CONTENT COURTESY SIMA
Kyla Matsuura-Miller (violin) has been chosen as the winner of The Music Trust’s 2021 Freedman Classical Fellowship. Kyla and finalists Eliza Shephard (flute), Will Hansen (double bass), and Molly Collier-O’Boyle (viola) competed for the coveted $21,000 prize in a deciding concert last night. The concert was filmed in Sydney and Melbourne, and streamed online via the Australian Digital Concert Hall.
Kyla, 28, is a Tokyo-born Melbourne-raised violinist who graduated from the Australian National Academy of Music in 2018. The violinist and educator has already established an important place in the Australian cultural scene. She is working with Inventi Ensemble, Trio Clara, Duo Piaggio and Adam McMillan. In 2017, Kyla was an Emerging Artist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. In 2022, she will be the recipient of the Homophonic Pride Prize and has won other important awards.
The project she intends to carry out with her $21,000 Fellowship prize aims to evoke and express elements of the collective cultural memory of being raised non-white in Australia. Filmmaker Tobias Willis, composer Stéphanie Kabanyana Kandekwe, and two other composers to be selected will be invited to draw upon their personal experiences as non-white Australians in newly commissioned works for solo violin and optional electronics, which will culminate in a live performance for Play On and via YouTube.
On receiving the fellowship, Kyla said:
“I am so honoured to be named the Freedman Classical Fellow for 2021. Thank you to the Freedman Foundation and The Music Trust for granting me the opportunity to shine a light on new compositions by Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) Australian composers.
“It is a huge privilege and responsibility, and one that I do not take lightly. To be able to amplify new, unheard stories in classical music will hopefully leave a legacy for others to feel seen, heard and included in the Australian classical music scene.”
In a joint statement, judging panel Penny Lomax, Tamara-Anna Cislowska, and Véronique Serret said:
“Tonight’s concert saw another outstanding display of innovative young classical artists who proved their commitment to new Australian work and dedication to their craft using a refreshing array of new ideas.
“In the end, it was Kyla Matsuura-Miller whose inspired approach to her instrument and insight into her choice of repertoire spoke to each of us. We are enthusiastic to see new music used as a vehicle to illustrate untold stories. Kyla’s project will see a greater level of inclusivity represented in both artists and audiences.”
Past winners of the Freedman Classical Fellowship include Genevieve Lacey, William Barton, Joseph Tawadros, Claire Edwardes, and Eugene Ughetti.
The Freedman Fellowship Awards are among the most prestigious offered to Australian musicians. They are awarded annually to a classical music instrumentalist and a jazz musician. Distinguished musicians from around the country are invited to nominate candidates from amongst whom four finalists are selected. The Freedman Classical Fellowship is managed by The Music Trust and administered and produced by Sydney Improvised Music Association.
Conceived by Laurence Freedman AM and Dr Richard Letts AM, the Freedman Classical Fellowship is a life-changing award offered annually to Australian classical musicians aged up to 30 years. Each nominee must submit recordings of their musical performance and a description of a career-building project which they will carry out with the support of the prize.
“Congratulations to Kyla Matsuura-Miller as this year’s choice for the Freedman Classical Fellowship,” director of The Music Trust Dr Richard Letts said.
“She shows us great musical awareness and achievement, a powerful stage presence and in her aspirations, a generous social conscience.
“We are edging into a new era. All four finalists chose to support the music of Australian composers and the music of our time in their projects to be funded with the Fellowship prize. Two intended to build musical opportunities in the regional centres where they grew up.
“In their championing of new Australian repertoire, are they showing us the future for Australian audiences and for our large music organisations?”
Kyla Matsuura-Miller’s 2021 Freedman Classical Fellowship performance is Takeda No Komoriuta (Lullaby of Takeda), a traditional Japanese folk song with Brandon Lee on Koto.
Image supplied. Credit: Suzie Blake.
