Prompt Corner 2 - 2012

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Welcome to Prompt Corner Winter 2012

Welcome to the winter edition of Prompt Corner.

I’m delighted to share recent highlights and upcoming events at Melbourne Recital Centre as well as some behind-the-scenes news with you.

With the financial year now finished, we can report that we presented a record 436 concerts and events to an audience of 158,000 in 2011/12.

Thank you for your support and commitment over the past year, these successes would not have been possible without your help. I look forward to seeing you at the Centre soon.

Mary Vallentine AO Chief Executive Officer

Below: Montblanc Masterclass with Susan Graham

Montblanc Masterclass with Susan Graham The warmth, generosity and sheer good fun of American mezzo-soprano Susan Graham shone through as she and pianist, Malcolm Martineau gave the first Montblanc Masterclass to five young professional singers in April.

Earlier this year, one of the world’s leading luxury goods brands, Montblanc, joined forces with Melbourne Recital Centre to launch a masterclass series that provides opportunities for emerging musicians to connect with and learn from visiting artists from the Centre’s Great Performers recital series. This partnership represents an Australian first for Montblanc.

Montblanc Australia Managing Director Leon Mervis reflects: ‘Montblanc initiated this program with Melbourne Recital Centre to provide an important platform of support for emerging Australian artists at a critical time in their careers. We hope this moment; this chance to share their story and their talent will live on in their memories, and inspire them to achieve the highest level of excellence.’

Susan Graham’s masterclass was certainly inspiring.

She encouraged the young singers to really think about their song lyrics and get to the very heart of each song, ensuring their communication was as effective as possible.

Soprano and University of Melbourne student, Alexandra Oke was in the audience at the first Montblanc Masterclass with Susan Graham in April. She said: ‘The Montblanc Masterclasses are exceptionally valuable for the simple reason that working with two such extraordinary performers gives you insight into how they do what they do; and the techniques that they use in their performance, not to mention gaining from their hard won experience.’

Montblanc is a longstanding supporter of cultural activity globally, and started its Young Artist World Patronage project in 2004. The Montblanc Masterclasses build upon this commitment and establish the Montblanc Arts and Culture program in Melbourne.

Melbourne Recital Centre’s CEO Mary Vallentine: ‘Montblanc’s passionate commitment to design and the highest levels of craftsmanship is inspiring. Extending the benefit of our Great Performers visits by providing opportunities for the next generation of musicians to hone their craft is a wonderful gift.’

The Montblanc Masterclass with Christine Brewer will be supported by a generous gift from Dr Cherilyn Tillman and Mr Tam Vu. Above right: Malcolm Martineau & Susan Graham.

Right: Susan Graham with Montblanc Masterclass participant, Georgia Hawes.

‘Montblanc Masterclasses are exceptionally valuable... working with such extraordinary performers gives you insight into how they do what they do’

Melbourne Recital Centre Bach Competition Congratulations to William Soo (pictured left), winner of the 2012 Melbourne Recital Centre Bach Competition staged on Sunday 17 June.

Dedicated to young musicians with a passion for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the competition – now in its third year – is open to soloists, duos or small ensembles aged 17 years or under, at a performance level of AMEB Grade 5 or equivalent.

From 40 entries, 10 finalists (pictured below) were selected to perform in our Hall before a judging panel of Dr Richard Mills AM, Howard Penny, Dr Peter Tregear and Timothy Young, as well as an audience of 500 Melbourne music lovers. Performing Bach’s Toccata in C Minor, BWV 911, William Soo won the Competition and a $2,000 prize donated by Dr Mills.

Describing the event as ‘deeply moving,’ Mills remarked, ‘These performers are contributing to making the world a better place; they are doing something that is very important.’ CEO Mary Vallentine added, ‘Playing the music of JS Bach provides young musicians with a wonderful technical foundation. We are delighted that the foresight of Richard Mills in supporting an award for the finest performance of the music of JS Bach means this Competition is now established as a key event in the lives of young Australian musicians.’ The Centre was also delighted to receive a pledge from an anonymous donor to support a cash Encouragement Award for other finalists in 2013.

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‘These performers are contributing to making the world a better place.’

Bach competition participants 2012

Dates For Your Diary Warm Up With These Must-Hear Recitals L’isle joyeuse Songmakers Australia Tuesday 21 August, 6pm Salon Songmakers Australia celebrates Debussy’s 150th birthday and his extraordinary musical creations with a beautifully evocative Cello Sonata and L’isle joyeuse. The ‘joyous island’ in this case is Jersey, where the composer honeymooned in 1904.

Solo in Red Collider Friday 24 August, 6 & 8pm Saturday 25 August, 8pm Salon A new work by acclaimed Melbourne composer Kynan Robinson, Solo in Red is a musical exploration of the sparseness and fragility of Cormac McCarthy’s writing.

Inspired by Blood Meridian, Suttree and The Border Trilogy, Robinson’s composition is textured and complex, a hauntingly beautiful work. dirtsong Black Arm Band Saturday 1 September, 2pm Elisabeth Murdoch Hall Take a powerful musical journey through Australia’s cultural heartland inspired by the words of Alexis Wright (Miles Franklin Award winner). Dan Sultan, Emma Donovan, Lou Bennett, Shellie Morris, Trevor Jamieson, Stephen Pigram, Shane Howard, Djolpa McKenzie, Dewayne Everettsmith, Deline Briscoe and William Barton come together to honour the 20th anniversary of the High Court of Australia’s historic decision in the Mabo case which forever made a lie of the notion of Terra Nullius.

Liminal Nick Tsiavos & Deborah Kayser Saturday 8 September, 8pm Salon Escape into the haunting soundscape of Nick Tsiavos' Liminal. What happens when ancient chant collides with contemporary culture? The incantation is born anew, modern energy mixing freely with sacred text. Returning to the Salon in 2012, Liminal is the distillation of Tsiavos' 20-year exploration of these ideas. Join him as he brings together a group of brilliant musicians for a performance where New Complexity, Free Jazz and Byzantine Chant meet to form a new and mesmerising sound.

New Projects for the Elisabeth Murdoch Creative Fund The Elisabeth Murdoch Creative Development Fund was established in 2011 to support Melbourne Recital Centre’s artist development initiatives. It is named in honour of the Centre’s Patron, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, whose generosity in nurturing Australian artists is inspirational.

When the Fund was launched, Premier and Minister for the Arts, Ted Baillieu said: ‘This new Fund will encourage and enable others to follow in Dame Elisabeth’s footsteps and support programs that nurture talent and provide opportunities for Victorians to experience music at its very best.’

The Fund focuses on annual gifts of $4,000 or more, with donors who commit to multi-year gifts over three years invited to nominate a named sub-fund.

Since it was launched, over $80,000 has been contributed to support a range of projects, including masterclasses, music competition prizes (both of which appear in these pages), solo recitals for young artists, children’s concerts and workshops, and commissions by emerging Australian composers. These projects have enriched the Centre’s artistic program and delivered practical and effective support for young Australian artists.

Now, there are a number of new projects we’d like to initiate with your support.

Music Composition Prizes In 2012/13, we hope a new composition prize will be made possible with new donations to the Fund. We hope to collaborate on the project with the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, with prizes awarded each November to students or recent graduates of the Conservatorium who have taken two years of undergraduate or one year of postgraduate compositional study and demonstrate early-career promise as a composer.

Each winner will receive a $1,500 commission for a new work for one of Melbourne Recital Centre’s Local Heroes ensembles. The program will involve close collaboration between the chosen ensemble and the composer. The finished work will then premiere during the Local Heroes 2013 program. An archival recording of the performance will also be made for the young composer.

MusicPlay Indigenous Music Commission In January 2013, the Centre will present its annual MusicPlay festival for children up to the age of 12. This year, the Centre plans to commission a new Indigengous music work based on the award-winning children’s book, The Rainbow Serpent. This new commission represents a wonderful opportunity to introduce young children to Indigenous music and provides an exciting new direction for the Centre’s support of Indigenous artists.

a wonderful opportunity to introduce young children to Indigenous music, and provides an exciting new direction for the Centre’s support of Indigenous artists.

Salon Concerts Two exciting series are planned for our Salon: one showcasing a diverse range of ensemble debuts, and another of intimate recitals by emerging and established musicians that will celebrate the depth of Australian musical talent.

We invite you to join us in bringing these projects and others to life this year. You will make a real difference to emerging artists, helping them build audiences and gain vital performance experience while contributing to Melbourne’s thriving cultural life - which is without doubt the most vibrant in Australia thanks in part to initiatives like the Elisabeth Murdoch Creative Development Fund.

For information about the Elisabeth Murdoch Creative Development Fund, please contact Sandra Robertson, Director of Development on (03) 9207 2641 or sandra.robertson@melbournerecital.com.au Above: Wang Zheng-Ting and his performance of The Race for the Chinese Zodiac, performed in January this year.

Great Performers 2013 Save These Dates!

Melbourne Recital Centre’s signature international recital series showcases the best musicians in Australia’s finest hall.

In 2012, we’ve already enjoyed the dynamism of Behzod Abduraimov, the sublime voice of mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, firebrand violinist Richard Tognetti and the exquisite pianism of Cédric Tiberghien. All this and there are still four concerts to come!

Great Performers is unique in Australia for being focused purely on the recital. This most intimate of concerts – just a musician and his or her instrument – allows us to experience the consummate artistry of these performers up close and personal.

Details of the 2013 series will be released in September, but here are a few hints: Melbourne will host acclaimed singers, a wonderful violinist, some familiar faces and a pianist making his long-anticipated Australian debut. All will be revealed soon, but in the meantime, please save these dates: Wednesday 13 February, Thursday 14 March, Friday 22 March, Thursday 16 May, Tuesday 18 June, Tuesday 25 June, Thursday 29 August, Saturday 19 October and Monday 4 November.

And don’t miss ‘the greatest Schubert interpreter of his generation’ Great Performer Paul Lewis (pictured) on Thursday 6 and Wednesday 12 September.

Digitising An App to Support Self-Guided Tours Recently named one of the Top 10 Millennium Halls of the World, Melbourne Recital Centre is one of the best of its kind – and we aspire to use its unique features to support the Victorian music sector’s development. One of the Centre’s key strategic directions is to develop educational resources that enrich the visitor/audience experience and support the Centre’s role as a high profile hub for music. To provide digital access to its performance and educational content for the entire community is integral to fulfilling the Centre’s mission as the best place to hear and engage deeply with great music.

The Centre was recently awarded a $30,000 grant from the Telematics Trust to develop an app that enables education-rich, self-guided tours – allowing visitors to explore the space onsite and offsite. As users ‘move’ through the Centre, the app’s content will demonstrate the Centre’s acoustic, architectural design, artworks and stagecraft through interviews with the acousticians, architects and artists as well as links to other resources.

The app will be launched in mid-2013. We hope it is the first of many new online content projects that extend the reach of Melbourne Recital Centre to a broad cross section of the community, especially young people.

Share the Music $42,000 Raised Thank you for making 2012 an outstanding year for sharing music at Melbourne Recital Centre.

Each year, we turn to our audience members to support our Share the Music Fund, a ticket and transport subsidy program for disadvantaged children and adults. Since 2010, 578 children and adults have attended 10 different concerts through the program.

This year, with the incentive of a matching grant from Annamila Pty Ltd, for every donation we received by 30 June, more than $42,000 has been added to the Fund by over 200 donors and our generous Benefactor. This will allow the Centre to reach out to over 1,000 people who would never be able to attend a Melbourne Recital Centre concert otherwise.

We regularly work with a number of not-for-profit organisations such as Wintringham Housing, Wombat Housing & Social Services, the Choir of Hope and Inspiration, VicAids, Berry Street and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. We are always looking for new partners, particularly services that already integrate music or music therapy into their programs. If you would like to nominate a charity to participate in Share the Music or make a donation to this wonderful cause, please contact Katherine Chien, Development Coordinator on (03) 9207 2664 or katherine.chien@melbournerecital.com.au.

A Day in the Life: Evan Lawson

Box Office Assistant Evan Lawson (pictured) lets us in on a day in the life of the Centre’s customer facing staff.

As a composer and conductor, I enjoy being able to talk with the Centre’s audience about music I love while working at our Box Office and as an usher during concerts. I feel privileged to work in such a unique performance environment, helping present such varied and exciting concerts in this beautiful building.

A typical day for me involves arriving at the Centre’s Stage Door before 9am, then swiftly heading in to set up the Audi Foyer and Box Office. During the day, I handle dozens of phone calls and counter sales; we try to be as happy and helpful as possible. One time, I received a personalised card from a guest visiting Melbourne from the UK. I had helped her with a ticket exchange.

I’ve been writing music since I was 10. So far, I’ve had the privilege of having my music performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Syzygy Ensemble, and conducting great works such as Carmen by Bizet and Beethoven’s 4th Symphony. On one occasion, I’ve also had a work of mine premiered at Melbourne Recital Centre. I’m currently preparing to play a clarinet concerto that I composed with an orchestra in August.