ABOUT THE CITY IN THE SEA
Drawing inspiration from the poem by Edgar Allan Poe, ‘The City in the Sea’, Canadian-Finnish composer Whittall was commissioned by the Finnish Viola Society to write this piece for a National Viola Competition. He extended Poe’s imagery of a decaying city ruled by death and sinking into a watery oblivion to include the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Europe’s southern shores with tones of desperation, pursuit, obsession, elegaic reflection and ultimate despair.
“…No rays from the holy Heaven come down
On the long night-time of that town;
But light from out the lurid sea
Streams up the turrets silently—
Gleams up the pinnacles far and free—
Up domes—up spires—up kingly halls—
Up fanes—up Babylon-like walls—
Up shadowy long-forgotten bowers
Of sculptured ivy and stone flowers—
Up many and many a marvellous shrine
Whose wreathed friezes intertwine
The viol, the violet, and the vine.
Resignedly beneath the sky
The melancholy waters lie.
So blend the turrets and shadows there
That all seem pendulous in air,
While from a proud tower in the town
Death looks gigantically down...”
ABOUT JENNY, PHILIPPA and TOMMY
Jenny, Philippa And Tommy are in their third year at the Elder Conservatorium where they are studying with Elizabeth Koch AM, Suzanne Handel and Keith Crellin respectively. They have played together since their first semester and between them hold a variety of awards, scholarships and prizes.
Jenny has been a member of the Adelaide Youth Orchestra since 2016 and has participated in the Australian Youth Orchestra Young Symphonists program. An active chamber musician, she has played in the Marryatville High School string quartet and Baroque ensemble. In 2019 she premiered Endymion by Connor Foggarty and performed in masterclasses for British flautists Michael Cox and Phillipa Davies. She recently achieved an Award with Distinction for her AMEB Associate of Music.
Philippa is the current principal harp for the Australian Youth Orchestra and was featured in the 2020 National Music Camp advanced chamber concert. She has performed casually with the ASO, was a recent award winner in the Chamber Music Adelaide Young Artist Award competition and will livestream the Glière Harp Concerto next month with the Conservatorium Orchestra. She is hoping to study and compete overseas next year.
Tommy was the Principal Viola of the Adelaide Youth Orchestra from 2016 to 2019 and has been a member of various ensembles in the Elder Conservatorium and AdYO. He made his concerto debut with AdYO last year performing York Bowen's Viola Concerto and aspires to become a professional conductor and chamber musician.
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Spring Lunch Hour Series
Recitals Australia presents the Lunch Hour Series as part of our educational and outreach programs. It aims to support and mentor young emerging artists and provides valuable performance opportunities in front of an audience. The program is now available on our website.
The program is entirely supported through donations. We'd appreciate any assistance you can give us, and are happy to discuss a donation on the phone on 08 8236 7488 or you can donate directly online at https://recitalsaustralia.org.au/donate/
The Series culminates in the special Awards Final, which will see eligible musicians from that series compete for individual awards of up to $1000, including the Berenice Harrison Prize.
Supporting Australian emerging artists and musicians for nearly 50 years, Recitals Australia is entirely run by a volunteer council and relies on donations to support all of our programs. We thank our donors and partners for their support of the 2020 Spring Series: 5MBS Radio, National Trust South Australia, Pilgrim Uniting Church, Musica Viva, ArtFuel by I-Nex, Chamber Music Adelaide and many individual donors and volunteers.
Look forward to seeing you there! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.
Best wishes.
Mark de Raad
President
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