If you’re around Naarm/Melbourne and looking for a concert with a difference, I suggest checking out Three Conversations next week. Presented by local classical music up-start Play On, who has taken their shows worldwide, this event sees violinist Kyla Matsuura-Miller delivering new commissions by modern Australian composers Sia Ahmad, Aaron Wyatt, and Kitty Xiao. Kyla handpicked these composers of colour to write music for her after she won the Freedman Fellowship, because when she was growing up she rarely came across music by composers who looked like her.
As with all Play On events, Three Conversations looks to reimagine and reinvigorate the classical music experience. All pieces performed integrate classical and electronic elements. The music will also be paired with long-form filmed interviews featuring the artist and composers showcased which explore the themes and memories associated with the music performed.
“Each story is deeply unique – from Sia’s reflection of growing up in a South Asian household and discovering her trans identity to Kitty’s relationship to the languages she spoke and experienced through her family and the wider community,” Kyla explained.
Play On presents: Three Conversations will hit Abbotsford Convent on October 27. Tickets start from $10 plus booking fee from Humanitix.
Image used with permission from Hunger Digital; credit: Suzie Blake