BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Welcome to Con Fuoco, CutCommon’s interview series with emerging artists in Australia.
Connor D’Netto is a Brisbane based composer of contemporary classical music, described as ‘the model contemporary Australian composer’ by ABC Classic FM. Throughout his works, Connor balances the quasi-neoclassical with post-minimal influences, combining them with contemporary performance practices, unique one-off concerts and performances, and the delicate incorporation of electronic music elements and production techniques. His music combines driving post-minimal rhythmic elements with heartfelt lyrical expression drawn from his extensive performance experience as a classically trained bass baritone, contrasted with textural devices that push the expectations of an instrument’s capabilities without confronting the audience. Connor’s music has been commissioned and performed across Australia and abroad, including by ensembles such the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Camerata of St. Johns and PLEXUS, and performers such as Karin Schaup and Claire Edwards. Connor is the producer and artistic director of the successful contemporary classical/electronic music collective and concert series Argo, founded with fellow composer Benjamin Heim.
Your all time favourite piece of music?
It’s so hard to pick because my musical taste has changed quite a bit over the past few years. If you had asked me three or four years ago, I would probably have said something by Shostakovich or Rachmaninov, but now, I’d probably choose something far more recent. At the moment, I’m loving this crazy work for piano and 40-channel 1-bit electronics called Surface Image by Tristan Perich, or John Luther Adams’ monumental Become Ocean for symphony orchestra. John (Coolidge) Adams’ chamber music is pretty great too, especially Hallelujah Junction. And there’s always Bach.
Best piece of musical advice you’ve received?
The best piece of musical advice I’ve had isn’t about the music per se, but about the world and profession we work in. It’s from Patricia Pollett, brilliant violist and champion of Australian music throughout her career; she is a professor at the University of Queensland School of Music where I studied, and has been a valued mentor of mine. The advice is in the midst of practising/composing/performing, to not forget everything else that goes into making your craft happen, the marketing and promotion, networking, budgets, website/portfolios, etc. All the details matter – we want to share our art, to create opportunities, and these things are part of making that happen.
Most memorable concert experience?
I have a few, of different kinds I guess. Of other people’s music: a few years back, the Hamburg State Opera did a performance of Wagner’s Das Rheingold in concert, conducted by Simone Young. I got some super cheap last minute tickets, and ended up in the second row, right behind her! The opening – that amazing four-minute long chord before the Rhinemaidens enter, the lights were dimmed and the orchestra started from practically nothing – it was pretty special.
But, one of my most special concert experiences was the first proper performance of one of my works. It was my first string quartet, which is one of my earliest works and absolutely different to just about everything I’ve written since. The concert was in an art gallery; audience all over the floor, really special. And of course, I have to mention the first concert I organised as Argo, about this time last year.
Biggest fear when performing?
When I’m performing as a singer, there’s not too much to be afraid of, just hope that I’ve prepared enough. When there’s something of mine being performed, I guess there’s always a little fear. There will probably always be someone in the audience who isn’t a fan of your music, so it’s not fear that the work will be well received by everyone – it’s more about whether that performance is a realisation of the work the way I intended it, that it will come together as I imagine, especially if it’s the premiere.
Another fear is the of technology, especially when I’m organising concerts. In a couple of Argo’s events, we’ve had some pretty spectacular tech mishaps. In one concert the visuals we were using decided to go rogue as the concert began, but I managed to cover that pretty well. The biggest as at the very end of our most recent concert Illuminae, when the computers crashed completely and the concert was cut short by five minuets. And it was all caught live-streamed on Facebook! Oh well…
How do you psych yourself up for practice – or composition – on a lazy day?
For me, its about setting goals and getting into a routine. Often, I write a work over a condensed period, a week or two for a full draft, after initially conceiving the work and getting my ideas together – then take a break from composing intensely for a week or two. So, when I’m in writing mode, or should I say, when I need to be in a writing mode, I like to put aside entire days: I sleep in, have a late breakfast/lunch, write at the piano all afternoon, go for a run, have dinner, then work on my laptop (often on the couch with the TV on in the background) typesetting and editing what I had written during the day. I set myself a daily goal, say two minutes of music, to write while I’m at the piano during the day. It’s not so much about writing something good all the time, but just about showing up and writing something. Afterwards, that night while editing, I sift through what is good and what, well, isn’t…
Most embarrassing moment on stage or in rehearsal?
Well, I turned up to a Hawaiian-themed rehearsal in a Hawaiian shirt…but it wasn’t Hawaiian-themed dress in that rehearsal.
Favourite post-gig ritual?
After any concert, it’s always great to spend time with everyone involved – spirits are high, and everyone wants to unwind after all the preparation that goes into a good performance. Usually, that means heading to the nearest pub. A few drinks, good food, company; what more could you want!
What are you most proud of in your musical career so far?
I’d have to say winning Chamber Music Australia’s Australian New Works Award in 2015 for my second string quartet, and having it selected as the set work in the finals of the 7th Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. To have my work played by ensembles of that calibre from all over the world, performed in the Melbourne Recital Centre, and broadcast live on ABC was pretty special. It was also very gratifying that that work has been so successful, as it was my first jaunt into a pretty different style from may past works – a style which I guess I’ve become known for now. It’s pretty funny actually, to compare my first and second quartets and hear just how much my writing has developed and changed; one might think the two quartets were written a hundred years apart!
What do you love most about making music?
It’s something about creating to me. Whether it is music, photography, film, writing poetry/prose, design work, organising concerts, cooking (I used to work as a chef), building random pieces of furniture or re-landscaping the family’s garden, I need to be creating something. But music…have you ever had the feeling – when in a crowd of people singing, during the gut-wrenching moment of a symphony, or when a song comes up on Spotify that feels just for that moment – a welling-up, a shiver, hairs standing up, a blush? Music can make you feel. Something. Anything. I’m chasing that.
What’s your ultimate goal?
I’m pretty lucky in that I love what I do. So, I guess the goal is to keep doing what I do, just to be able to do more of it.
Support Connor D’Netto and perform his music. See more of his works in his shop page.
String Quartet No. 2 in E minor. Connor D’Netto, 2015. Score and parts. Winner of the Australian New Works Award 2015.[purchase_link id=”2359″ style=”button” color=”red” text=”Add to Cart”]Chamber Symphony No. 1. Connor D’Netto, 2015. Score and parts. Written for performance as part of the 2015 Australian Youth Orchestra National Music Camp under direction of James Judd.[purchase_link id=”2355″ style=”button” color=”red” text=”Add to Cart”]
