Tuesday 14 – Thursday 16 June 2022 I was in Huddersfield working as part of a Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival residency with the Australian Art Orchestra. It was an amazing 3 days of listening, improvising, learning and one of the best performances I’ve been a part of, at Dai Hall in Huddersfield on the evening of Thursday 16 June.
I was there with players from the AAO (Aviva on clarinets, Peter on trumpet, David on didgeridoo, Daniel songman and on clapping sticks) plus other artists in residence who I’m so thrilled I got to play with: Bell Lungs on vocals & objects, Mandhira de Saram on violin, Cath Roberts on bari sax, Seth Bennett on double bass and Alex Ives aka Specimens on guitar and electronics. I played the turntable.
We spent a long time learning about aboriginal Australian culture and particularly the significance of song and sound in the tribes. We used these songs to inspire the creation of pieces with the whole ensemble. Daniel and David were very generous with their time and teachings, stressing how anyone could play and be a part of the song.
A recording was made but I’m unsure if that will be shared. Thank you to everyone who came to the gig on Thursday, it was wonderful to see so many people in sunny Huddersfield!
Megan Steinberg 