Grant Acquittal: Fluteprojekt concert presented by Konzertprojekt
On 11th May 2018, Konzertprojekt presented Fluteprojekt, a concert dedicated to showcasing the flute and its potential, at St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Macquarie Street. From electroacoustic and spatialised works to structured improvisations, this concert showcased the versatility and beauty of this instrument.
Artistic outcomes:
Our goal was to present a selection of music that showcased the flexibility of the flute, and we did this successfully by programming a number of existing works by Australian composers Damian Barbeler, Anne Boyd and Christine Draeger, and British composer Ian Clarke, alongside four world premieres by Konzertprojekt composers Gabrielle Cadenhead, Lachlan Foster, Liam Mulligan, and Sophie Van Dijk.
These premieres were written especially for Fluteprojekt, and the sheet music for these works is available via this link, which has also been distributed on our Facebook page and SoundCloud site: https://goo.gl/forms/utFRlJAkzVenoStq2. This enables flautists to access and perform our works beyond this concert, in alignment with our goal to expand existing repertoire for the flute.
The audio recordings from this concert also continue to be accessible to those who were unable to attend the concert, or to those who would like to hear it again, via our Soundcloud page (https://soundcloud.com/konzertprojekt/sets/konzertprojekt-presents).
This playlist was also distributed throughout our networks. In these ways, this project contributed to the creation, presentation and distribution of new works for flute.
Impact:
Approximately 50 people attended the concert and heard a selection of existing flute works alongside four new, innovative flute pieces by Konzertprojekt composers:
· Tesla Coil by Liam Mulligan, an immersive installation which blurred the line between recorded and live instrumental sound
· Rock Polish by Lachlan Foster, a spatialised work which unlocked the acoustics of the venue
· Echo by Gabrielle Cadenhead, which engaged with the wide range of extended techniques of which the flute is capable and showcased it as a formidable solo instrument
· Towards Adventure by Sophie Van Dijk, which explored performer choices and interactivity through structured improvisation
Gabrielle Cadenhead’s piece Echo for solo flute has gone on to be performed at Extended Play Festival of New Music in August, and received an honourable mention in the Flute New Music Consortium’s Composition Competition. These are further examples of how this project has contributed to presenting the versatility of the flute to the new music community.
The audience had an overall positive response, and comprised regular Konzertprojekt supporters, as well as people from the flute community. Flute players commented that the concert had opened their eyes to the instrument’s potential beyond conventional Classical repertoire. Other members of the audience also expressed how much they enjoyed the concert.
“Congratulations to Konzertprojekt for another great concert. I love your work, and look forward to many more performances in the future.” – Kathryn Lynch, audience member
This project also provided a platform for us as composers to experiment with the flute on a deeper level by engaging with the performers in workshop sessions and rehearsals, which is incredibly important for emerging composers and performers of flute music.
Use of grant money ($250):
All $250 went towards paying our performers (two flautists and one pianist) to rehearse and perform the music to a high standard. This also meant that we could have a concert dedicated to flute music as we were able to support the performers to learn a large amount of music. Previously our programming has been limited by the availability of our friends and colleagues who were able to join and support us with performances. Their generosity is invaluable and we will continue to rely on this community that we have built around us, as well as our own skills as performers. However, we believe that it is important to foster a culture where musicians’ expertise and time is recognised monetarily. This is not always possible due to limited funds, however thanks to the Flute Society of New South Wales Grant we were able to realise this belief financially.
We were privileged to use the space at St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Macquarie Street which they generously gave us for free. All other costs of presenting this concert were met by Konzertprojekt members.
What’s next:
As a result of this concert, we have established a good working relationship with St Stephen’s Uniting Church as a venue. They have offered us the church as a concert venue into the future, and we are already working towards another project for early 2019 to be held at St Stephen’s.
We plan to continue writing and curating concerts of new music for a variety of instrumentations, and feel better-equipped to compose for the flute because of this grant.
Thank you for supporting our project.
Gabrielle Cadenhead & Sophie Van Dijk
On Behalf of Konzertprojekt