School of Music
2019 in Review
The University of Queensland School of Music enjoyed a successful and productive 2019 through globally-engaged music-making, music education and music research.
We toured to Xi'an (China) where our students performed with the Xi'an Symphony Orchestra.
We directed two performances for the Vice-Chancellor's Concert Series at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC).
We performed three concerts in the Queensland Music Festival.
We curated over 50 lunchtime concerts on campus and nearly 20 performances off campus in the Brisbane Region.
We ran two study tours to North Queensland.
We produced world class research.
We engaged with partners such as the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Art museum, ABC Classics, and Decca.
Professor Liam Viney
New Head of School
In 2019 Professor Liam Viney was appointed as Head of the School of Music, where he has been serving as Acting Head of School since March 2018.
Professor Viney enjoys an extensive international career as a musician and teacher, with a focus on artistic research in music.
As a performing pianist he has a record of collaborating with music industry partners such as labels ABC Classics and Tall Poppies, national broadcaster ABC Classic FM, and through engagements with international and Australian festivals, venues and orchestras. He is a leading authority on Australian duo piano music, with a focus on the collaborative creation of new musical practice and thought. His work involves producing new music while also translating artistic practice and musical thinking into scholarly contexts.
Professor Viney has commissioned, premiered and recorded dozens of new works from composers in Australia and the United States with funding and support from sources such as the Australia Council for the Arts, and a range of arts organisations. His work has been reviewed to acclaim in national and international press, and is broadcast nationally on a regular basis. As an advocate for music, his articles in The Conversation have reached over 600,000 readers, (including republishing in Time and Newsweek) leading to regular media appearances.
Professor Viney was serving as Acting Head of School since March 2018, and brought experience in academic leadership through earlier roles such as Director of Research and Director of Higher Degrees by Research.
After receiving his doctorate from Yale University, Professor Viney was on the music faculty of the California Institute of the Arts prior to joining The University of Queensland. He currently serves on the board of the Australian Piano Duo Festival, and the national committee of the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference.
Eumeralla,
a war requiem for peace
Deborah Cheetham AO
Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace.
Deborah Cheetham AO was the 2019 Paula and Tony Kinnane Scholar in Residence
The school presented Deborah's new work Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre on the 20 October - the performance received a standing ovation, with the concert being described as 'electrifying'.
Eumeralla artwork designed by Gunditjmara Yorta Yorta Artist Tom Day.
Eumeralla artwork designed by Gunditjmara Yorta Yorta Artist Tom Day.
"Eumeralla is a landmark cultural contribution to the process of reconciliation... it carries a powerful message expressed through the emotional power of music. I had goosebumps, there were tears, I know other people had similar experiences."
An overview of the 'Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace' concert held at QPAC.
“In order for us to actually fully mature as a nation, we must understand it [Eumeralla]. It's a huge story, I think that I could only ever have hoped to approach it through music."
Deborah Cheetham AO and Talia Garrett-Benson (mezzo-soprano) rehearsing 'Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace'.
Deborah Cheetham AO and Talia Garrett-Benson (mezzo-soprano) rehearsing 'Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace'.
Deborah Cheetham AO presented the third annual Paula and Tony Kinnane Lecture titled 'Eumeralla, a journey to understanding'. Her lecture discussed her profoundly symbolic work, which marks a significant step in Australia’s journey of reconciliation.
2019 Paula and Tony Kinnane Lecture, presented by Deborah Cheetham AO.
Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue
Conducted by Dr Warwick Potter
Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue.
In our first 2019 Vice-Chancellor's concert on the 26 May, Dr Warwick Potter conducted The University of Queensland Symphony Orchestra, The UQ Chorale, Ambrose Treacy College Choir, Canterbury College Choir, and Mt St Michael's College Choir in a program celebrating American composers at QPAC.
The concert consisted of Bernstein's Chichester Psalms (featuring Miles Le Goullon as soprano soloist), Liam Viney as the soloist in Gershwin's ever-popular Rhapsody in Blue, The Chairman Dances (foxtrot for orchestra) by John Adams, Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo by Aaron Copland and Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 by Samuel Barber (conducted by Shing Him Chan - School of Music honours student).
Miles Le Goullon (soprano soloist) rehearsing Chichester Psalms at QPAC .
Miles Le Goullon (soprano soloist) rehearsing Chichester Psalms at QPAC .
"Last year, during Bernstein’s centenary, I heard several performances of Chichester Psalms by professional orchestras and choirs around the country. On the basis of the singing from these UQ choirs, this performance eclipsed those I witnessed last year... "
The UQ Chorale rehearsing Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue at QPAC.
The UQ Chorale rehearsing Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue at QPAC.
2019 Concert Series
The School of Music presented
world-renowned musicians in concerts, workshops and symposiums
Our community connected with musicians and audiences in diverse ways
We held workshops and concerts with internationally acclaimed artists such as Paul Lewis, Konstantin Shamray, Paul Champion, Piers Lane and John Bloomfield.
Nozomi Omote (percussion) playing with the Viney-Grinberg Piano Duo.
Nozomi Omote (percussion) playing with the Viney-Grinberg Piano Duo.
As well as hosting the Annual Winter Chamber Music School, we presented three major concerts as part of the Queensland Music Festival that featured the Tinalley String Quartet (ensemble in residence), Simon Svoboda (UQ alumni) and the UQ Chamber Singers.
We hosted the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference and the HDR Symposium; led five performances at St John's Cathedral; directed three spectacular concerts at UQ Customs House; and co-hosted five performances with our partner, the UQ Art Museum.
Touch Ensemble - music technology group performing at a lunchtime concert.
Touch Ensemble - music technology group performing at a lunchtime concert.
World leading researchers such as Professor Richard Parncutt presented at our symposiums. We also held an Ableton University Tour with our partner Ableton Live that featured indie artist Alice Ivy.
The UQ Symphony Orchestra and UQ Chorale rehearsing at QPAC for 'Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue'.
The UQ Symphony Orchestra and UQ Chorale rehearsing at QPAC for 'Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue'.
Our students featured in over 40 concerts and events. They played an integral role in both QPAC concerts and were broadcast on 4MBS Classic FM throughout the year.
The China Tour
UQ Students performing with the Xi'an Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Dane Lam
A cohort of elite musicians from The University of Queensland School of Music travelled to China in August to collaborate with the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra (XSO) under the baton of Dane Lam, an alumnus of the School. After graduating from UQ’s Bachelor of Music (Honours) program in 2006, Dane was appointed as the XSO’s Principal Conductor in 2014.
Touring to Xi'an allowed students the opportunity to experience an international professional performance while being immersed in an intensive cultural engagement. The UQ performers worked alongside professional Chinese musicians in a week-long intensive rehearsal schedule that culminated in a major concert of the 2019 Xi'an Symphony Orchestra’s season.
The orchestra was led by UQ Associate Professor Adam Chalabi, who acted as the Concert Master. Head of School Professor Liam Viney and piano fellow Dr Anna Grinberg were the soloists for W.A. Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra.
The sold-out performance took place in one of Xi'an's premiere cultural venues, the Xi'an Concert Hall. UQ students in collaboration with the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra were integral to the success of the Xi'an Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Mahler's 6th Symphony.
In attendance at the performance were distinguished individuals, including Zhao Jiping, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Musicians’ Association, Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles – Shaanxi Chapter, Deputy to the 11th and 12th National People's Congress and a member of the presidium, Deputy to the 13th National People's Congress, and holder of the accolade ‘a Professional with Outstanding Contribution to the Country’.
2019
Composers Concert
UQ Art Museum
In an ongoing collaboration between composition students of the UQ School of Music and the UQ Art Museum’s exhibitions, composers Timothy Clark, Pierce Leahy, Felicity Mohr and Prathana Thevar-Brink presented a concert of newly composed works.
Prathana Thevar-Brink (composer) with mum
Prathana Thevar-Brink (composer) with mum
The students composed music that responded to artworks that engaged with the Unlearning theme, exploring the gaining, shedding and unravelling of internalised learning and embracing the idea of not knowing through empathy and curiosity.
Audience member at the UQ Art Museum.
Audience member at the UQ Art Museum.
The students' compositions were site-specific, utilising the physicality of the space to engage in sonic-explorations that challenged traditional notions of music composition.
Timothy Clark - UQ composition student.
Timothy Clark - UQ composition student.
Music Education
Music Education students delivered workshops at the ABC building in partnership with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in addition to travelling to far North Queensland to work with remote Indigenous communities.
Music Education students running workshops with schools at the ABC Building in Brisbane.
Music Education students running workshops with schools at the ABC Building in Brisbane.
“Music can impact on all aspects of a students development... enhancing the quality of their lives... It impacts students at both the individual and community level, and I believe that facilitating that growth as a music teacher is the best way I can make a difference”
Music Education students discussing courses and activities at The University of Queensland.
in.bloom
Light and Sound Installation
Created by PhD candidates Joshua Rivory and Kristina Boychenko
The School of Music and School of Architecture Phd candidates Joshua Rivory and Kristina Boychenko conceptualised and built in.bloom in partnership with the UQLife Student Experience Team and the BLOOM festival under the supervision Dr Fred Fialho Teixeira and Dr Eve Klein.
Joshua and Kristina describe in.bloom as an “audio-visual, immersive and interactive experience.” The installation is a gigantic dome-like structure that moves, breathes and sings in response to human touch. The experience is a physical and emotional one as audiences take in the robotic blossoms, the different sounds and the spectacles of light produced by the life like creature.
“This living structure provides an experience which contemplates our place within the world,” states Kristina.
“As you experience the space, it adapts and changes; just like the real world. The experience becomes even more immersive in a group environment. When multiple people interact with the space simultaneously, it results in a larger sonic and visual climax, representing the ability for collaboration to make big changes,” she explains.
The structure is founded on the manipulation of various stimuli and the way these signals impact people’s perception of the space and its behaviour. The ability of in.bloom to act as a ‘living’ creature is linked to the ideas of cybernetics, which are represented throughout the project. Guests will experience the space physically and in response to visual, sonic and kinetic stimulus.
“The project was formed by a combination of spatial, sonic and visual signals within an interactive experience which utilised climate change data. As the project developed, the idea to incorporate a moving structure to bring life and interactive behaviour to the installation was suggested,” Joshua and Kristina both explain.
“Imagine entering a space that responds to you with light, sound and movement; enticing you to make decisions as you follow its visual and sonic cues. In.bloom will literally lure you to follow the path it creates for you,” they proclaim.
Research
The UQ School of Music was proud to receive its fourth consecutive rating of “above world standard” from the Australian Research Council (ARC) in the most recent Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) national report. This achievement is testament to the work of all our academics who produce high quality research in the fields of musicology, music technology, practice-led artistic research, the psychology of music and music education.
A significant amount of creative works research was included in the recent ERA exercise by performance and composition staff.
Professor Margaret Barrett was awarded a 3-year ARC Discovery Project grant to investigate “Signature pedagogies for creative collaboration: lessons for and from music”.
Professor Margaret Barrett discusses her research in early childhood development.
Dr Katie Zhukov published over five major research works in 2019. Her research covered a range of topics including performance anxiety in students, publishing new works in the Australian Women Composers’ Anthology volume II, and co-publishing articles on eye movement during sight-reading.
Dr Zhukov discusses her research into the impact of stress during woodwind sight-reading.
Dr Mary Broughton and Associate Professor Julie Ballantyne both received fellowships from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences to further their research into music psychology and community music.
Associate Professor Denis Collins also had a successful year co-publishing with Dr Jason Stoessel a canons database - an interactive website that aims to list every musical canon composed from the fourteenth century onward.
Associate Professor Denis Collins - Associate Professor in Musicology at the UQ School of Music.
Associate Professor Denis Collins - Associate Professor in Musicology at the UQ School of Music.
Dr Eve Klein was the recipient of the prestigious 2020 Noisy Women Commission. Dr Klein will write a musical work specifically tailored to the talents of the Ensemble Offspring line up, which will premiere in 2021.
The Noisy Women Commission is a highly competitive annual award that is open to all Australian female composers who consider themselves emerging. Previous recipients of the award have included Nicole Murphy (2019), Elizabeth Younan (2018) and Fiona Hill (2017).
Dr Eve Klein - recipient of the Noisy Women Commission in 2020.
Dr Eve Klein - recipient of the Noisy Women Commission in 2020.
Our ensembles-in-residence Tinalley String Quartet and the Viney-Grinberg Piano Duo released albums on ABC Classics (Invisible Dances) and the Decca/Universal label (Mendelssohn: String Quartets 1&2).
Members of both groups formed the new ensemble towards the end of 2019 (UQ Chamber Players) to record and release Oranges Under the Full Moon - also on ABC Classics. The album pays homage to one of Australia’s foremost creative voices – Sydney-based composer Paul Stanhope.
'Oranges Under the Full Moon' - UQ Chamber Players new album released on ABC Classics
'Oranges Under the Full Moon' - UQ Chamber Players new album released on ABC Classics
Stay In Touch
The UQ Friends of Music community brings together students, staff, alumni and the general public, creating opportunities for shared and interactive experiences as part of the diverse music making activities of the School of Music both on and off campus.
The school will be producing events throughout 2020; featuring world-class musicians, researchers and guests in collaboration with our partners.
If you would like to receive regular information on our current events at the School, please sign up to our Friends of Music newsletter below.
Built with Shorthand