Griffith Artworks 1991 lunch time concerts series will begin at the Nathan campus on April 10, with an exciting perfor mance by Sarah Hopkins.
A freelance composer-performer and community artist with a back ground in classical and contemporary cello performance, Sarah (above) has been working in the area of Sound Art since 1976 and has toured extensive ly throughout· Australia, Britain and Europe performing her original music. Sarah says that as a compo ser-performer she is committed to creating expansive pure music; music which resonates with the space and energy of the Australian landscape
well as the inner landscape of human emotions. Sarah's performance will be fol lowed by concerts by "Selengi", a cross cultural ensemble; the "Badiner ie Players", a Brisbane based ensem ble specialising in early music; the Pro Musica Singers conducted by Emily Cox ; and Riley Lee and Satsuki Odamura, who will perform on the Japanese Shakuhachi and Koto. The concerts will be staged in Central Theatres between 12.30pm and 1.30pm on Wednesdays and ·Fri days. For further information, contact Griffith Artworks on (07) 875 7414. On Sunday, April 7, Sarah will be performing on the ABC programme, Sunday Afternoon with Peter Ross.
"Selengi" ensemble members: (from left) Linsey Pollak, Virag Antal, "14/berto Her rara, Dai Babare and Michali Canaris.
Cross-cultural musical experience
"Selengi", a cross-cultural musical ensemble, received an enthusiastic audience response when it. performed at Griffith University's Nathan campus last montti. The group, whose name is an Angolan word meaning "mixed spirit", per formed a programme of largely original compositions, drawing on the diverse cul· -· tural and musical traditions of the five members of the group,:, · Led by Linsey Pollak and Dai Babijre, the group has been commissioned by the Brisbane Ethnic Music and Arts Centre as part of a project aimed at promoting and ·:non, 38. developing cross-cultural performing arts. Their concert at Nathan was the second in the Griffith Artworks 1991 lunch time concert series, and will be followed by the "Badinere Players" on June 5 and the. "P.;o Musica Singers" on August 7.
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Visiting artists bring the music of Japan, China to campus Masters of Japanese music, Sa tsuki Odamura and Riley Lee, pre sented a programme of traditional and contemporary pieces on the koto and the shakuhachi at the Nathan campus last month.
The performance was organised by Griffith Artworks during a one-week visit to Brisbane by the musicians for the Ethnic Music and Arts Centre. Ms Odamura began her study of the koto when she was ten and has given nu merous solo recitals and played in ensem bles in Japan, Europe, the United States and South East Asia. She now lives in Syd ney. One of the most popular Japanese in struments, the koto is a 13 or 17 stringed plucked zither introduced to Japan from
China about the seventh century AD. The strings are stretched across ·a long sound board of hollow timber. The instrument has been increasingly used by modern compos ers who have extended the technical de mands of the music. Riley Lee has been playing the shaku hachi for almost 20 years and in 1 980 became one of the few non-Japanese to attain the rank of dai shihan (grand mas ter). He has toured extensively in Japan, Europe and North America. He also lives in Sydney. An end blown flute with five finger holes, the shakuhachi also originated from China. It produces one of the most charac teristic and hauntingly beautiful sounds of Japan, long associated with Zen Buddhist traidtions. Today, the shakuhachi can be heard in many diverse settings, from jazz clubs to symphony halls.
Satsuki Odamura and Riley Lee found a quiet corner of the Nathan campus to rehearse for their recent performance.
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