Sirius Chamber Ensemble presents a collaborative fundraiser for not-for-profit organisation Habitat for Humanity Australia. The concert program will focus on the plight of the homeless in our society, featuring works by composers who were known to have been homeless or displaced during their lifetime.
Joseph Haydn became homeless as a young man, dismissed from St Stephen’s Cathedral choir in Vienna after his voice broke.
Gustav Mahler was famously quoted saying: “I am thrice homeless, as a native of Bohemia in Austria, as an Austrian among Germans, and as a Jew throughout the world. Everywhere an intruder, never welcomed”.
After being blacklisted by the Nazis in 1940, Bohuslav Martinů and his wife fled Paris and slept on railway platforms for several months before securing passage to America.
And the African-American ragtime composer Scott Joplin became bankrupt and homeless after his opera Treemonisha failed to find any success.
Selected works from these four composers will be presented to raise awareness of the many reasons people can become forced into homelessness, the many guises this can take, and to raise funds for a cause close to our hearts. Funds raised through ticket sales and collection on the night will empower families to build safer homes and stronger communities throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Program:
- Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio in G minor, No. 39 Gypsy
- Gustav Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
- Scott Joplin: Selections from Treemonisha for wind quintet
- Bohuslav Martinů: Quartet for clarinet, horn, cello and side drum
Performers: Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet), Alison Evans (bassoon), Claire Howard Race (piano)
Guest Artists: Taryn Srhoj (soprano), Angela Cassar (violin), Steve Meyer (cello), Alex Fontaine (oboe), Michael Wray (french horn), Josh Hill (percussion)
Tickets: $30 Adults, $20 concession, $10 children. Tickets available at www.classikon.com or at the door.
This concert will take place at St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Sydney, on 13 October.
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Web: siriuschamberensemble.com
Email: sirius.ensemble@gmail.com
