Latest news with #MargaretSutherland
ABC News
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Musicians like Abel Selaocoe are broadening classical music to reflect our evolving stories
As a tradition spanning centuries, classical music has a rich history of composers, performers and music-lovers. But for most of us, classical music is typified by a small group of European male composers from the 18th and 19th centuries, such as Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven. "Classical music is not immune to politics, prejudices and world forces that have affected all kinds of art forms," says Jessica Cottis, the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. One of Cottis's main tasks is selecting music the orchestra rehearses and performs. This includes concert staples by beloved composers as well as newly commissioned music that reflects our ever-changing stories. And the audience, she says, are very excited to go on the journey with her. Cottis and other musicians discuss how classical music is a living, breathing art form. Australia's state symphony orchestras and institutions have a decades-long history of supporting Australian music. However, this support wasn't always as available for musicians from diverse and marginalised backgrounds, or who deviated from the sounds of the classical 'canon.' In the ABC's early years, trailblazing composer Margaret Sutherland frequently criticised the broadcaster for inopportune placement of Australian music. During the first live televised concert by the ABC in 1957, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra had only a handful of women in its ranks. There has been progress, albeit slow. Noongar man Aaron Wyatt became the first Indigenous person to conduct an Australian state orchestra as recently as 2022. In recent years, the sustained efforts of advocates in broadening music selection in Australia has accelerated, Cottis says. "We're now much more in a place where audiences can see [beloved classics] like Mahler alongside Australian composers and no one will blink twice," she says. This shift in attitude has opened up classical music's wealth of creative voices. "Australians have a very strong acoustic identity with land and landscape through our Indigenous connection," Cottis says. She relishes the challenge of presenting Australia's multiple histories and lifting up diverse sets of voices. "As a conductor and a programmer, it's fascinating to find ways to create programs that tell stories through music, whether that was written 100 years ago, 200 years ago or in 2025," Cottis says. When cellist Abel Selaocoe visited Australia in April, he proved how classical music can co-exist with African musical traditions. Selaocoe, who grew up in South Africa's Johannesburg, incorporates throat-singing and percussion as part of his performances. During his Australian debut with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Selaocoe asked orchestral members to learn each other's languages through singing and improvising with their voices. "The different thing that binds cultures together is the idea of the voice," he says. During his visit to ABC Classic's studios, Selaocoe demonstrated how he combines the Western classical music and African influences which are equally important to his identity. Music hasn't always simply been for pleasure for Selaocoe, who grew up in post-apartheid South Africa as a black person. "This is our survival tactic," he says. "I think living in the township [around Johannesburg], you are very aware that other children who maybe live in the suburbs or live in better conditions, have opportunities." Selaocoe's love for music took him to the African Cultural Organisation of South Africa, an outreach program for young South Africans in Soweto. Later, he pursued his studies to Manchester in England, where Selaocoe refined his unique musical style. Selaocoe's international collaborators include the London Symphony Orchestra and Chineke! Orchestra, an ensemble focused on diversity and inclusion in classical music. Melbourne-based guzheng virtuoso Mindy Meng Wang has been gracing Australian stages for a decade. The instrument has a venerable musical tradition going back 2,500 years. In Meng Wang's hands, the guzheng becomes a bridge between Chinese and Western classical music traditions. Meng Wang's practice includes experimenting with expanding the guzheng's musical capabilities, such as finding different tuning systems and working with composers on new repertoire. "The guzheng is traditionally tuned to a pentatonic scale, which makes a unique and singular sound world," Meng Wang explains. "For me, working with Western music is like learning to speak a different language on the same instrument." Meng Wang recently premiered the Concerto for Guzheng and Orchestra by Australian composer Jessica Wells, marking the first concerto for the instrument written outside China. The concerto was part of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Metropolis Festival, designed to showcase music by Australian composers. Meng Wang describes the process of working with Wells as very collaborative, from finding children's tales which underpin the concerto to workshopping Meng Wang's role in the orchestra. "I played the role of a demon, which then transformed into a beautiful ghost girl," Meng Wang says. "In the concerto, I played two differently tuned guzheng, which represent the shifting of the story and my visual and musical transformations." Meng Wang's growing list of collaborators includes pianist Paul Grabowsky, composer and soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, the Australian Art Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She says her favourite aspect of collaboration is leveraging music's power to create "a space where we can share stories without language." Stream the Australian Chamber Orchestra's concert with cellist Abel Selaocoe on Front Row with Megan Burslem on ABC iview.
Business News Wales
21-06-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Dee Valley Social Enterprise Expands After Securing £500,000 Grant
A growing social enterprise that provides a lifeline for people in Corwen and Llangollen is expanding after securing £500,000 in funding. The grant from the National Lottery – People and Places fund will enable South Denbighshire Community Partnership (SDCP) to create two new jobs and extend services into the evenings and weekends as well as weekdays. The injection of cash also secures the future of the not-for-profit company for the next four years, according to Sally Lloyd Davies, who has been appointed as the new chief officer of the organisation. She takes over from Margaret Sutherland, who is retiring. The organisation was founded in 2011, with the 'double act' starting to work there on the same day five years later. As well as managing two community centres, Canolfan Ni in Corwen and Pengwern Community Hub in Llangollen, SDCP provides a raft of services designed to 'improve the health and wellbeing' of mainly older and vulnerable people in the Dee Valley. They include meals on wheels with 1,500 deliveries every year in Edeyrnion, lunch clubs serving 2,000 meals annually, social activities and a range of community transport services amounting to nearly 7,000 passenger journeys over the past 12 months. Last year funding from the Motability Foundation enabled SDCP to increase its fleet from three to five vehicles. The fleet consists of two minibuses, two wheelchair-adapted cars and a van fitted with ovens and fridges to deliver meals. According to Sally, none of what they do would be possible without the 'brilliant team' of 43 dedicated volunteers. She said: 'We are absolutely thrilled to secure this vital funding from the National Lottery Community Fund because it gives the organisation and the team security to know that we can carry on with the good work that we are doing. It's also going to enable us to develop some new initiatives and expand some services into evenings and weekends. 'Everything we do is driven by the community and that was one of the things that was highlighted when we consulted local people in Llangollen and Corwen about what they felt was needed in their communities. 'We will also be looking to work with partners to develop new projects that are going to look at education and upskilling people to get re-engaged with learning. In the meantime, the new tranche of funding will enable us to expand our existing services which are a lifeline for elderly and vulnerable people in the area. 'The food deliveries not only provides people with a nice hot, nutritious meal but the volunteers visit them daily when they deliver Monday to Friday and they are our eyes and ears. There have been occasions sadly we have found somebody that's fallen and we have been able to ring emergency service or get help for them from the GP or family. 'It's crucial for people who might otherwise be isolated and can literally be a life-saver. With our dial-a-ride service, people sign up for an annual membership fee and journey charge and then they book their journey with a minimum of 48 hours' notice subject the availability of our volunteer drivers. 'We always give priority to medical appointments – trips for hospital or GP appointments – and we also provide transport for people who want to go shopping or to see a friend. Making use of the two minibuses, we have been able to increase our social trips which are really well received because they really help in reducing isolation and loneliness. 'We have two wheelchair accessible vehicles and we are really lucky that the volunteers give us their time to provide the service in Corwen and Llangollen. They are the lifeblood of the organisation. Sally also paid tribute to Margaret Sutherland's 'inspirational leadership' since 2016. She added: 'I have learned so much from Margaret over the past eight years. I am determined to continue this work, and make both Margaret and our community proud.' Margaret Sutherland said: 'Knowing that Sally is going to take over makes my retirement a lot easier because it gives me peace of mind about the future of SDCP. I know it's in very good hands with Sally at the helm. I am confident that the organisation is going to thrive and continue to serve our community. 'For every £1 of funding we received, we have created £13 of social value and that's based on feedback from the community. A cornerstone of our success has been developing good relationships with Denbighshire County Council and the health board, enabling us to access more funding to provide more services. 'The reason we have been able to do so much is that we have worked in partnership with other organisations and we have become a go-to organisation to get things done in South Denbighshire.'
ABC News
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
These composers prove women don't have to choose between having a career or a family
For generations, women have been made to choose between having a career or a family. Many female composers such as Mozart's sister, Maria Anna (Nannerl), Clara Schumann and Alma Mahler were told they couldn't have both. But women, including Australian music matriarchs Margaret Sutherland and Miriam Hyde, showed it could be done. Despite their success, composers today like Nat Bartsch and Aristea Mellos still had to consider similar choices. The difference is that now they have the support of partners, mentors and the wider society. Even then, it's not always easy to juggle both The obstacle of marriage Margaret Sutherland is remembered as the matriarch of Australian music. ( ABC Archives ) Margaret Sutherland was trailblazing her way in the 1930s. Having learnt the piano since she was a child, Sutherland studied composition in Melbourne and Europe, and was mentored by leading British composer Arnold Bax in 1923. From 9am on Sunday May 11, ABC Classic is playing music for mums and mother-figures on Weekend Brunch with Martin Buzacott. Send your requests by SMS on 0437 236 777 or via the ABC listen app. When Sutherland married in 1927, her husband didn't want her to compose, despite welcoming the income she brought into the household. She kept composing anyway, advocating for the ABC to support her music. Sutherland's career didn't really blossom until the couple separated and her children grew up. Over her lifetime, Sutherland composed around 200 pieces of music. She is also remembered as a fierce champion for Australian artists. In recent years interest in Sutherland's work has increased thanks to the work of musicians and academics in reviving her music. Having a family and a career in the 1950s Far from confining herself to her home, composer and pianist Miriam Hyde forged her career while raising her family in the 1950s. A pianist, composer, lecturer, music examiner and mum, Hyde really nailed the art of juggling. "[Mum] would practise during the day when the family was out so that in the evenings we could concentrate on our studies or do our own practice," Hyde's daughter, Christine Edwards, recounts. To help with her children's school fees, Hyde taught students at home and marked hundreds of music theory papers. Miriam Hyde raised two children while also composing, teaching and marking music exams. ( Supplied: Christine Edwards. ) Hyde spent every spare minute she had copying her own compositions by hand for orchestras and anyone else who was interested in performing them. When she died in 2005, Hyde left upwards of 150 scores, most of which were her hand-written manuscripts including 11 orchestral works. Edwards is currently working on getting those scores published so that other musicians can perform her mother's music. Juggling creative demands and motherhood Pianist Nat Bartsch knows a thing or two about being a mum. One of her most well-loved albums, Forever And No Time At All, was based on her experience of motherhood. Loading YouTube content Bartsch was diagnosed with autism at the age of 37 and ADHD a year later. By this point, Bartsch had won several music awards and experienced several burnouts. After discovering her neurodivergence, Bartsch has been able to better understand her sensory needs and put support systems in place to fulfil and manage her daily life, including the inevitable juggling. Photo shows A dark blue piano from birds eye view with the words Classic 100 Piano written on top, on a background of colourful swirls Voting is now open in the Classic 100: Piano. Tell us your favourites and we'll be counting down Australia's top 100 choices across June 7 and 8 on ABC Classic and the ABC listen app. "It's one thing to focus intensely on completing a commission, but it's another thing to be able to clock off at 2:40 and go and pick up my son on time from school." Bartsch has built support systems which include people who can help her complete daily tasks, especially while working on a new album. Being a mother has changed Bartsch's relationship with work, for the better. "I was working at such an intensive level, 12 hours a day, seven days a week because it's my special interest. And I get to call it my job," she says about her previous work habit. " When I became a mother, I had to learn how to disconnect. " Finding people who can support your aspirations Sydney-based composer Aristea Mellos studied composition almost 100 years after Sutherland began her composition journey, but she still faced the same dilemma: to have a career or a family. It was one of Mellos's female teachers who told her that she could have both, provided she had "a partner who valued my work enough to give me time to write." As a new mother navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, Mellos had to deal with "the unholy trifecta of sleep deprivation, physical exhaustion and loneliness." To give Mellos time to compose, her husband took their child on long walks. Her first album after becoming a mother, Preludes and Duets, was inspired by her own experiences, written in collaboration with Australian pianists Stephanie McCallum. Loading YouTube content "The moments that define motherhood are worthy of being the subject of art," Mellos says. While making the album, Mellos became a sandwich carer of both her elderly grandmother and her child. "Rather than letting the situation prevent any creative work, I tried to let it feed and inspire it as much as possible," Mellos says. Mellos has completed nine commissions since giving birth to her child, many written in collaboration with Australia's finest performers. She says having a partner who supports her need to compose as well as collaborators who champion her work are the crucial ingredients to "balance a composition career with the love and loving obligations of family life." Sign up to the ABC Classic Newsletter Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
