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Wendy
Dixon - soprano
David
Miller - piano
guest
artists 2008 season
|
Grevillea Ensemble Telephone enquiries: |
about Grevillea Ensemble
Grevillea Ensemble was founded in 1999 by soprano Wendy Dixon (Guest Artist - Opera Australia) and pianist David Miller AM (Chair of Ensemble Studies, Sydney Conservatorium) with violinist Marina Marsden (then Assistant Concertmaster - Sydney Symphony) who left the group at the end of the 2003 season.
Grevillea was formed by these accomplished artists to communicate and share their love of music with their audience. During recitals, the artists talk to the audience about the music they are playing in an informal, intimate atmosphere. At the end of each recital the audience has the opportunity to chat with the musicians over complimentary refreshments.
Now based at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Macquarie St., Sydney, Grevillea's subscription series recital programmes explore a wide range of familiar and new repertoire for voice and piano. Wendy and Daivd are joined by a different guest artist in each recital, bringing unique combinations and variety to each Sunday afternoon programme.
Grevillea Ensemble has been critically acclaimed, especially for "imaginative programming" (John Carmody - Sun-Herald) and "invariably insightful performances" (Fred Blanks - Ku-ring-gai Observer). Grevillea has given performances at the Australian International Conservatorium of Music, the Liszt Society, in Bowral, Byron Bay and Nowra as well as many of Sydney's Music Clubs.
2MBS-FM (Peter Bell) records every subscription recital for future broadcast. This ongoing relationship is also producing CDs of Australian song cycles and trios written especially for Grevillea Ensemble by composers including Richard Charlton, Martin Wesley-Smith, Stephen Yates, Margery Smith, Trevor Pearce, Nigel Butterley and Hugh Dixon.
Grevillea is fiercely committed to Australian repertoire and living composers and have commissioned and performed many new works. In 2000, Grevillea Ensemble received Special Mention in the Group category of the Centre for Australian Cultural Studies National Awards for "An Outstanding Contribution to Australian Culture". In 2002, ABC Classics released a CD recording of songs by the Australian composer, Horace Keats, entitled Echo by the three Grevillea Ensemble artists and Australian baritone, John Pringle. Wendy and David have also co-written two book on Australian art song: Songs from Australia (with Linda Foulsham and Cathy Aggett) and Voice of Australia (with Linda foulsham), both with accompanying CDs of the songs performed by Wendy adn David, recorded by Peter Bell and published by Wirripang.
Commisions include Stephen Yates "Late Autumn Dove" (soprano/violin/piano), "Three Tobacco Songs" (voice/piano), Richard Charlton "Statues" (voice/piano), Matthew Orlovich "Bird of Paradise" (soprano/violin/piano), "She like the moon rises" (soprano/oboe/piano), Philip Wilcher "Nativity" (voice/violin/piano), Daryl Pratt "Where does the dancer dance" (voice/piano/vibraphone/marimaba), Michael Dixon "Bach Collage" (voice/piano/vibraphone/marimaba), Hugh Dixon arrangements of Binchois and Machaut (vibraphone/voice).
In 2006 Martin and Peter
Wesley-Smith joined us for an exciting innovative approach to contemporary
commentary by wroting topical political satires for each recital. These
were very well received by audience members. John Peterson rearranged
his cycle "Eternity's Sunrise" in a higher version for Grevillea
Ensemble and Andrian Pertout created a special arrangement for Grevillea
of his work "Sonus Dulcis"
Grevillea Ensemble has made arrangements for voice, violin and piano (with
the kind permission of the composers) of "Love me Sweet" by Carl Vine
and "The Stars Turn" by Peter Sculthorpe, for voice, basson and piano
of "Song of Tailitnama" by Peter Sculthorpe and for voice and
bassoon of "Maninya 1" by Ross Edwards.
THE ARTISTS: Wendy Dixon | David Miller
Grevillea Ensemble is proudly sponsored by
Stephen Yarrow Design & Print