BY LILY BRYANT
In 2018, I performed in a concert held at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in celebration of International Women’s Day. The concert’s aim was to showcase the musical contributions of women – contributions all-too-often undermined or ignored. And, thanks to the hard work, uncompromising vision, and incredible music, the concert achieved unprecedented success: hundreds of people watched from inside the concert hall, and online around the world.
This success, as well as the ongoing challenge of championing the unrecognised voices of creative women, has led to Brisbane’s second annual Women of Noise International Women’s Day concert.
So, as I prepare once again to perform in the Women of Noise series, I thought I’d take you behind the scenes to meet some of the women involved in this year’s concert, and give you some insight on what it truly means to be a woman of noise.
Flautist, composer, and Women of Noise artistic director Phoebe Bognar has been the driving force behind the WoN series since its conception last year. Passionate about social justice, Phoebe wanted to create a “platform to expand and rebalance the way we listen”. Although she’s now based in England, she wants to make this year’s concert as memorable and noisy as the last.
We also hear from Professor Vanessa Tomlinson, who was there from the very beginning of WoN; and composer Frankie Dyson Reilly, who was commissioned to create new music for this year’s WoN.
What is your aim for the Women of Noise series?
PHOEBE: Similar events featuring the music of women have happened all over Australia and around the world. But I thought: ‘Why not add to the noise?’
The impetus was to provide a platform to share and celebrate the works of women throughout musical history. Of course, some listeners may already know the composers or the pieces programmed – but it is stubbornly clear that music by women is never overplayed, and sometimes not programmed at all.
The concert was also a means to give musicians the opportunity to learn these works and make it part of their repertoire. It’s also about supporting local female composers early in their career.
The aim is to provide an environment where emerging and established female composers from diverse backgrounds are in the foreground. The idea is somewhat like a showcase – to inspire the ear of the listener and introduce (or reintroduce) audiences to the artistic voices of both emerging creatives and historically obscured composers.
What does it mean to you to be creating a concert that champions the voices of women musicians?
PHOEBE: I think it’s more about what it means to the community than what it means to me. Certainly on a personal level, Women of Noise has given me a unique opportunity to discover and share so many of the wonderful voices of women musicians. It has certainly brought me face-to-face with the shocking under-representation of women within the musical canon and the opportunity to combat that inequality. Concerts celebrating the music of women are not niche. Concerts and projects like WoN are increasingly occurring worldwide, and are part of a great movement and demand to hear the musical voices of women. I believe that this concert is part of this movement of empowerment, and it in turn is empowering musicians and audiences alike to expand their knowledge of musical figures and their music.
This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is Balance for Better. Balance is key to a more cohesive and inclusive world. If we are not consciously programming the works of women, then we are restricting ourselves in the way we listen and make music. Our world is a mosaic of diverse identities, and this concert celebrates all women who have contributed to our world through music. It paves the way for a future of inclusiveness and celebrating music for music itself.
What does it mean to you to be a woman of noise?
PHOEBE: Being a woman of noise is more than just an identity, it is also a responsibility. The name Women of Noise arose after some careful deliberation. I wanted the concert title to be encompassing and inclusive of all women in music. The world is noisy, beyond the realm of organised music, and as listeners it can seem like an aural smorgasbord. The creative output of women is rich and wonderful – we are part of the noise, we contribute to it and we are loud.
Being a woman of noise is to walk hand-in-hand with the women past and present who have infused their music with their experiences and creative expression. It is about solidarity and empowerment. I am proud to be a woman of noise.
Professor Vanessa Tomlinson was a facilitator of the original WoN concert, and this year is returning as a performer. Head of percussion at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Professor Tomlinson frequently explores social issues through her music, and is an important proponent of the WoN initiative.
Vanessa, what do you see is the value of using this format to champion women’s creative voices?
VANESSA: We do not have gender parity in the programming of music, and this is especially the case in classical music. An initiative like WoN creates a focus on this issue, exposes audiences to voices that they may not have heard, and continues dialogue around the issue – like this interview.
The group of students working on Women of Noise are amazing – this is their initiative. Change happens when it is central and essential to a generation, and this is being demonstrated by these creative musicians. I am constantly inspired by what they are doing, and I am learning new things about music.
The concert is being facilitated by university students. What kind of perspective do you think this brings to the event?
VANESSA: These students are the musicians of the future and the arts leaders of the future. Their response to pressing issues matters a lot, and my job is to support them wherever possible. When I can see this combination of acute social justice mixed in with creative excellence and passion, I couldn’t be happier.
One of the most exciting aspects of the Women of Noise series is its commitment to featuring local and emerging composers. Brisbane composer Frankie Dyson Reilly was commissioned by WoN to write her new work for wind quintet with spoken word, The Whispered Shout, which I am lucky enough to be performing! I’d spoken with her about this unique opportunity to incorporate a social message into her work.
Frankie, tell us about the inspiration for this piece.
FRANKIE: Part of the instruction for this commission was to incorporate an item of speech or text into the piece. Consequently, the inspiration and title for my work comes from the poetry it was built around. Told from the perspective of a mother watching her daughter navigate life in the new century, The Whispered Shout is a short poem which reflects on how far women’s right have come, and how far we still have to go.
This poem is particularly special to me as it was written by my own very talented mother Kate Dyson for this project; so at its heart, this work is in fact a collaboration between two women of noise. Much like a mother-daughter relationship, the music itself is ever-evolving and volatile: a tranquil prelude erupts into a frantic cascade of notes, which then relaxes into the lilting and soaring finale.
As a concert held in the name of IWD, Women of Noise is a perfect opportunity to use music to express social and political messages. How does this responsibility affect your own compositional approach?
FRANKIE: In all honesty, it felt like a lot of pressure! My pieces are more often charged by colour or emotion than politics so the prospect of musically evoking an effective commentary on women’s social issues seemed daunting. I initially felt obligated to create something dark and moving – something with sharp and dissonant edges, a reflection of oppression and discord – but it disturbed me that my first instinct in writing a piece about women was to create something depressing. The Whispered Shout is not a lament for the previous hardships women have faced and still face to this day; instead it has involved into an expression of hope for our future, and an acknowledgement of the issues that remain.
What does it mean to you to be a woman of noise?
FRANKIE: It feels deeply daunting to forge a career as a female composer. It’s important to acknowledge that a very real, very frightening gender divide somehow still exists within the contemporary composition industry and that this issue will not simply fix itself with time – it needs to be faced head-on by those of us who can make a change. I hope that being a woman of noise now means that women in 10, 20, or 50 years’ time won’t need to feel afraid that their gender will affect their chances of success in the music industry.
See the Women of Noise International Women’s Day Concert for free at 1pm March 8, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Instagram @womenofnoisebne
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