Category Archives: Concerts

Writing music and having concerts in the time of Covid19 by Alan Holley

 

“All of my colleagues in the composition and performance fields have found 2020 catastrophic for work and the pursuance of their art.”

 

I found myself writing for solo performers as concerts that included some of my chamber music, and including premieres in Australia, Japan and in several European countries, were all cancelled. A new solo piccolo work, SoPi, was written for and recorded by the principal piccolo in Belgrade Philharmonic Snjezana Pavicevic.

I composed two songs to texts by Mark Tredinnick  – First Light, and William Blake – The Clod and the Pebble, for the Melbourne soprano Amelia Jones and they were ‘premiered’ on YouTube.

As Sydney slowly emerged from the lockdown in July 2020 I looked at ways to create performance outlets for my music and that of my fellow composers both here and overseas. An obvious solution was to have an outdoor concert on the park in front of my house and only invite 20 people.

So, on August 2, in a Covid-19 compliant event, Richard Rourke, clarinet and trumpeter Hattie Channon performed to an appreciative and supportive audience on Harbord Park (Sydney). The three trumpet works that Harriet Channon performed were The Sky is Brass – Alan Holley (public premiere), Heat, dedicated to Hattie by Eve Duncan (Melbourne) and La Variazione Enigmatica by Andrian Pertout (Melbourne). Over the last couple of years Harriet had given the premieres of all three works either ‘live’ or on YouTube.  Richard performed Stravinsky and my clarinet solo the birds will sing them off accompanied joyously by the local parrots. It was great to perform new music again when so much has been cancelled over the last five months.

Richard reprised the birds will sing them off at a house concert for 10 people in Pymble (Sydney) on October 6. I felt like music was seeping back into my world.

 

I started to plan a program for a second ‘park’ recital and I chose to contact composers in Europe. I approached two of the leading younger generation composers in Albania – Enis Mullaj and Ergis Spahiu. Both write music that has a strongly independent voice and deeply immersed in the culture of their place. I also asked Andrian Pertout to write a new solo for trombone and he has created a work that will surely go into the repertoire of trombone soloists everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

Due to rain, our ‘Music from Australia and Albania for solo brass’ was performed as a house concert with Gregory van der Struik, principal trombone with the Australian Opera and freelance trumpeter Dan Henderson. A small and enthusiastic audience cheered the music along!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program for October 18, 2020
Music in Freshwater

A concert of solos for brass in Covid 19 times

Gregory van der Struik – trombone
Dan Henderson – trumpet

for Harri (premiere) – Alan Holley
Ornithologia – Alan Holley
TORA (premiere) – Ergis Spahiu
Circles (premiere) – Enis Mullaj
Heron Creek – Alan Holley
Summer Bird – Alan Holley
Absent in a State of Flow (premiere) – Andrian Pertout

 

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A concert to raise funds for the relief effort after the recent earthquake in Albania.
St Stephens Church 197 Macquarie Street Sydney
Monday 16 December at 6.30pm
A Concert of music by Albanian composers Enis Mullaj, Ergis Spahiu and Kris Sopiqoti as well as Mozart, Schumann, Andrián Pertout and Alan Holley.
Admission $30 at the door and a not to miss Raffle.

PERFORMERS
Diane Berger has been principal piccolo with the Opera Australia Orchestra for nearly 30 years and has performed many solo and chamber music concerts throughout Australia.
One of Sydney’s most active and important clarinettists Richard Rourke performs with the Opera Australia Orchestra as well as performing numerous recitals in Sydney each year.
Principal Trombone of the Opera Australia Orchestra Greg van der Struik is one of Australia’s foremost brass performers and has performed over 50 premieres of works by Australian composers. The Opera Australia Orchestra performs at the Sydney Opera House.

Sumiko Yamamura is one of the most active and loved accompanists in Sydney with a most wide ranging repertoire from baroque music to music of today.
Ian Sykes is the driving force behind Sirius Chamber Ensemble and performs new and old music for clarinet solo and in ensemble across Australia.
Freelance trumpeter Harriet Channon, as part of her doctoral studies, is performing many works for unaccompanied trumpet by Australian composers in Sydney and in Melbourne.
Diane, Richard and Ian have already performed several works by Albanian composers.
Richard Rourke and Greg van der Struik appear as soloists on HAMMERINGS RECORDS.

 

 

 

 

Our thanks to Rev. Ken Day and Mark Quarmby at St Stephens for their great support for this fundraising event

 

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Update to the concert:

With the great support of Sydney based Albanians and Australians across our country, we have deposited $3000 AUD in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Albanian earthquake appeal.
Music brings us together.
Big thanks to the composers Enis Mullaj, Ergis Spahiu, Kris Sopiqoti and Andrián Pertout and the performers Diane Berger, Richard Rourke, Ian Sykes, Hattie Channon, Gregory Van Der Struik and Sumiko Yamamura.
And special thanks to Rod Holdaway, Merrick Fry and Rob Wynne for their donations of art.
The support team of Avrille Ciccone, Prudence Smith and Mark Quarmby made it all possible.
The support of the incredible musician Ilir Kodhima who tirelessly promotes his country and culture has built artistic bridges between our two countries.

Alan Holley and Annie Turner

Many thanks to the wonderful musicians at our concert last night: Richard Rourke – clarinet, Kevin Man – percussion, Gregory Van Der Struik – trombone and Harriet Channon – trumpet. Thank you for your great support of Australian music and for the premiere of WINDIW by Albanian composer Ergis Spahiu. It was a delight to see such an enthusiastic full house at Creative Space Gallery.

The program was as follows:

Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet – Igor Stravinsky

Summer Bird – Alan Holley

WINDIW – Ergis Spahiu (premiere)

The Sky is Brass – Alan Holley

Heron Creek – Alan Holley

(for Richard) – Alan Holley

 

Big thanks to Warringah Printmakers for their support.
 

with Greg Van Der Struik – trombone

Richard Rourke – clarinet

Harriet Channon – trumpet

Kevin Man – percussion

 

WINDIW – Ergis Spahiu (premiere)   ◊   for clarinet and vibraphone

for Richard – Alan Holley   ◊   for clarinet and vibraphone

• Compositions for trombone and trumpet by Alan Holley will also be performed

Richard Rourke is joined by percussionist Kevin Man for a concert of recent music and a 100 year old gem by Stravinsky.

These stellar performers are at the forefront of Australian soloists.

 

 

November 17th 2019 at 5.30pm
CREATIVE SPACE
105 Abbott Road, North Curl Curl
Sydney, Australia

 

 Plenty of parking available   ◊   Tickets at the door

 

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Hammerings Records presents

New works from Australia and Albania and Berio’s theatrical and poignant trombone solo, Sequenza V.

 

• Alan Holley – musical director

• John Lewis – clarinet

• Diane Berger – flute

• Harriet Channon – trumpet
  

• Amanda Tillett – trombone

 

Exciting and energetic music is emerging from Albania. Enis Mullaj and Ergis Spahiu are two of the younger generation making a big impact in their own country. It is a thrill to present Mullaj’s first work in Australia – Waves for flute and clarinet. We performed SIGIS by Spahiu last year to great acclaim and now his solo flute composition, IRISHKEGAL.

 

 

Diane and John are principal players of the Opera Australia Orchestra and have impressive solo and chamber music careers in Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

Amanda has been guest principal of the Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellows and she has also performed with the SSO. Amanda will play the Berio work and Alan Holley’s virtuosic AURIC (2004).

Harriet will give the Sydney premiere of The Sky is Brass by Alan Holley. Recently she gave the first performances of four Australian compositions for solo trumpet at the historic Montsalvat on the outskirts of Melbourne in a concert presented by the Melbourne Composers’ League.

 

Sunday November 4, 2018 at 5.30pm

Creative Space  –  105 Abbott Road,

North Curl Curl, Sydney

 

Bookings phone 0428 143 646

$35 and $25 tickets available at the door

www.hammeringsrecords.com

 

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HAMMERINGS RECORDS is delighted to present two of Europe’s foremost composers in our April, 2018 concert – Viktorija Cop (Croatia) and Dorian Cene (Albania). Both have been performed at numerous international music festivals and in concerts throughout Europe, Asia and the USA.

 

Viktorija Cop has written Dual for alto saxophone especially for this concert and for James Nightingale to premiere in Sydney.

We have already presented the violin solo …A… by Dorian Cene last November at The Creative Space Gallery in North Curl Curl. It gathered so many wonderful comments we decided to present it in a different venue – the wonderful acoustic at WATTERS.

Also on the program will be the first Australian performance of a new alto saxophone solo by Melbourne resident composer Andrian Pertout. Internationally Andrian is one of our most performed and commissioned composers.

Alan Holley is represented by two works composed 26 years apart – Hammerings for flute and the premiere performance of Hammerings IV for cello.

A stellar list of performers ensures a concert to remember.

 
 

Saturday April 14, 5.30pm

WATTERS GALLERY  

109 Riley Street, East Sydney

 

• Viktorija Cop         Dual  for saxophone (premiere)

• Dorian Cene           …A… for violin

• Andrian Pertout    Arithmós = Analogía = Armonía  for saxophone

• Alan Holley         Hammerings  for flute

• Alan Holley          Hammerings IV  for cello (premiere)

 

Huy-Nguyen Bui – violin

Christine Draeger – flute

James Nightingale – saxophone

Christopher Pidcock – cello

 

Bookings – phone 0428 143 646

$35 and $25 also available at door

during  exhibitions  by Bryan King, Patricia Moylan and Neil Evans

 

 

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HAMMERINGS RECORDS presents
the Australian virtuoso trumpeter
PAUL GOODCHILD
at the

International Albanian Brass Festival
23 to 28 April, 2018
Tirana Albania

 

With the sponsorship of HAMMERINGS RECORDS Paul Goodchild will appear as a soloist at the International Albanian Brass Festival.

Renowned throughout Australasia as a recitalist and concerto artist as well as frequently appearing as a guest principal trumpet with numerous orchestras in the region, Paul is currently acting Principal trumpet with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In recent years Paul has undertaken several solo European tours. He will perform recitals at the IABF and give masterclasses at the Tirana University of Arts.

Other international stars at the festival include the hornist Luca Benucci (Italy) and the tuba player from Israel Avital Handler.

International Albanian Brass Festival

This is only the third IABF and it has already created a lot of attention on the international stage. Under the artistic direction of Ilir Kodhima and the organisation’s president Andrea Canaj it is a most dynamic music event on the festival circuit.

mailto:info@iabf.al

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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HAMMERINGS RECORDS present
INGWE by Georges Lentz is a one hour electric guitar journey into the extremes of music. The composer has written about the work – ‘the initial idea for Ingwe came to me during a car trip to the Outback in December 2004. One evening at the “Royal Hotel”, a pub in Brewarrina, Northern NSW, a man sat alone tuning up his electric guitar for that night’s rock gig.
I was working on a piece for solo cello at the time but knew immediately that I should write something for the guitar instead – the whole loneliness and desolation of the place (and indeed my own loneliness) seemed to be encapsulated in that man’s sound (only years later, in 2008, did I find out that the man must have been Rocko Crawford, an Aboriginal from Brewarrina, and that he passed away not long after I heard him). Sitting in the pub late that evening, I could see the whole work before my mind’s eye in a kind of intuitive flash. I left the pub in a hurry and wrote some extensive initial sketches that same night, sitting in my car in the middle of the desert.’
Not only is it a tour de force from Lentz it is a magnificent vehicle for the amazing guitarist Zane Banks and an awe-inspiring event for the audience.

Saturday March 24, 2018 at 5.30pm
WATTERS GALLERY 109 Riley Street East Sydney.
Bookings phone 0428 143646    $35 and $25 also available at the door.

 

 

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The ‘new music’ concert at Creative Space Gallery in Nth Curl Curl on Sunday November 19, 2017 was that delightful rarity – a standing room only event!

Richard Rourke – clarinet, Huy-Nguyen Bui – violin, Paul Ghica – cello and Kevin Man – percussion were brilliant performing new works Interpolatus by Andrian Pertout, SIGIS by Ergis Spahiu, (for Richard) by Alan Holley as well as Tambourin and Snow by Felicity Wilcox and ….A…. by the leading Albanian composer Dorian Çene. As well, Richard performed the sublime Abime des oiseaux from Quartet for the End of Time by Oliver Messiaen and Paul was stunning in the Sonata for solo cello by Gyorgy Ligeti.

Music and the Natural World
Now onto our next concert in the same venue with works by Melbourne composers Eve Duncan and Haydn Reeder, as well as Richard Meale, Christopher Perrin and Alan Holley. Performers are Lucy Warren (violin), Eleanor Betts (cello), Melissa Coleman (flute) and Harriet Channon (trumpet) on Saturday December 9, 2017 at 5.30pm 105 Abbott Rd, Nth Curl Curl.

Tickets available at the door:  $30/$20.  Bookings 0428 143 646

 

Hammerings Records present a concert of stars of the Opera Australia Orchestra performing music for 1, 2 and 3 players on

 

Sunday November 19th, 2017 at 5.30pm.

• Richard Rourke – clarinet
• Huy-Nguyen Bui – violin
• Paul Ghica – cello
• Kevin Man – vibraphone

With compositions by Olivier Messiaen and Gyorgy Ligeti,

Albanian composers Dorian Cene and Ergis Spahiu,

and Australian composers Andrian Pertout, Felicity Wilcox and Alan Holley.

Creative Space – 105 Abbott Road, North Curl Curl, Sydney

during an exhibition by Warringah Printmakers – plenty of free parking

Tickets $30 / $20 concession at the door.

Contact 0428 143 646

 

 

 

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