Meet the WAMMERS - Jack Chenoweth

An original perspective

To the casual observer, or anxious parent, Jack Chenoweth’s first violin lesson held little promise. ‘I had my back turned to the teacher the whole time, and fiddled and fidgeted right through.’ Much to the surprise of his mother, then five-year-old Jack later gave a full account of the lesson; detailing everything he had seen and learnt. Not so inauspicious after all.

Jack recalls the first time he ever got an emotional ‘kick’ from listening to music. ‘It was Beethoven’s violin concerto. There was a modulation in one of the first tutti sections that just got me.’ Pretty mature stuff for a kid. Jack’s musical aptitude carried him through tertiary studies and a couple of years at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. Along the way, he’s relished opportunities to play with, and study from, some of Australia’s greats. ‘Working with Geoffrey Lancaster was a real highlight. I so admire his phenomenal technique, his intellect and understanding of the music, and above all his musicianship; the way his personality and sense of humour just pour out of him.’

One of Jack’s favourite quotes, told him by former teacher Barbara Jane Gilby, is that ‘music should never be harmless’. Rather than listening to yet another carbon-copy performance of Beethoven’s violin concerto, Jack would much rather listen to artists who have the courage to find their own voice: barefoot violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja or Finnish classical and jazz violinist Pekka Kuusisto, for instance. ‘They are always themselves, never falling prey to safe, predictable or bland playing.’

So why the change in direction for Jack in joining Words About Music? ‘I want to extend a part of my musical self. I’m curious to see what other avenues this might open up for me.’ You can be sure his will be an original voice in this world of words.

Written by Genevieve Lang
WAM tutor

 

 

 

Meet the WAMMERS - Lachlan Snow

The link between opera and chocolate

Born in 1990, and encouraged as an only child to be a well-rounded individual, Lachlan Snow now finds himself participating in the 2011 NMC. Reflecting on what helped him get to this point was a combination of his parents’ influence and his own love and desire for classical music.

Music has been a big part of his life through singing and piano. Encouraging him away from the euphonium and towards the tuba was his bandmaster; this was due to Lachlan’s physical size. He continues his singing endeavours with an Undergraduate Degree (voice and French) at the University of Queensland. This is supplemented with radio snippets every month for a local Brisbane station.

When asked about his love of classical music, his eyes glaze over as the momentary thought of chocolate and opera became equated; it’s the good stuff that is rich and pure. When a piece of music is composed really well, Lachlan believes that it can be attributed to the intricacies, and heightening the overall impression of the work.

Always loving the performance arena, Lachlan takes any situation as an opportunity to perform; everyday conversations included. A firm belief that music should be nurtured is shown by the passion and the easy nature of his conversations whenever they remotely approach into the territory of music.

Lachlan sees this love of music furthering into something akin to a creative directorship. He sees the process to become a creative director as an accumulation of experiences rather than something that can be taught.  This can lead to practical aspects with festivals, artistic direction and managing institutions.

Lachlan’s life mantra sums up his approach to everything musical – “all art is good art; it’s a healthy and valid expression.” Oh, and his favourite colour is red.

by Felicity Haigh

 

 

Meet the WAMMERS - Anna Doukakis

A Collision of Histories 

New to NMC in 2011, Anna Doukakis is a PhD candidate of the University of New South Wales, dividing her time between Sydney and Canberra.  Her academic studies – in addition to a keen interest in hiking – have taken her on a number of international travels.  Recently and in particular she visited Malaysia, a portion of whose Colonial history forms the basis for her research, and in preparation for which she also learnt Malay!  Anna’s sojourns overseas and Greek heritage have given her a sympathy for multiculturalism and a decidedly global outlook.  Her fondness for Australia’s uniquely coloured landscape, however, is part of her motivation for maintaining her base here. 

Possessing a varied personal musical history, including some recent touring with brass bands, Anna was drawn to WAM for the opportunity to build on her existing skills as a writer and interviewer while connecting this to – and indeed drawing from – her musical background and continued music-based recreational pursuits.  A historian by trade and academic by design, she is looking forward to exploring new realms of investigation.  Favourite composers include Shostakovich and Phillip Glass, the latter of whom has been known to provide the backdrop to her thesis-writing (from which she is this fortnight enjoying a not-entirely-reluctant break). 

Anna spends much of her time reading to inform her academic cause but has been known to throw the occasional extravagant dinner party, for which she cooks up a sumptuous storm.  She is joined at NMC this year by her sisters Felicity and Julia, a violinist and violist respectively. 

by Jennifer Mills


 

Meet the WAMMERS - Jennifer Mills

Here follows a series of short profiles on each of our Words About Music participants.

And the first cab off the rank is Jennifer Mills. Enjoy!

Opening Doors

Jenni Mills has always wanted to be a musician. The issue now facing her is which type of musician she wants to become. Jenni is an accomplished cellist, but her VCA Masters’ thesis on creativity and improvisation for classical musicians opened up the world of reflection and writing on music.  As the only musician in her family and the daughter of an English teacher, words are nearly as important to Jenni as music. She hopes that WAM may provide a way for her to do both.

Cello was Jenni’s second instrument, behind violin, until she decided to audition on the former for university, and surprised herself by being accepted straight away. She now prefers the cello, though her wider experience makes her an extremely employable string teacher, a profession which helps to crystallise her playing ideas.

Jenni’s interests include Baroque cello and the music of the twentieth and current centuries. When studying Early Music at university, she was surprised at the liberal approach her teachers took to the way the music should be played. They offered frameworks, but then it was all about the line and the interpretation of the performer, interests that continue into her writing. Jenni also loves the work of Arvo Pärt, whose work will be played this year at NMC. Pärt’s rich transcendental music introduced Jenni to a deeper sense of his particular purpose.

This is not Jenni’s first experience of NMC. She participated as a violinist in 2005 and as a cellist in 2006. She expects that this year’s program, as a WAM participant, will be more challenging, as she seeks to expand her experience in writing to include interviewing and radio. Between Jenni’s playing and writing, many doors are open to her. Her decision now is which to enter.

By Anna Doukakis

Full Steam Ahead!

The second day of Camp saw a definite change in tone. There’s no turning back – full steam ahead!

Musicians had arrived from all over Australia – some were even still waiting on suitcases to be delivered. The variety of campers is just astounding with people coming from different backgrounds, locations, ages and experience, yet everyone is united by this one common thread of wanting to make the best music possible.

The morning was passed with tutti orchestra rehearsals and tutorials. A big thanks has to go to the Arts Admin group for coming in early and setting up. The Composition students were found a room to tinker away in; Arts Admin were putting up signs, marking rolls, organising students and creating proposals; Words About Music (WAM) were planning the magazine, taking photos and sourcing interviewees and stories.

Everything was running smoothly like the well-oiled machine it is, and then the afternoon delivered Chamber Music. Two entire floors of the Schulz Building were taken up with more than forty chamber ensembles. Seeping under the doors was the intermingling of room-sharing debate and pieces being practiced. Momentary pandemonium gave way to order and everything continued according to plan. Only a few people were left to practice in the hallways.

In the early part of the afternoon the NMC group photo took place with the whole entourage assembling on the front steps of Elder Hall. It was a relatively hot day, with people claiming what shade they could, only migrating out for five minutes and then retreating back to cooler conditions and to practice.  

Day Two ended with a Meet the Music Director talk from Paul Dean. Paul gave us a mix of inspiration and NMC stories, urging all the participants to take risks and to “go for it” in striving for high-energy performances. Following this were some stunning chamber music performances, featuring members of the tutorial staff, of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet and Melbourne composer Stuart Greenbaum’s Mondrian Interiors. Vivacious and thoroughly engaging to all campers, it was a brilliant end to a long day.

 

 Felicity Haigh

Words About Music Participant

The Saga Begins...

 

There is a definite sense of anticipation in St Marks’ College this morning. The Arts Administration and Words About Music (WAM) participants arrived yesterday to a calm and quiet campus, as yet unaware of the hordes about to descend. The afternoon and evening pass in flashes: quick consultations and leisurely conversations, interview locations and the minutiae of camp life. A quiet dinner in a mostly empty dining hall, kept company by piles of registration packs colonising empty tables. Adelaide’s air, soft and balmy, surprisingly cool and humid for this time of year. In the end, the sounds of the evening game of cricket at the Adelaide Oval continued late into the night.

The arrival of more than 200 musicians is relatively smooth. There is a rush of activity whenever a coach disgorges a load, but after the flurry of registration the colleges easily absorb their new residents.  Old friendships are quickly re-established. In some cases, friends haven’t seen each other since last National Music Camp (NMC), the distances between their home towns and cities too great to bridge in person. New acquaintances are made, as participants set out to explore the area and meet those with whom they will be sharing the next two weeks. The delights of the 24-hour Bakery on O’Connell, just up the road, are discussed and disseminated.

Even without most of the campers, the campus is beginning to buzz. The camp tutors are already rehearsing, filling the Elder Hall with the sounds of Paul Stanhope’s Throbbing, while the composer listens, score on lap. Soon Paul will also be busy as the composition tutor. Arts Administration participants bump in and out as required. The WAM attendees are already roaming, setting up interviews and searching for subjects. Meanwhile, AYO staff ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.

Dinner with so many people in a single dining room is quite an experience! The smells are delicious, and the long tables running the length of the hall are packed. Campers filter out to sit in the sun, wander around North Adelaide, and, for the very keen, fit in a spot of extra practice. The welcome and briefing goes off without a hitch, introducing a stellar cast of tutors. The composers are now in residence. Finally, rehearsals for two full symphony orchestras and a chamber orchestra get underway. The strains of Saint-Saens’ Symphony No. 3, the ‘Organ Symphony, fill the Elder Hall. Some 250 participants are ready to go at NMC 2011.


Anna Doukakis

Words About Music Participant

 

Australian Youth Orchestra Launches New Blog!

The Australian Youth Orchestra


The Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) is one of the world’s most prestigious and innovative training organisations for young pre-professional musicians. Our training pathway has been created to nurture the musical development of Australia’s finest young instrumentalists across metropolitan and regional Australia: from the emerging, gifted, school-aged student, to those on the verge of a professional career. The AYO presents over a dozen tailored training and performance programs each year for aspiring musicians, composers, arts administrators and music journalists aged 12 to 30.

We’re super excited about our new blog and look forward to sharing more news, posts and updates from program participants especially with the upcoming National Music Camp in January 2011

(download)