BY ALISON PARIS, LEAD WRITER (CHILDREN AND EARLY LEARNING)
Australian string quartet Acacia has made a remarkable impact on the classical music scene. Through commissioning local composers, supporting music students through recording their compositions and helping them write and perform, and running workshops all over Australia, Acacia has contributed a lot to music and education alike.
We talked to one of Acacia’s violinists, Myee Clohessy, about the group’s busy upcoming schedule filled with workshops and performances – and why sharing music with young people is such an important aspect of her career.
Your ongoing commitment to supporting Australian composers and small-scale music festivals is extremely valuable in this country’s music community. What inspired this passion within your quartet?
Acacia has been incredibly lucky over the last nine years to have collaborated intensely with composers Elena Kats-Chernin, Lyle Chan, Gordon Kerry, Ann Boyd, Alice Chance, Joe Twist, Joe Chindamo, Sally Whitwell, Nick Wales and many more. We love the process of being able to share our own interpretation of their music directly with them, and get instant feedback on the deeper meaning behind these compositions.
Right from the beginning of our formation, Acacia has been incredibly committed and passionate about performing Australian music wherever we go, and we find most of our audience really loves hearing new Australian works!
What motivates you to make sharing music with young people such a priority?
Firstly, I remember how much hearing classical music as a child excited me. I was incredibly lucky to have had some amazing violin teachers in my life, and parents who fully supported my musical interests. They took me to concerts at the Sydney Opera House and I have had exposure to the biennial Musica Viva Festival in Mittagong where I lived. I was also surrounded by friends who shared my passion for music in both the Australian Youth Orchestra and Sydney Youth Orchestra, and later the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra. Music has always been my passion and still is.
Secondly, I am now a mother of two girls of my own, and I teach a number of young people. So I am very conscious of how music can change a child’s life, and how important it is for young people to be exposed to great music-making.
Your schedule for the next few months is packed, and much of it is based around working alongside students to better their musicianship, rather than giving single performances. What is the benefit to young people of an interactive experience like this?
Acacia does travel a lot and always tries to fit in string workshops wherever we are touring to. We really enjoy working with local youth from the regions we are visiting, and get an extra kick when we have a return visit and can witness their growth and development a year later.
We find the regional music teachers are just so thrilled to have our extra input, and really appreciate having another voice to work through issues they may have already tried to fix.
I guess it’s easier for us to get through to students because they hear Acacia up on stage doing what we’re asking them to try. It makes a much bigger impact because they can clearly see and hear our commitment to music and why we want them to dig deeper, too.
From Mozart to contemporary composers such as Robert Davidson, your repertoire is very diverse! How do you choose what to share, and which age group to share it with?
We all suggest our favourites works and will usually include one known, loved classic alongside some unknown gems, which often tend to be Australian compositions. Interestingly, it is usually the unknown work that our audiences say they love the most!
Acacia rarely tailors to a specific age or audience but instead tries to encourage people of all ages and musical tastes to come along and hear us perform. We encourage parents to bring their children and, at the same time, conservative audience-goers to listen to new works.
It is wonderful when we get feedback from seasoned audience members that say, although they came to hear the Beethoven, they loved our Lyle Chan or Ann Boyd composition the most.
Is there any advice you would like to give music educators of Australia, based on the experiences you have had so far in your unique career?
Please keep encouraging and exposing music students to listening to music performed live!
Keep inspiring young people to play an instrument and share music with others. Give students a platform to perform and a way to express themselves. Too often, we noticed high school students use computer programs to write their compositions – yet they have no idea how it actually sounds. Some of these compositions, therefore, are not always playable. On the other hand, though, we have also heard some incredibly talented young musicians write unique and creative compositions.
It’s just fantastic to see their amazement when they get to hear our interpretation of their own music. They can’t believe they have written something so cool!
Visit the Acacia Quartet’s website to learn more about its educational programs and upcoming performances.
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