NOVEMBER 2023 PROGRAM • 60 mins no interval

BRENDA GIFFORD “Dissipate”^
JULIAN YU J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations arranged for erhu and string quartet* (performed with Dong Ma, erhu)

^ Commissioned by Flinders Quartet with the support of FQ Syndicate #4
* Commissioned by Carrillo Gantner AC and Ziyin Gantner as part of The Myer Foundation’s Family Grant Program

MONASH DAVID LI SOUND GALLERY • Friday 10 November, 7:30PM BOOKINGS
ARTS CENTRE, WARBURTON • Saturday 11 November, 2PM BOOKINGS

AUGUST 2023 PROGRAM • full concert with interval

IMOGEN HOLST “Phantasy Quartet”
BRENDA GIFFORD “Dissipate”^
JULIAN YU J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations arranged for erhu and string quartet* (performed with Dong Ma, erhu)

^ Commissioned by Flinders Quartet with the support of FQ Syndicate #4
* Commissioned by Carrillo Gantner AC and Ziyin Gantner as part of The Myer Foundation’s Family Grant Program

SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM • Saturday 5 August, 5PM (for 5:30PM concert)
MACEDON MUSIC • Sunday 6 August, 2:30PM SOLD OUT

DONG MA is a Huqin performer. As an alumni of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Dong has previously assumed the position of associate concertmaster at the China National Traditional Orchestra and a member of Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Currently, Dong is the Head of the Australian Association of Chinese Traditional Music, teaching at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School and Chinese Music Ensemble classes at the University of Melbourne.

A marriage of musicians and culture matched with times past, present, and future to create a soundscape that is unexpectedly homogenous and extraordinarily beautiful. Dong Ma's virtuosity on the erhu is perfectly matched with Julian Yu's arrangement of Bach's Goldberg Variations, and together they create a mesmerizing performance that transcends time and cultural barriers. Yuin woman Brenda Gifford's heartfelt work "Dissipate" adds depth and meaning to the overall program, resulting in a strikingly successful musical fusion that will leave audiences in awe.

This very special concert program is the culmination of extensive creative development and represents a true collaboration between talented musicians from different cultural backgrounds. It is a remarkable celebration of diversity, creativity, and the unifying power of music.

BRENDA GIFFORD is a Yuin woman, originally from Wreck Bay on the South Coast of NSW. A contemporary classical composer and classically trained saxophonist and pianist, she has twenty years of extensive experience as a musician. A First Nations person, her culture is the basis of her arts practice.

Brenda has been commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, by Canberra International Music Festival and by Four Winds Festival. Mungala (Clouds) commissioned for American star flautist Claire Chase premiered at National Sawdust New York in 2019.

Brenda was Ensemble Offspring's First Nations Composer In Residence 2020 while undertaking a Master of Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as part of the Composing Women program.

Her ARIA-nominated album Music for the Dreaming, a work tailored for children exploring Dreamtime stories, received multiple performances at the Sydney Opera House in 2019, co-presented by Ensemble Offspring, ABC KIDS Listen and ABC Classics. Her music is available on the ABC Classics label.

Brenda was a member of the Band Mixed Relations with Bart Willoughby from No Fixed Address. She has toured extensively around Australia and internationally to Native American communities and the Pacific Islands. She worked with Kev Carmody, on his album Eulogy (for a black person), playing saxophone on the track 'Blood Red Rose', album/CD/-Festival/D-30692. She wrote the album sleeve notes for the reissued The Loner album by Uncle Vic Simms. Brenda has also conducted over 100 interviews and oral histories with Indigenous musicians and has curated notes and blogs.