Ensemble Offspring- Adrift

Ensemble Offspring’s Seymour Nights series presents Adrift, a night of intimate bowed strings resonating in the glow of Kirsty McCahon’s double bass and Véronique Serret’s rare 6-string electric violin.

Program:

SET 1: Kirsty McCahon (Double Bass) and Virginia Comerford (Viola) play a stunning set that transports listeners from the earth, up to birdsong in full flight, before returning to the ground. A sense of timelessness prevails, beginning with achingly beautiful Baroque vocal duets and canons, whose lines move and weave; voices playing and dancing to pied butcher bird musings from Hollis Taylor to the hauntingly beautiful yet edgy tones of the 6 string violone and finally a coda from Elena Kats-Chernin which swells and then drifts away to nothing.

The program: Bach/Palestrina/Locatelli – Duo’s (double bass and viola duets)/ Hollis Taylor – Banana Paper (solo bass and tape) /Kate Moore – Icarus (solo bass) / Improvisation on a theme of Francesca Caccini (violone solo with tape)/ Elena Kats-Chernin – Adrift ( bass and viola duet)

Set 2 – Véronique Serret (6-string electric violin) struts her stuff on the 6-string electric violin, an unusual and endlessly rich instrument for which she has been developing a repertoire over the last few years. In this special set she presents three of her own new works, alongside Berlin-based Cathy Milliken’s heart-wrenching Crie which features Véronique as both violinist and vocalist. Brisbane composer Chris Perren’s A Stolen Satellite creates swirling rhythmic loops over which the live violin soars.

The program: Véronique Serret – Bush Mujik, Watercolour, Runs Deep/ Cathy Milliken – Crie/ Chris Perren – A Stolen Satellite

The performers: Kirsty McCahon (double bass)/ Kees Boersma (double bass)/ Véronique Serret (6-string electric violin)