BY CUTCOMMON
Five emerging composers have been awarded a place in the Arts Centre Melbourne’s 5x5x5: Memory mentorship program. It’s a paid commission opportunity for these young Victorian artists who will learn with the best — showcasing their work under the guidance of artistic director and celebrated composer Kate Neal, and having it professionally recorded in their home studios.
Here, each of these composers tell CutCommon the story behind their music — what it’s all about, and what it’s been like to take up 5x5x5 during COVID-19. A word of warning: every single piece can help teach you what it means to be human.
CERIDWEN McCOOEY
In January of this year, I went to visit my grandmother in Manchester who is at the end of her life and has dementia.
Up until recently, my mother was estranged from her parents and so I have no memories of them. To me, my grandmother feels like a stranger. Yet, in January, I found myself sharing experiences with her in the hospital.
I am writing a piece that highlights the parallel here of building fresh memories with someone who is slowly losing their own. I am exploring the idea that my grandmother’s and my memories of each other are not spawned from the same moments in time, and how strange it is to be getting to know someone who is forgetting who you are.
The one person my grandmother fully remembers is her husband, who she is not allowed to see because of social distancing measures. He cries on the phone to my mother most nights, yet he is comforted by the memories he has of his wife.
The heartbreaking truth is that people are dying without saying goodbye to their loved ones due to COVID-19. I know it is inevitable that I will watch my grandmother die over Skype, because I live so far away. But due to the COVID-19 climate, even those closer in distance to their loved ones are not able to be there at the end of life.
I think now more than ever, we are having to rely on our memories for comfort and closure. This composition opportunity feels important to me, because at least I can create a piece that might resonant with others who are similarly unable to see their family at this difficult time.
I am currently completing a performance degree, so I am excited about the idea of having one-to-one composition lessons. I am very much looking forward to hearing Kate’s advice and learning about her methods of music making.
MABEL WINDRED-WORNES
My composition will reflect the fluctuation of emotions when left with the memory of ordinary life, post-pandemic.
In this time of isolation, I have found myself trying to hold on to the same routines and patterns of life. Yet, I’ve slowly realised that by accepting the more fluid, ever-changing and sometimes haphazard ways of living in the midst of a pandemic, there is freedom for change and new opportunities to grow. As days seem to lengthen and morph into one another, there is a chance to reflect and re-form.
My piece is a dreamlike, watery atmosphere of the soundscape of the space inside the mind. I’m currently exploring interweaving strings, atmospheric vocals and organic percussion.
I really want to expand my compositional horizons and gain new insights and ideas to explore through this piece. I really love the experimental nature of Kate’s work, and I’m always looking to discover new outside-the-box sounds in strange and wonderful ways.
During COVID-19, many plans for touring nationally and internationally with my band Charm of Finches were cancelled, which was disappointing. The silver lining is that I now have time to pursue my other passion and instead, dive into instrumental composition on cello — my first instrument.
I feel very grateful to receive this opportunity and to be able to create something new and expand my knowledge and skills as a composer. This time is actually perfect to slow down and reflect through composition, which I find is something very introspective for me. I’m already enjoying it immensely and learning a lot.
SUE-ANNE TAN
My strongest memory of the pandemic was being alone.
As an international student living away from family, I spent my days holed up in my room, struggling to work up the motivation to be productive and escaping to the world of sleep, most of the time. I wanted to portray that feeling in this composition.
COVID-19 has impacted the arts industry greatly, and as an emerging artist, I feel the effects of it much more. I’m really grateful to be given the opportunity to turn this experience into art, and have that art shared with others.
I don’t often get guidance while working in the electronic medium, as my studies at the university are mostly score-based. Kate has given me very helpful insight and has shown me a fresh perspective on sound.
SAMUEL KREUSLER
I’m currently working on a piece that focuses on the experience of memory dissolving as if the event never happened.
Re-creating this cathartic experience has led the piece to create a mysterious cinematic environment where the cause of a sound is never quite clear, and therefore the image it may imply distant and ambiguous.
Kate has always been rethinking chamber music in exciting ways. One advantage of receiving mentorship from her is not only looking at instrumental extended techniques, but the possibilities of the function they serve in a composition. But, most importantly, moral support.
The only positive that could be drawn from COVID-19 for me personally was being forced to stop, breathe, and think — as opposed to being stuck in a world of constant distraction without reflection. I’ve been lucky to receive the opportunity to explore reflection creatively.
THEO CARBO
My composition is about nostalgia and humanness. I am using family home videos as a source of sample material, and combining them with orchestrations and electronic processes.
Kate Neal is a composer with such a strong understanding of the history of contemporary classical music, but with an open mind to new ideas and a wide variety of aesthetics. Our mentorship sessions are a privilege for m, and are helping me to refine my ideas greatly.
The opportunity to work on the 5x5x5 commission is important to me, as it allows me time to spend developing creative ideas and growing as a composer. As many of my performance outlets are cancelled due to COVID-19, it is great to be able to spend time in my home studio working on this composition as an alternative.
Each composer’s work in 5x5x5: Memory will be professionally recorded in their home studios. It will be released digitally through ‘Together With You’ this July, thanks to Arts Centre Melbourne and The Channel.
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