Solo Album: A Thousand Tiny Mutinies
March 05, 2024
I’m very happy announce the release of 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.
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#studiorecording
#liveperformance
#solo
#album
#contrabassguitar
You Can’t See Speed
Dec 23, 2024
On 25 April 2025, Tina Stefanou’s solo exhibition at
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) will open in Narrm/Melbourne. I’ve
had the privilege of collaborating with Tina on many projects and artworks — some that will feature in this exhibition. I’m having huge amounts of fun making
the sounds for her major film/sculpture/installation, You Can’t See Speed.
You can find the exhibition details here: https://acca.melbourne/exhibition/tina-stefanou-you-cant-see-speed/
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#studiorecording
#liveperformance
#installation
#creativedevelopment
Tina Stefanou, You Can’t See Speed (still) 2025.
Guewel / Senegal
December 22, 2024
In Jan-Feb of 2024, I travelled
to Senegal to collaborate with Lamine Sonko on his interdisciplinary theatre
work Guewel. After several weeks of development — many days of which were interrupted by civil unrest and the blocking of streets, and the internet
(!) — we premiered the work-in-progress at the Daniel Sorana National
Theatre of Senegal. It's been an immense pleasure to connect with Lamine and
his family in Dakar, and I'm certain there will be more to come!
Here’s a track from 2023 called Taamo, which features in the theatre work in an altered form (I played upright bass on this):
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#creativedevelopment
#liveperformance
#dance
2024 MSA Conference
December 01, 2024
Here’s a LINK to my abstract for a paper I presented at the 47th National Conference of the Musicological Society of Australia 2024, titled THE HORROR OF THE AVANT-GARDE(S) - composing with an ethics of affirmation.
Category
#contrabassguitar#writing
#composition
#theory
Solo Set at New North
October 03, 2024
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-ever solo performance and it’s very nice to have it beautifully recorded by Theo Carbo and filmed/edited by Callum G’Froerer.
Category
#liveperformance#solo#contrabassguitar#composition#video
Soundtrack and Premiere: Left Write Hook
August 08, 2024
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 14 August 2024 at ACMI, with additional screenings around Victoria throughout August.
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#soundtrack#composition#studiorecording#film
The Horror of the Avant-Garde(s)
February 16, 2024
“…a gutsy, complicated, and occasionally overwrought experience that engaged all the senses.” — Limelight Magazine
THE HORROR OF THE AVANT-GARDE(S) [2023] is a concerto for piano, percussion, and large ensemble, which premiered at two performances on August 17 at Alpha60 Chapter House in Narrm/Melbourne.
The work featured international guests Marc Hannaford on piano and Satoshi Takeishi on percussion, 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, Sophia Kirsanova, myself on my contrabass guitar, under the baton of conductor Elliott Gyger.
The night was art directed by Tina Stefanou, including words by Diego Ramirez, performances by Yumi Umiumare, Tina Stefanou, Young Voices of Melbourne conducted by Mark O’Leary, and culinary horrors by Long Prawn.
I wrote an article about the work that featured in Resonate Magazine (Australian Music Centre) and was also republished in The Music Trust e-zine; and was also interviewed by CutCommon Magazine.
A review of the event can be found at Limelight Magazine (behind a paywall), and republished on the reviewer’s website.
Karl Brandstater and Verena Franz beautifully filmed the performances - video and album release coming in 2025.
Category
#composition
#liveperformance
#video
#score
#studiorecording
#contrabassguitar
Lost In Place At Mona Foma
March 09, 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. Particularly to comrades Yumi Umiumare, Takashi Takiguchi, Risa Ray, Eri Mulloolly-Hill Konishi, Emily Bennett, Reuben Lewis and Ronny Ferella. Images by Mona Foma.
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#liveperformance
#video
#creativedevelopment
New Instrument!
March 09, 2023
Over the past few years, I worked luthier and long-term collaborator Tim Kill, to design and construct a new string bass instrument to further extend my bass techniques and concepts. This process involved many discussions, designs, prototypes, and building — with an emphasis on utilising locally sourced and recycled materials. The goat skin resonator was procured and prepared by musician and frame drum maker, Matt Stonehouse
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#creativedevelopment
#contrabassguitar