Postcards From Prague: The Song Company with Andrea Keller
Image Oscar Colman, courtesy The Song Company.
Cobbled squares, Prague Castle, the Vltava river and pilsner moustaches – the city of Prague, a gem amongst cities, steeped in music through the centuries.
Enter Andrea Keller, a Sydney raised, Melbourne based composer who is one of the most original personalities to emerge on the Australian jazz scene over the last decade. Andrea has joined forces with The Song Company to create a program that combines Janáček, the touchstone of all Czech music, and Australia’s Martin Wesley-Smith. The concert is rounded off with songs by the inimitable Iva Bittová, and a number of songs by Andrea Keller herself, composed while visiting Prague during 2002.
Since its formation in 1984, The Song Company has provided audiences with performances of vocal chamber music outstanding in style and breadth. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Roland Peelman, the six-voice ensemble has developed its style by successfully integrating scholarship, an unrivalled sound and innovative partnerships.
Andrea Keller was raised by Czech parents in Australia. Her composition work often takes its starting point from a classical source, more often than not triggered by a family story.
The program:
Leoš Janáček (1854-1928): Folksong settings and nursery rhymes
Iva Bittová (b 1958): Songs
Martin Wesley-Smith (b. 1945): Selection of songs
Andrea Keller: New songs from Prague
