Halcyon And Geist String Quartet Premiere New Song Cycle
Join Halcyon and the Geist String Quartet for the world premiere of The Art of Disappearing, a poignant new song cycle by Sydney composer, Cameron Lam inspired by the raw and profound poetry of Queensland writer Sarah Holland-Batt.
Cameron Lam wrote this piece for Halcyon mezzo-soprano Jenny Duck-Chong to whom it is dedicated, after years of mentorship and friendship. It is an hour-long song cycle for voice and string quartet which sets the words of Queensland writer, Sarah Holland-Batt. Lam says he was struck by “intimacy, musicality, and immense sense of self. The striking thing about Sarah’s poetry for me, was that it was arresting, it stopped me in my tracks – it sang all by itself and I just wanted to add to that.” These eight songs and four instrumentals together tell stories of reminiscence, loss and grief through time. The cycle doesn’t present loss as something to solve; instead, it paints the inexorable journey from stasis, as we learn to move again.
Halcyon first worked with Cameron back in 2010 in his Kammerklang VOX project and are looking forward to this opportunity to present a very beautiful new work created and crafted especially for Halcyon. Though the album was recorded last year, this concert marks the first public performance of The Art of Disappearing.
The evening will also be official launch of two digital albums: The Art of Disappearing, Cameron’s fifth solo album release, on Kammerklang’s 10th anniversary and Waves IV, the latest of Halcyon’s self-releases featuring significant works by Larry Sitsky, Ross Edwards and Matthew Hindson.
The performers: Jenny Duck-Chong, mezzo-soprano/ Geist String Quartet: Sonia Wilson violin I, Mia Stanton violin II, Hayasa Tanaka viola, James Larsen violoncello
Tickets: $35/$25
Bookings Halcyon
