BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Véronique Serret has performed as concertmaster of the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, played in bands with Archie Roach, and worked with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Dance Company.
But for all the impressive music this ARIA-nominated violinist has made across the contemporary and classical spheres, she hadn’t released an album that came from her own voice: writing songs, and performing all the parts herself. Until now.
Migrating Bird, which was released in 2024 after World Migratory Bird Day, is Véronique’s first album in which she has written lyrics for her own voice. She sings stories about the extinct dodo from her homeland Mauritius. She sings traditional lyrics from a Warrane woman who sighted a pelican in Sydney. She plays all parts herself — violins, percussion, and voice — except for special guest and didgeridoo musician William Barton, who features on two singles from the album.
Véronique’s album is an expression of her personal voice, and her homage to the natural world — from land to sky, and the birds she heard while walking in nature.
Congratulations on your release of Migrating Bird! How have you found its reception in the early days of your release?
Hi Steph, thank you for checking out the record! It has been so well received by friends and colleagues. Great reception through community radio, too!
This body of work is to me a collaboration with nature, so I think there was some curiosity about how the record might sound. Although difficult to categorise, reviews have been positive from a broad spectrum of people, which is nice. Yet as many have said it doesn’t really sound like anything else.
The launch was a lovely mix of family, friends, and fans from the varied avenues of my artistic practice. It was wonderful to see these worlds overlap, celebrating music and nature, and so much fun to play the album live with a band.
As you started creating a project based on the natural world, why did you find yourself drawn towards birdlife in particular?
Actually, on the album, Side A (tracks 1-4) is loosely about the land and sky, and Side B (tracks 5-8) loosely about water. The album is called Migrating Bird, but that kind of refers to me and my place in the world as an independent artist, and my wish to align myself and collaborate with nature during this time.
I see this album as my musical offering to nature — conceived during the pandemic, a time where nature was my teacher. The album was largely conceived in its raw form on a property in Brookfield where I spent months of the pandemic walking and listening. Mt Coot-tha Forest was my refuge.
The album ‘story’, which I recite at the beginning of the live show:
When the world stood still, and our cities took pause.
I turned to Mother Nature.
I walked and walked and listened.
Deeply.
This is what she said to me.
What was it like to spend that time in Mt Coot-tha where you also collected your field recordings, and did you hope to capture the sounds of a particular species, or did your music grow organically from that which you heard in the moment?
Thing is, I really do see this album as a collaboration with nature. I didn’t look for any particular sounds but rather I listened and walked and they came to me.
Having said that, I did wake up at 4am for a couple of weeks to record the beautiful Dawn Chorus, which features on the album.
There is also rain from the area.
I wanted to recreate a sense of place for the listener. Encourage the listener to come take a walk with me. Really paint a picture.
This is the first time you’ve composed music featuring words for your own voice. Why did you want to express yourself in this way, and how does it add to the musical world you are building, or the appreciation of nature you are sharing?
I have previously composed for my own voice on my album HEARTLAND, and for various classical works. However, these have been instrumental – vocalisation, but without words. I have always enjoyed using my voice to add another colour or timbre to my music.
This album is my first with lyric. You may notice that the songs are not particularly wordy, and that the lyric is of a more poetic nature.
I often write stories or poetry but never feel compelled to share. This time, I felt it added to the music as some of the tracks feel like songs. I guess I enjoyed playing with my voice and telling my story in a different way.
Take us through the other instruments on the album, which complement your voice.
On the album, I almost do everything myself. It was very important to me to gather sounds from nature to help create my soundworld.
I have my beautiful acoustic violin as well as a six-string semi-acoustic violin, and various percussion including leaves and seed pods and more seed pods. I also sing, and have an array of pedals that I use to create my desired violin sound and sonic world.
The amazing William Barton features on two tracks on the record Carbon Footprint and Pelican Song, lending not only didgeridoo but also vocals and guitar.
Would like to also mention the contribution of Kim Moyes — from The Presets — as co-producer with me, and mix engineer. He is also an old friend from music school days. His involvement was instrumental in bringing my vision for the recorded work to life.
I understand you were mentored by Anne Bourne while working on Migrating Bird? How did the Deep Listening movement, which Anne practices, inform this album?
Indeed Anne was an amazing mentor and guided me through the process. The album really took on a life of its own, and I had to learn to surrender. I learnt to enjoy the process as things took unexpected twists and turns.
I spent a lot of time walking and listening, then really learning to consciously listen. Deep Listening allowed me to connect with my acoustic environment — in this case, the natural world, Mt Coot-tha — and find a way to convey my findings; my story with others through music.
How would you like the listener to experience this album?
I would love the listener to feel they are taking a walk with me through Brisbane/Meanjin/Mt Coot-tha Reserve. I want people to hear the album and be right there with me. A sense of time, a sense of place. If you can listen from beginning to end, it’s a journey.
Any final words you’d like to share on your new release?
The cover art is by the amazing Toby Burrows. I already had the feather collar. I bought it at Mofo almost 10 years ago from performance artist Sabio. My brief for the cover photo to [photographer] Toby, and Mat — my beautiful make-up artist — was ‘pls make me look like a bird’.
Styling by Akira. So proud of the image we created together.
Véronique Serret’s album Migrating Bird is now available on digital and physical platforms. To listen or learn more about the artist, visit her website.
Image supplied, credit Jess Gleeson.
