Welcome to Con Fuoco, our interview series with emerging artists in Australia.
Sophie Van Dijk is an Australian composer and violinist, currently studying a Bachelor of Music (Composition) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Sophie explores new ways to bring imagination and passion to her music, seeking to create music that is both accessible and challenging for the listener. She has written for solo instruments, chamber ensembles and choirs, and has experimented with electroacoustic music. She was selected to participate in the 2017 Coro Innominata Women Composers’ Development Program, working with Sally Whitwell, Jessica Wells, and Jos Markerink. Her chamber piece Inside the Mosaic was performed at the Brett Whiteley studio in November as part of the 2017 Classical Sundays at the Studio series.
She also wrote, recorded and produced the music for the short documentary Merge by Michelle Chanique and Karen Lee in conjunction with Fairfield City Council. Sophie recently received her first major commission from Radford College in Canberra to write a new work for double choir and string orchestra to be performed in April 2018. This year, Sophie will continue to work with Sydney composer-performer collective Konzertprojekt to present concerts and perform new chamber works.
Your all-time favourite piece of music?
Undoubtedly Dvorak Symphony 9 From the New World. As clichéd as it sounds, this is the piece that made me first fall in love with music. I was in primary school when I first heard this piece performed live, and listened to nothing else for at least a month following the concert! I love it just as much today and notice a different detail each time I hear it.
Biggest fear when performing?
That it won’t be perfect. But I’m slowly overcoming that, and each time I perform, I learn not let fear stop me from enjoying the concert.
Most memorable concert experience?
Each concert is exciting and memorable in different ways. But one of my favourites is probably the first time that I heard one of my pieces performed live at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2016. It was a small concert, and the piece wasn’t perfect, but it was amazing to see and hear the dots on the page come alive!
How do you psych yourself up for practice on a lazy day?
Sometimes I don’t. I’ve learnt that sometimes a lazy day is essential to give my body and my brain the space to rest and process what it needs to. It usually means I’m able to approach the next day with new energy and motivation.
Then again, sometimes I have to. In which case, I make myself a cuppa and write a list. It makes it all seem so much more manageable! And then I take a deep breath and just start.
Most embarrassing moment on stage?
I don’t think I’ve had one. Or maybe I’ve erased it from my memory…
Best piece of musical advice you’ve ever received?
To always remember why I love music. There are so many peripheral distractions and stresses – study, deadlines, logistics. All of these can easily zap every ounce of creative energy that we have. So, in those moments of exhaustion and frustration when part (or all!) of you wants to walk away, I was told to go back to my roots. To listen to what I love most, write what comes freely and let go.
Favourite post-gig ritual?
Heading out for drinks or dinner to celebrate with my fellow performers and composers before heading home, collapsing on the couch, and debriefing with my housemates over a cuppa.
What are you most proud of in your musical career so far?
A highlight has certainly been the Coro Innominata Women Composers’ Development Program that I was involved in last year. I was privileged to work with Sally Whitwell, Jessica Wells, and Jos Markerink to write seven new works to go in between Victoria’s Missa O Quam Gloriosum. It was such a rich learning experience and I notice the improvement in the way that I approach writing.
What do you love most about making music?
I love being able to process thoughts, experiences, perspectives, and express them in a different medium than words. It is therapeutic!
What’s your ultimate goal?
To be at peace with myself and with the music that I make. Bringing joy to others through my music will be a part of it. Learning to be less hypercritical of myself will probably be part of it, too. I think it also means that, regardless of the idea – big or small – regardless of the reception, I will be proud that I learnt something and tried something new.
Sophie’s new piece Towards Home for double choir and string orchestra, commissioned by Radford College, will be performed at the High Court in Canberra on 6 April. Follow Sophie on Facebook, visit her website, and listen on Soundcloud.
Image supplied.
