BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could use the power of music to welcome refugees?
This is the idea behind the Piano Project – a new initiative from Georgina Imberger which provides music lessons to high school kids who have just moved Australia.
Working with schools that “have kids from every corner of the world”, Georgina says children from Sudan to Myanmar are involved in the project and many have come to the country as refugees.
This week, the New Palm Court Orchestra will perform at a concert to raise funds for the Piano Project. Georgina, an anaesthetist by trade, tells us how music can help children adjust to a new home and culture.
How did the Piano Project begin?
Piano Project sponsors piano lessons for children who are new immigrants to Australia and hosts recitals featuring the piano in unexpected spaces. Both arms of the concept had been brewing in my little head for some time. But the ideas crystallized in July last year when I saw a wonderful old shed in the backstreets of Brunswick and thought to myself: ‘Imagine having a piano recital in that joint’! I shared the thought with my mate Erica Martin that night, she loved it, we talked it up, we joined forces and Piano Project was born.
Why is it important for you to see new Australian residents have access to piano lessons?
We wanted to offer the kids something special and rich. And something that celebrates future and possibility. The piano is such a grand, solid character and it is a perfect entry into all worlds of music. Whether that entry leads to someone opening their ears differently to music they hear on a bus, starting a band in high school, or playing classical piano throughout their lives, the journey is equally precious. For families who have sought safety in our country and are undergoing the extraordinary challenge of building a new life, often from scratch, extras like playing the piano are obviously often not possible. We reckon that music is one of the great reasons to be alive. We hope that by organizing these lessons for the kids, we can share a bit of this sentiment and also communicate that we are really glad that they’re in Australia and we hope that their lives here will be full and happy.
Have many of these children had any musical upbringing or education before?
The kids we have the moment are very keen beginners. They’re at the Western English Language School which concentrates on teaching English. We had one girl last term from Vietnam, who has since moved on to a regular school. She had had lessons with a relative before coming to Australia and is extremely keen (and with pitch-perfect tone, I’m told). We are looking to help her continue her lessons at her new school.
How can the power of music help children adjust to a new home and culture?
The challenge of learning a new language in a new world is enormous. Children are so brilliant at it. But there must always be feelings of frustration, inadequacy and, I reckon, a certain loneliness. Our hope is that one-on-one piano teaching might transcend these challenges for a moment, provide a little escape into the ultimate common language. There’s a magical scene in one of my favourite films The Beat that my Heart Skipped where Romain Duris’ Tom is getting lessons from a Chinese pianist. They are souls apparently miles apart and they don’t share a word of the same language. But their communication as they sit by a piano trumps all else in the flick. Extraordinary. And powerful. I’m very keen on these ideas of music speaking better than words.
Why did you decide to team up with the New Palm Court Orchestra?
We love NPCO’s music and we love that Gemma is an Australian pianist who is composing. We were delighted that they were keen to do a recital with us. Even more so with the idea of a flugelhorn in the soaring walls of the Meat Market! The set-list for next Sunday is a ripper – I think that we’re in for a serious treat.
Will any of your Piano Project students feature in this concert, or come to watch?
We have invited all the kids and their families, and we’re hoping they’ll be able to come.
What will happen with the proceeds of this fundraising concert?
The proceeds from the concert will go to the lessons for the kids. We are run entirely with volunteers, we have a grant from The City of Melbourne for the hire of the Meat Market space, and we have tried to keep all other peripheral costs as low as possible. So we’re looking good to raise the funds to grow the program in the second half of this year.
You’re not a musician, but an anaesthetist! Tell us about your personal background and how it lends itself to this initiative.
I had piano lessons as a kid, thanks to my mum, and I have revisited the keys in recent years (with minimal skill, but maximal enthusiasm and affection). Live music has always been a very important part of my life, it is something that I do often and value enormously. I’m no good at quoting bands I’ve seen or keeping track of CDs. My special talent is being there and listening, and I’m very pleased with this talent. I’m an anaesthetist by trade and I am recently home after living in Northern Europe for six years, where I spent a lot of time in Berlin. The direct inspiration for our recitals comes from a place there called Piano Salon Christophori, where classical is played every night in a brilliant old factory shell. Amongst pianos-mid-restoration, tools, and other items of intrigue, there is a glass of wine on offer and musicians who are breathtakingly good. All walks of life wander in and it’s a fabulous atmosphere. I’m interested in how spaces interact with live music and the moods of buildings. I think music travels beautifully in a fluid crowd. We’re trying to create an atmosphere with our recitals that plays with these ideas.
Piano Project’s Autumn Recital is at 5.30pm, May 29 at the Meat Market in North Melbourne. Members of the New Palm Court Orchestra will play, led by pianist/composer Gemma Turvey and featuring Gianni Marinucci on flugelhorn. Proceeds will go to piano lessons for children who are new immigrants to Australia. Tickets are $20 and you can get them at www.pianoproject.org.au.
Image supplied.
