Thanks to the New North crew in Naarm/Melbourne for this footage from a concert at Brunswick Mechanics Institute, back in December 2023. This was my second solo performance and it’s very nice to have it beautifully recorded by Theo Carbo and filmed/edited by Callum G’Froerer.
It’s also available to download for free on the album NN13: https://newnorth.bandcamp.com/album/nn13
In 2023, I created the soundtrack for the feature-length documentary film Left Write Hook. The film, directed by Shannon Owen, is a heart-wrenching but ultimately empowering story about survivors of child sexual abuse. It was an incredible opportunity to use my musical skills to amplify the voices of survivors, and I am so happy to have played a small part in telling their stories. The soundtrack was made entirely with acoustic instruments, with the help of Constantine Stefanou (guitar) and Maria Moles (drums/percussion), and additional engineering by Timothy Harvey.
The film is premiering at the Melbourne International Film Festival on August 14 at ACMI, with additional screenings around Victoria throughout August.
More details and tickets can be found here: https://miff.com.au/program/film/left-write-hook.
I’m thrilled to have been accepted into the PhD program in composition at the University of Pennsylvania!
For the next four-plus years, I will be researching and creating alongside the incredible faculty and fellow graduates, and connecting with new communities. I look forward to exploring the nature of practice in these strange times at the center of the empire.
I’ll be continuing with projects in Australia and will split my time between Philadelphia and Melbourne as much as possible.
If you’re in Philly or nearby NYC, please reach out!
Photo by Caleb Miller
Had a whirlwind of a time composing a new solo cello work for David Moran, titled, "Working hands weight under the cello: 10 actions for David", as part of the inaugural MUD: Composer-in-Residence in Adelaide/Kaurna Country. As part of the program, we put on a workshop discussing composer-performer dynamics and process, class, notions of authorship, generosity and solidarity in the arts; and concluded with a concert that featured David performing the work-in-progress, and ensemble performances with Tina Stefanou, Gabriella Smart, Tadhg Porter-Cameron and myself. Huge thanks to MUD, Ern Malley, Nexus Arts and most importantly, the musical collaborators. Supported by the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters. Photos by Paul Gallasch.
Review of the concert by Chris Reid: https://www.thebarefootreview.com.au/menu/music/124-2014-music-reviews/2691-joseph-franklin-composer-in-residence.html
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of rehearsing and recording two new orchestral works with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra as part of the 2024-25 Australian Composer's School, alongside fellow composers Fiona Hill, Ben Robinson, and Naomi Dodds.
Under the conducting baton of Luke Dollman and the mentorship of Matthew Hindson and Maria Grenfell, we spent an intense and exhausting week developing and experimenting — a rare luxury with an orchestra of 50 musicians!
It was magical to hear the works develop so rapidly, which were recorded in Federation Concert Hall. I look forward to sharing the pieces here soon and to more projects over the course of the two-year program. Very grateful to everyone involved!
Very excited to be performing the second of two album launch shows as a duo with Sydney-based electonics wizard Ben Carey on July 26 at the newly minted Quad Club in Brunswick. Ben will be manipulating my live sounds, and inserting his own brand of modular synthesis into the mix, all in quadraphonic sound. Heaven. Supported by bass kin Helen Svodboda and Tim Coster.
This will be my last show in Australia for the foreseeable future due to an imminent move to the US to begin a PhD in Composition at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Very excited about this final show – hope to see some familiar faces for a farewell drink!
Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/joseph-franklin-a-thousand-tiny-mutinies-album-launch-pt-2
I’m excited to announce two upcoming performances for my solo album, a thousand tiny mutinies, which was released in March via Nice Music. You can listen or buy it here: https://josephfranklin.bandcamp.com/album/049-a-thousand-tiny-mutinies
The first performance is on June 2 at The Eleventh Hour in Fitzroy, alongside performances by experimental songwriter/sound artist Francis Plagne and percussionist/composer Joe Talia. Tickets can be found here: https://events.humanitix.com/joseph-franklin-joe-talia-and-francis-plagne-at-the-eleventh-hour
The second is on July 26 at Quad Club in Brunswick, and will be a duo performance with Sydney-based Ben Carey on modular synths and live quadraphonic manipulations/spatialisation. This will be the first time that Ben and I will work together — very excited for this collaboration! (more info and tickets coming soon).
These will be my last performances in Australia for the foreseeable future (!), as I am relocating to the US in early August to undertake a PhD in Composition at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Here is a documentary on THE HORROR OF THE AVANT-GARDE(S) [2023], which was generously put together by filmmaker Karl Brandstater. It's about 9-minutes in length and includes interviews with artistic director Tina Stefanou, conductor Elliott Gyger, pianist Marc Hannaford, percussionist Satoshi Takeishi, and myself. I look forward to sharing the whole concert in the near future.
Today, I’m very happy announce my new album, ‘a thousand tiny mutinies’ for solo contrabass guitar and artefacts, via Nice Music label. It was recorded and mixed with Timothy Harvey, mastered by Magnus Lindberg, cover design by Design Rows, with an accompanying essay by Andrew Goodman. It takes a village! Album release and launch dates in early 2024. Look forward to sharing more about the process in the months to come.
Listen and pre-order here: https://josephfranklin.bandcamp.com/album/049-a-thousand-tiny-mutinies
Recently, I finished a new work for 7-piece chamber ensemble, commissioned by by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and supporting partner TarraWarra Estate.
It will premiere on December 9 at TarraWarra Museum of Art in the Yarra Valley. A second performance will take place on December 10 at Iwaki Auditorium in Southbank as part of the MSO Academy concert.
Tickets are available here:
On August 17, a remarkable group of people came together to premiere my latest work, THE HORROR OF THE AVANT-GARDE(S) - concerto for piano, percussion, and large ensemble.
I'm still decompressing from it all but it's safe to say that it went extremely well — 'twas a very magical night.
This event was created in collaboration with artist director Tina Stefanou (The Opera Company) and to my utter surprise, we sold out the premiere and added a second show, which also sold out! The day after the performances, we recorded the work in a studio, which will be released some time in future, more details to come.
To everyone involved, and the audiences who came along, my deepest gratitude for supporting genuinely experimental music, collaborations and new modes of presentation.
The event would not have been possible without funding from Australia Council for the Arts and the University of Melbourne, as well as the support of Alpha60.
Here are some pictures from the evening taken by Sarah Walker. Video coming soon!
I'm thrilled to share that my latest work, "THE HORROR OF THE AVANT-GARDE(S) — concerto for piano, percussion, and large ensemble," will premiere on August 17 at Alpha60 Chapter House in Melbourne.
The premiere features international guests Marc Hannaford on piano and Satoshi Takeishi on percussion. They will be joined by an incredible ensemble comprising Laila Engle, Luke Carbon, Jasper Ly, Phoebe Green, Anna Pokorny, Callum G'Froerer, Louise Devenish, Benjamin Anderson, Melina van Leeuwen, and Sophia Kirsanova, under the baton of conductor Elliott Gyger. Additionally, I will be performing as part of the ensemble on my new instrument.
The night also features art direction by Tina Stefanou, words by Diego Ramirez, performances by Yumi Umiumare and Young Voices of Melbourne conducted by Mark O’Leary, and culinary horrors by Long Prawn.
Limited tickets and further details can be found here — https://events.humanitix.com/the-horror-of-the-avant-garde-s
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Over the past several years, I worked luthier and long-term collaborator Tim Kill, to design and construct a new string bass instrument that embodies my solo bass techniques and concepts. The three-year process involved numerous discussions, designs, prototypes, and building, with an emphasis on utilising locally sourced and recycled materials. The goat skin was procured and prepared by Matt Stonehouse, a drum-maker and musician.
Currently, I am developing music with the new instrument, and will be collaborating with composers and musicians from diverse backgrounds to create, develop, and perform new works. More details to follow.
'Lost In Place' at Mona Foma 2023.
It was a joy to work with this eclectic group of improvising musicians, Butoh performers and dancers. One main stage performance and two four-hour performances as part of the Old Tafe Sessions in Launceston, lutruwita. A huge thank you to Mona Foma and everyone involved. In particular, to my collaborators: Yumi Umiumare, Takashi Takiguchi, Risa Ray, Eri Mulloolly-Hill Konishi, Emily Bennett, Reuben Lewis and Ronny Ferella. Images by Mona Foma.
I’m very happy to share the recording from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra premiere of you are meadow, at Deakin Edge, Melbourne (28/1/23).
Program note:
You are meadow, but once you were an open cut in a place no one wants to remember. You are the ashes of a brass band, too few opportunities for the young. The shadow of my instrument. You are lambs eating from morning hands. At night, you are the absence of a dog, of a body, of play. For the women in the haunted hills, mothers of coal and prehistory, they are the stronghold of a working class. You do not sing ecological laments or paint landscapes into notes. You spring in perpetual meadows and linger in the already-past. The concrescence of the orchestra in two parts, only to cut once again.
Photos by Laura Manariti
This Saturday (Jan 28), the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are premiering a new composition called you are meadow.
Here’s a short description about the work:
you are meadow is a composition that is guided by two discrete—and personal—musical worlds: the world of the colliery band (a tradition of brass bands in working-class coal mining communities in Australia and the UK) and the world of contemporary instrumental music (specifically, my practice as an improvising bassist). The small string section, consisting of nine players in total, interrupts romantic notions of a lush, full and rich orchestral string sound. Rather than fight the inherent imbalances, I decided to split the orchestra into two smaller ensembles: the woodwinds and brass in one section; and piano, harp, percussion and strings in the other. Furthermore, each player in the 25-piece orchestra has their own individual part in an attempt to move beyond standardised sections—highlighting the unique voice that each instrumentalist brings to the collective. After introducing the two ensembles, they merge together in an orchestral tutti, but once this concrescence occurs they are suddenly ripped apart—an unexpected death.
Tickets are sold out, however, the performance will be live streamed here:
Storm Approaching Wangi and Other Desires is a new ballet about the life of artist William Dobell, which was premiered at MAP mima, Lake Macquarie, over three nights in November. It was a such pleasure to develop, perform and hang with this brilliant team: choreographers Skip Willcox and Belle Beasley, artist James Drinkwater, dancers Alex Abbot, Allie Graham, Strickland Young, Matthew Mortimer, as well as Vinnie Drinkwater. I'm very grateful to all the collaborators, The Lockup in Newcastle for having me as Artist in Residence, and the team at MAP mima. More to come (fingers crossed). Pics by Ben Adams.
This year, I’ve had the pleasure of working with the exploratory group, I Hold The Lion’s Paw, on a number of projects. 3x3 is a recent release that was recorded and filmed live at Program Records (also the folks who have pressed the vinyl). Here’s a video of a track that features poet Didem Caia, and a link to the album below. There are some exciting brewing with this crew, more to come!
I am very much looking forward to to the debut performance of new ensemble that I put together during the height of Melbourne’s lock-downs in 2021. The ensemble features three extraordinary musicians: Duré Dara (percussion), Tom Stewar-Toner (prepared guitar) and Callum G’Froerer (double-bell trumpet/electronics). We will play an hour-long set of musical material that is grounded in my solo bass practice—with the ensemble contributing their diverse approaches to extended instrumental practice and improvisation. It will be presented in an immersive quadraphonic listening environment, with audience members encouraged to sit, lay down, and/or move freely around the space. The concert also features lighting by Giovanna Yate Gonzalez.
Wednesday 14, 7:30pm, Kenneth Myer Auditorium, Southbank. The event is free but registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/new-music-studio-hyperesthesia-iv-tickets-355632726057
‘Storm Approaching Wangi and Other Desires’ is a contemporary ballet about the life and art of Australian painter William Dobell.
Belle Beasley and Skip Willcox (choreography)
James Drinkwater (concept, set design, paint and other desires)
Joseph Franklin (composer, performer)
Alex Abbot, Allie Graham, Strickland Young, Belle Beasley, Matthew Mortimer, Vinne Drinkwater (dancers)
Pippa Budge (curator, MAP mima)
Nov 11–13 at Multi-Arts Pavilion (MAP mima) Lake Macquarie. Tickets and more info available here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/drinkwaters-dobell-ballet-storm-approaching-wangi-and-other-desires-tickets-360213236487
