who performed with The King’s Singers in February.

He has also won many awards for his compositions including the Sydney Symphony’s Young Composers Award, the Gondwana Voices Young Composers Award, the WASO Education Chamber Orchestra Award, and the 2012 Paula and David Tunley Award.

Perry is also an avid conductor and workshop presenter specialising in many genres including Choral, Baroque, Gospel and Opera. In 2015 Perry performed alongside Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones.

The Frog PrinceText by Dr Michelle Aslett

IIn times of old,There lived a king and his daughters three:In the deep, dark woods they dwell.

Youngest of the daughters of the woodland king,Fairest in the land is she.

At play one day,To her horror and dismay,Her fav’rite play thing rolls to the depths of a deep, dark well.

IIAh woe is me, all woe,My golden ball has fallen in the well.

Then from the cold, dark depths there came, like an echo from the bosom of hell:

IIII am a frog.I live at the bottom of this green well.Princess, why do you weep?

Oh to have my golden ball,I’d give ev’rything,Jewels, all my clothes,Have them all.

Princess promise me you’ll be my playmate, companion,The best of friends we’ll be.If you let me live with you I’ll find your ball you’ll see.

Reunited with her treasure,In the throes of her pleasure,The princess forgot the frog and his promise,As she ran home overjoyed to the palace.

IVThree days later late at night,Came a knocking at the door of the castle’s banquet hall.

Suddenly fearful the princess thought:“I will not be so foolish as to fear a silly, little frog”But again came knocking at the door.

The king shook his head, and with a sigh,He scolded his daughter who began to cry.

“Look what you’ve done you thoughtless girl,If you break your promise you’ll shame us all.Keep your oath and do what he asks,Even if they seem unpleasant tasks”

V“I am tired, and I wish to sleep”Said the frog.“Take me to your bedchamber and let me lie with you”

The princess filled with horror,And picking up the frog,She threw him in a murd’rous rage against the wall.

All at once,The frog turned back into a human prince.“At last I am free of this terrible curse.Princess will you take my hand in holy matrimony”

VISo while the frog prince was redeemedBy a king so-called esteemed,Why should this princess be a saviour,Rewarded for such bad behavior.Why should they have a happy end.

ProgramNow Sleeps the Crimson PetalO Vos Omnes (+ Tubular Bells)

Paul Mealor

Beach(+ Viola)

Bob Chilcott

Gloria Alla SerenissimaCalm the Waves of this Heart (+ Soprano Saxophone)

Matthew Orlovich

Svyati(+ Cello)

John Tavener

Set Me As A SealThe Frog Prince - WORLD PREMIERE(+ Bass Clarinet)

Perry Joyce

Serenity(+ Violin)Unicornis Captivatur

Ola Gjeilo

PersonnelOn Stage Today

SopranoCara FesjianJade HansenRhiannon HodgsonLaura IgglesdenDarcy NiddRachel SingerTallulah Starkie

AltoLydia GardinerPeyton HawkinsGreta HaysFreya PetersenGabrielle ScheggiaKatherine SwannMaduvanthi VenkatesanLana Winfield

TenorThomas CotterLuke DonohoeKieran LynchStefan PuglieseAdrian SoaresAlex Wheeler

BassJoshua AdamsAlec BarclayCalum BrahamJoshua DunneJack KayCurtis NovacsekDavid Woods

PercussionJackson Vickery

ViolaAlix Hamilton

Soprano SaxophoneBridget Cleary

CelloKrista Low

Bass ClarinetAshley Smith

ViolinKate Sullivan

Di rected by Dr Robert Braham

Since graduating with a Bachelor of Music on violin from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Alix Hamilton has focused her energies on viola, becoming a leading violist in the freelance music scene in Perth. As well as a teacher, Alix regularly performs as both a chamber and orchestral musician, regularly working with groups such as the Perth Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Philharmonic and the Perth Chamber Orchestra.

Alix regularly spends time studying alongside the highest calibre of musicians through various festivals working with ensembles such as the Cremona String Quartet, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Silk Road Ensemble and residency programs with violist William Coleman. In 2017, Alix completed a Master of Arts (Performing Arts) under international soloist Alexandre Da Costa, and violist Berian Evans at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, specialising in the virtuosic viola repertoire of twentieth century, English composers.

Alix HamiltonViola

Jackson Vickery is an award-winning and in-demand freelance percussionist based in Perth, Western Australia. Graduating from the UWA Conservatorium of Music with First Class Honours, Jackson works primarily in contemporary classical music and has performed with Sō Percussion, Speak Percussion, ANAM and Steve Schick.

Jackson is also a skilled world percussionist and has studied with some of the world’s foremost players,

including Marcelo Woloski (Snarky Puppy), Keita Ogawa (Snarky Puppy) and Paulo Stagnaro (Ricky Martin). Jackson has toured internationally with UWA and WASO and has recently returned from the United States where he studied at Princeton University and with several leading percussionists in New York City. Jackson is currently performing and tutoring in Perth and working on new projects at his studio in Bayswater.

Jackson VickeryPercussion - Tubular Bells

Bridget Cleary is a Perth based classically trained saxophonist, specialising in soprano and alto saxophone. She has a Bachelor (honours) in classical saxophone from the western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where she studied under Dr. Matthew Styles.

Bridget is a saxophone performer and teacher, and has students from all over Perth and has performed with many musicians and well-renowned groups,

including the Meraki Saxophone Quartet (recently returned from performing at the World Saxophone Congress in Croatia), Aura Saxophone Quartet, Western Australian Wind Symphony, Archer and Light, The Midnight Gang, Hills Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Perth Saxophone Collective. Bridget aspires to be an international soloist, inspiring teacher and dedicated researcher.

Bridget ClearySoprano Saxophone

Since completing postgraduate studies at the University of Western Australia, Perth based cellist Krista Low has pursued a varied career in historically informed performance, contemporary music and everything in between. As an undergraduate, she was awarded the Pauline Steele Memorial Prize for Solo Cello, the Margaret Bello Prize for Chamber Music and a Wesley Mission Scholarship.

In 2013 she received a University Postgraduate Award to complete a Masters in Music at UWA under the supervision of Dr Suzanne Wijsman. She has participated in international masterclasses and festivals including the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute at the University of Toronto and Acadamie Voix Nouvelle at Royamount Abbey in France. Krista performs with the Perth Symphony and Perth Chamber Orchestras and appears frequently as a solo and chamber musician.

Krista LowCello

Born in Queensland, Kate Sullivan commenced her study of the violin at age 4. She began her tertiary education at the University of Queensland with Spiros Rantos, before moving to Melbourne in 2005 to further her musical education. There, she began studying with William Hennessy and graduated in 2008 with first class honours. From 2009 to 2011, Kate was a student at the Australian National Academy of Music, under the tutelage of William Hennessy and Adam Chalabi.

Kate has always had a love for chamber music, and during her time playing in string quartets has travelled to Banff to participate in the Banff Centre Winter Program and performed in the 2013 Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition. In 2012, Kate was made a Core Player of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and played regularly with Symphony Orchestras around Australia as a freelance musician. In 2015, she was awarded a full time position with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra where she currently holds the role of Assistant Principal Second Violin.

Kate SullivanViolin

Described as ‘Incandescent... a masterly display of skill and insight... as an apologist for contemporary music-making, you would search hard to find this young clarinettist’s equal’ (The Age), clarinettist Ashley William Smith is an internationally demanded clarinet soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Ashley is a laureate of several of the industry’s most prestigious prizes including the APRA Performance of the Year, the Music Council of Australia Freedman Fellowship, an ABC Symphony International Young Performer Award, and a Churchill Fellowship. He is recognised by the world’s leading clarinet manufacturer as a Buffet-Crampon Artist.

Ashley has performed throughout Australia, the USA, Europe and Asia in performances with Bang on a Can, the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, the Kennedy Center, the Beijing Modern Music Festival, and IRCAM. As a soloist and director he has performed alongside several international and Australian orchestras. Most notably, his performance of Lachlan Skipworth’s Clarinet Concerto with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was awarded the APRA 2015 Performance of the Year. As a chamber musician, Ashley is the clarinettist of the Southern Cross Soloists. He performs at internationally leading chamber music festivals with ensembles including the Calder, Dover, and Australian string quartets.

Ashley SmithBass Clarinet

Voyces’ self-titled debut recording is available for purchase at the

desk.

Physical copies are also available at www.voyces.com.au

Available on iTunes | Google Play | Spotify

Voyces - CD

Save The DateChristmas Concert

Friday 21st December

This year, we will be collaborating with the Giovanni Consort to present an exciting concert of old and new Christmas music .

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