BY JESSIE WANG, LEAD WRITER (COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL AWARENESS)
Candace Kruger is a Yugambeh yarrabilginngunn (songwoman) woman, an ethnomusicologist, and a proud Kombumerri (Gold Coast) and Ngugi (Moreton Island) woman. She has teamed up with the Australian Music Examinations Board in its third Online Orchestra national music project.
Instrumentalists and singers are invited to join the biggest virtual orchestra in Australia to perform Morning Star and Evening Star, a reimagined lullaby and dreaming story that Candace’s family have known for a long time.
The project is a partnership between the Yugambeh Youth Aboriginal Corporation and the AMEB — and if you love to sing or play, you’re invited to take part. Entries are open to individuals, schools, and community groups to download the music, record themselves playing it, and upload it to the AMEB website for the opportunity to share this unique performance experience.
Ahead of the gala online performance in October, we sit down with Candace to chat about the importance of Indigenous songs and narratives. Before you read, you might like to watch the official music video, performed by the Yugambeh Youth Choir.
Hi Candace, a huge congratulations for composing Morning Star and Evening Star for AMEB’s Online Orchestra 2021, alongside your cousin Lann Levinge and your daughter Isobella Kruger! It is based on the telling of this lullaby by Aunty Lottie Eaton (Levinge). What was the process you went through to get to the current version of Morning Star and Evening Star?
To begin with, the AMEB team and myself discussed what parameters would need to be in place for the piece to be accessible to all instruments, vocalists, and players of multiple levels.
From this, we were able to determine a key, a tempo, and then composition could begin with these template ideas in place. In no way did this stifle the creative process, it just meant that it would be easier to know what we were working with.
As a music educator and conductor of bands and choirs for both primary and secondary students, I certainly already had an idea of what students would be able to handle and beginners could learn, therefore this wasn’t too difficult to work with.
What does this song mean to you personally?
This is an old family songline, which means it is a dreaming story from a long time ago.
It is wonderful to see this story and song come alive for an audience around Australia to learn and engage in Indigenous knowledges that my family have always known.
Who can participate in the AMEB’s Online Orchestra? Is it just for people with a singing background?
Anyone can get involved. It doesn’t matter what instrument you play or if you sing. It doesn’t matter what level you are at. Morning Star and Evening Star is an inclusive piece for everyone.
What are the requirements for participating and filming for the AMEB Online Orchestra?
Participants are asked to download the part they would like to play and download the backing track. Then they learn their part, play along to the backing track, record their entry, and send it in before the end of July.
What are you hoping the music teachers and the students around the country will get out of this experience?
I would like to see that all participants not only enjoy playing a new piece of music, but also learn a piece of Indigenous history.
This songline — dreaming narrative — is old, and assists everyone to learn about the ecological knowledges known by Indigenous people.
Returning to the topic of your family, how does being a Kombumerri – Ngugi yarrabilginngunn (songwoman) influence your career as an ethnomusicologist? And for those of us who don’t know, what does it mean to be a songwoman?
My role as a songwoman is to learn, share, and be a keeper of knowledge. For me, I do this role as a community volunteer. I give my time to the youth in my region who want to learn language through song and also sing alive the narratives of our region.
As a songwoman who is also an Indigenous ethnomusicologist, my research involves finding songlines and narratives, and restoring songs for us to sing alive.
How can the wider community continue to learn the narrative of the Yugambeh people beyond the Online Orchestra’s performance, which will be in October?
As a community, we are working on revealing more songs. Stay tuned to yugambehyouth.com.au for more information.
Entries for the AMEB Online Orchestra are now open and will be accepted until July 30. The gala online performance will be revealed in October.
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