On Tuesday 7 November at 5:30pm AEDT Sounds Australia will be presenting a virtual version of our Export Masterclass, in partnership with APRA AMCOS.

In this webinar you’ll learn more about what we do, why we exist, and how you can use our showcases and networking events to further your international career. Plus, you’ll get advice on how to best prepare for showcasing internationally, as well as learning about all the funding opportunities available to you.

If you weren’t able to attend one of our export masterclasses in person this year then this one is for you. It’s free to attend but registration is essential.

APRA AMCOS Insights: Sounds Australia
Thursday November 7
Online
5:30pm – 7:00pm AEDT
Register here

 

For over a decade, Sounds Australia has coordinated some of the most talked-about showcases at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas. From THE AUSSIE BBQ to Sound Gallery, 2 For The Showcase, Beat Pie and more, Sounds Australia’s suite of showcases has consistently provided a platform for Australian artists to perform in front of music industry from North America and abroad.

And that won’t change this year. As part of the inaugural SXSW Online 2021, Sounds Australia will present CLOSE UP. 18 Australian artists, across three one-hour showcases, will each perform two live songs. These performances have never been seen before and all were recorded in the artists’ “backyard” (however they chose to interpret that theme).

Each showcase will feature six artists, streaming at 9:00pm US CDT on March 17th, 18th and 19th, which means it’s a great time for Australian industry and music fans to log in and watch too: 1:00pm AEDT on March 18th, 19th and 20th.

Performing as part of CLOSE UP will be Alexander Biggs, Alice Skye, Baker Boy, Beans, Death By Denim, Didirri, Hachiku, Hauskey, Indigo Sparke, Jaguar Jonze, Kee’ahn, Ninajirachi & Kota Banks, No Money Enterprise, Shannen James, Sycco, The Chats, The Lazy Eyes and The Merindas.

In keeping with the backyard theme, CLOSE UP will be hosted by Sounds Australia’s Glenny G, Millie Millgate and Dom Alessio, right from Glenny’s own backyard.

The Australian participation doesn’t stop there. Luke Howard and Sophie Hutchings will perform as part of a series of showcases at SXSW Online 2021 hosted by Mercury KX. Sophie’s performance will screen on Thursday March 18th at 12:30pm CDT (Friday 19th, 4:30am AEDT), while Luke’s set will stream on Saturday March 20th at 12:30pm CDT (Sunday 21th, 4:30am AEDT).

The 20 Australian artists selected for SXSW, along with their management teams, will also be offered networking opportunities, facilitated by Sounds Australia, to meet virtually with representatives from the North American music industry. These closed-door networking sessions will happen before and after the digital event.

As part of SXSW’s 2021 offerings, the digital experience will feature conference keynotes and sessions, film screenings, music showcases, networking, and exhibitions from March 16 – 20, 2021. To access SXSW – including the CLOSE UP and Mercury KX showcases – you will need to register for the conference. Passes are currently US $325, although that price will rise closer to the event. You can register at SXSW’s website.

CLOSE UP
Wednesday March 17th, 9:00pm CDT
(7:00pm LA / 10:00pm NYC / 11:00pm Sao Paulo)
(Thursday 18th, 2:00am London / 10:00am Singapore / 1:00pm AEDT)

Alexander Biggs
Baker Boy
Hachiku
Shannen James
Sycco
The Lazy Eyes

Thursday March 18th, 9:00pm CDT
(7:00pm LA / 10:00pm NYC / 11:00pm Sao Paulo)
(Friday 19th, 2:00am London / 10:00am Singapore / 1:00pm AEDT)

Alice Skye
Beans
Death By Denim
Kee’ahn
Ninajirachi & Kota Banks
The Chats

Friday March 19th, 9:00pm CDT
(7:00pm LA / 10:00pm NYC / 11:00pm Sao Paulo)
(Saturday 20th, 2:00am London / 10:00am Singapore / 1:00pm AEDT)

Didirri
Jaguar Jonze
Hauskey
Indigo Sparke
No Money Enterprise
The Merindas

An incredible 65 Australian artists will be given a platform to be seen by members of the international music industry this month when they take part in Folk Unlocked, the inaugural virtual event from the team behind Folk Alliance International.

Established in 1989, Folk Alliance International (FAI) is the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community. The event became renowned by fans and musicians alike for its unique set up: taking over a hotel in cities around North America, where each room was turned into a showcase room. Nights are spent traversing the hallways, following your ears to the best sounds, and discovering some incredible talent from around the world along the way.

In 2020, FAI was one of the last events to happen – in January in New Orleans – before Covid-19 shut down music conferences and festivals around the world. Shortly thereafter, they became one of the first to commit to a digital event for 2021, Folk Unlocked.

The move provided organisers and the artists who will play the event ample time to prepare for the virtual conference, set to take place from the 22nd to the 26th of February.

For the inaugural digital event, Sounds Australia is proud to be presenting their virtual showcase CLOSE UP, partnering with Isol-Aid and participating in the Global Music Marathon – featuring many of the artists who took part in 2020’s groundbreaking Global Music Match.

CLOSE UP – Sound Australia’s flagship virtual showcase – will be held on the opening night of the event, Monday 22nd February from 4.30pm to 6.30pm CT (Tuesday 23rd 9:30am – 11:30am AEDT). Hosted by Sounds Australia’s Leah Flanagan, Glenny G and Dom Alessio, CLOSE UP will serve as the spotlight showcase for the Australian artists playing the event.

An exciting and eclectic mix of 12 acts will showcase as part of CLOSE UP, featuring, in alphabetical order: Benny Walker, David Spry, Deline Briscoe, Emily Wurramara, Emma Swift, Ernest Aines, Kee’ahn, Monique Clare, Nathan May, Ruth Hazleton & Daisywheel, Tenzin Choegyal and XANI.

Sounds Australia is thrilled to be partnering with Isol-Aid, the world’s longest running online music festival, to bring this unique festival experience to Folk Unlocked 2021. 49 Australian artists are set to perform live across the four days of Folk Unlocked, from the 22nd to the 25th of February. Isol-Aid Unlocked will start at 6.30pm CT (23rd – 26th 11:30am AEDT), with no less than 12 Australian artists taking audiences into their homes each night.

In addition to the performances during CLOSE UP and Isol-Aid Unlocked, Australian acts Charm Of Finches, Colin Lillie, Fanny Lumsden, Kaurna Cronin, Little Quirks, Saije, Shelley Segal, STAV and The Heart Collectors will be involved in the closing event of Folk Unlocked – Global Music Marathon – on Friday the 26th at 3:30pm CT (Saturday 27th at 8:30am AEDT).

Global Music Marathon will bring together many of the artists from around the world who took part in 2020’s groundbreaking digital project Global Music Match. The Marathon will see these artists reunited to present once-in-a-lifetime performances and collaborations in a very special presentation. More details on this event will be revealed closer to the date.

During Folk Unlocked 2021 Australian artists will also be presenting their own private showcases, along with presented showcases such as i hear Django and the New Melbourne Folk Club. To see the full list of Australian artists showcasing, head to https://soundsaustralia.com.au/index.php/event/folk-unlocked/

In order for Folk Unlocked to be an event accessible to all, there is a pay-what-you’re-able pricing structure. All registration prices provide the same level of access. Registration is valued at US $150, and there are three other registration tiers (in American dollars): $75, $25, and $0: https://member.folk.org/event/folkunlocked

 

In place of an in-person conference this year, Folk Alliance International is hosting Folk Unlocked, a four-day virtual event for the entire international folk community to come together for panels, workshops, showcases, affinity and peer group meetings, exhibit spaces, networking, and mentorship.

FAI are unlocking the doors and windows of the house of folk to be as broad and inclusive as possible, inviting those who have been loyally attending Folk Alliance International conferences for years while aiming to reach folk musicians and professionals who have never benefited from or attended FAI before.

If you would like to apply for one of the limited Sounds Australia showcasing spots, please complete the following application. Applications are due by Friday 13 November:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X26FQS2

Folk Unlocked will run from February 22 – 25, 2021. Registrations are now open if you’re interested in attending the virtual event. In order for Folk Unlocked to be an event accessible to all, FAI have built a pay-what-you’re-able pricing structure. All registration prices provide the same level of access. Registration is valued at $150, and there are three other registration tiers: $75, $25, and $0.

 

Folk Alliance International are also providing discounts to their 2022 conference for those who register to Folk Unlocked. The discount code must be used during the Early Bird registration period for the 2022 conference.

Early Bird: 100% of Folk Unlocked registration price applied to 2022 conference registration if you register for Folk Unlocked from October 22, 2020, to December 22, 2020.
Advanced: 50% of Folk Unlocked registration price applied to 2022 conference registration if you register for Folk Unlocked from December 23, 2020, to January 22, 2021.
Final: No discount on 2022 conference registration if you register for Folk Unlocked after January 22, 2021.

To register, visit https://folk.org/unlocked

 

Sounds Australia would like to offer Australian delegates the opportunity to attend Amsterdam Dance Event at a discounted rate. Taking place from October 21 – 25, ADE will host a select number of in-person showcases, along with the online-first ADE Pro virtual conference, combining industry panels, in-depth masterclasses and Q&As.

For those that are regulars or others in the Australian electronic and dance music community who would like to experience ADE (albeit virtually) for the first time, the offer means you can secure your ADE pass for only €35 (normally €75). By purchasing this special offer you will also be eligible for a €50 discount on ADE Pro Passes for ADE 2021!

This offer has been made possible with the support from Electronic Music Conference and to save €40 on your ADE 20 Pro Digital Pass simply fill out this form: https://forms.gle/DQcXN8guJL5tvcnc9.

This offer is exclusive to Australian delegates only. Be quick to redeem this amazing offer as it expires October 9 or when the super limited allocation is exhausted.

Sounds Australia is excited to announce its activity at next week’s All That Matters digital conference – including the introduction of a brand new showcase format called CLOSE UP, featuring live performances from 12 Australian artists.

For years, All That Matters in Singapore has been an important conference for countries across Asia and the Pacific region, hosting delegates from music, digital marketing, gaming and entertainment industries. Sounds Australia has maintained a consistent presence since 2011, as well as coordinating THE AUSSIE BBQ multiple times as part of the complementary Music Matters Live program.

In 2020 the Australian Government, as part of its wider Australian Music Industry Package, committed $1.6 million (over 4 years) to expanding Sounds Australia’s export activity in key markets and in particular Asia. As All That Matters shifts to a virtual format, Sounds Australia continues its steadfast commitment to putting Australian artists in front of the international music industry with the introduction of CLOSE UP on Tuesday September 15.

In the inaugural outing for their new showcase format, Sounds Australia is proud to present 12 alumni artists that have previously showcased at either Music Matters, Singapore or Nokia Music Connects, Mumbai with the Australian export body. The three CLOSE UP packages will each showcase four special performances created during this unique period of restriction, isolation and lockdown. These artists include:

Ash Grunwald
Ball Park Music
Cub Sport
Fairchild
Hayley Mary
Jaguar Jonze
Kate Miller-Heidke
Katie Noonan & The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Middle Name Dance Band
Sheppard
Slumberjack
Your Girl Pho

In addition to the CLOSE UP showcases, on Tuesday September 15 at 2:00pm SGT, Sounds Australia’s Digital Export Producer Dom Alessio will be moderating the panel Working With Neighbours: Strengthening Music Partnerships across Australasia. Speakers include Kate Ben-Tovim (Turning World), Keith Tan (CD Baby), Nate Flagrant (Flagrant Artist Management) and Wenona Lok (Imagikai).

The CLOSE UP showcases and Working With Neighbours panel are open to All That Matters conference delegates only. Passes start at US $99 and can be purchased from the All That Matters website. Sounds Australia is offering a 50% discount on a limited number of passes to Australian Music Industry Professionals who wish to attend. Before you register, please email Millie Millgate at mmillgate@soundsaustralia.com.au who will provide you with the discount code.

Even with international movement restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sounds Australia has continued to create innovative opportunities for Australian artists and professionals to connect with, and be seen, by industry around the world. Earlier this week, the music export office announced Country Connections Live, a virtual showcase at Thriving Roots 2020. Plus, Global Music Match is in full swing, featuring 96 artists from 14 countries, including 12 Australian acts, who are sharing each other’s music and connecting with new international fans on social media.

In the spirit of global collaboration and support, British UndergroundCIMA and Sounds Australia are partnering to present the inaugural Country Connections Live – A Showcase of emerging Americana artists from Australia, Canada and the UK, an exciting online Special Event during Thriving Roots 2020.

Presented by the Americana Music Association Foundation, Thriving Roots: A Virtual Community Music Conference is a brand-new event. From the comfort of their own homes, attendees will experience an interactive conference with almost 100 online sessions that go beyond today’s webinar-style virtual conferences. This new experience invites industry professionals, DIY artists and die-hard music fans to be a part of three full days of insight, connections and showcases from September 16-18, 2020.

British Underground, CIMA and Sounds Australia have been working collaboratively for almost a decade. Country Connections began at SXSW 2011 as a place for music exporters to share knowledge, discuss topics affecting the global music industry and make new connections. It’s since grown to be a global initiative held at The Great Escape, AMERICANAFEST and Folk Alliance International, as well as SXSW, where professional delegates from Australia, Canada, UK, Ireland and New Zealand network with each other.

When the live music industry necessarily needed to close due to COVID-19, Country Connections pivoted online and became a monthly virtual event, bringing industry professionals from across the globe together on Zoom, creating vital connections in a time of isolation. Now we’re excited to announce the next evolution of Country Connections.

Introduced by the iconic BBC Radio 2 host Bob Harris, the first ever Country Connections Live will feature live performances alternating between artists from Australia, Canada and the UK. Four acts from each country will perform 2 songs apiece, making up the 2-hour showcase special. In alphabetical order, the artists are:

AHI (CAN)
Beccy Cole (AUS)
Charlie Collins (AUS)
Dan Sultan (AUS)

Ferris And Sylvester (UK)
Julian Taylor (CAN)
Lady Nade (UK)
Lauren Housley (UK)
Mama’s Broke (CAN)
Misty River (UK)
Mo Kenney (CAN)
Troy Cassar-Daley (AUS)

Country Connections Live will take place as part of Thriving Roots on Thursday September 17 at 5:00pm CDT (3:00pm PDT / 6:00pm EDT / 11:00pm BST / Friday 6:00am AWST / Friday 8:00am AEST). The showcase is only accessible to those who have purchased passes to Thriving Roots.

These 12 performers join an incredible line-up of artists and speakers already announced for the virtual event, including Jackson Browne, T-Bone Burnett, Ken Burns, Brandi Carlile, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris and Mavis Staples.

Passes to Thriving Roots: A Virtual Community Music Conference start at US$99. You can purchase them at https://americanamusic.org/thrivingroots.

96 artists from 14 countries are taking part in what could be the largest online matchmaking of musicians ever undertaken.

Created in a world first collaboration between founding partners Sounds Australia, Showcase Scotland Expo and Canada’s East Coast Music Association (ECMA), along with 11 other export organisations and showcase events from around the world, Global Music Match is a pilot initiative created to continue raising the profile of local artists in international music markets within the challenging parameters of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Breaking acts into a new territory or country is a difficult process right now. Global Music Match, which is a unique response to the limitations imposed on the music industry, makes use of one of the only available platforms – social media and peer-to-peer collaboration – to increase networks, audiences and exposure for export-ready artists internationally.

Launching today, Global Music Match will run for 7 weeks, concluding on October 12. Search for the hashtag #globalmusicmatch to see the action – and head to globalmusicmatch.com to experience the journey.

For the pilot edition of Global Music Match, 96 artists from 14 countries are participating, steeped in the acoustic, folk, roots, traditional and world music genres. They have been divided into 16 teams, ensuring no two acts from the same country are placed together.

Each week, across multiple posts, artists will ‘introduce’ one act from their team, engaging with them on social media to promote them to their fanbase. This is reciprocated for everyone involved, meaning that participating artists will be presented to a range of new online audiences around the world.

Twelve artists have been selected from Australia. Artists who have previously participated in Sounds Australia’s export activities were invited to apply. We’re excited to announce those chosen for the pilot edition of Global Music Match are:

Charm of Finches
Colin Lillie
Fanny Lumsden
Hussy Hicks
Kaurna Cronin
Little Quirks
Riley Pearce
Saije
Shelley Segal
STAV.
The Heart Collectors
William Crighton

Each team has been allocated an internationally renowned coach to lead and direct them through the project. Chloe Goodyear (Woodford Folk Festival) and Justin Rudge (Port Fairy Folk Festival) from Australia will bring their years of experience and invaluable expertise to two of the Global Music Match teams.

Glenn Dickie, Export Music Producer from Sounds Australia, WhatsApp Wizard, Zoom Master and Coach Of The Coaches for Global Music Match, said: “It’s been incredibly rewarding having such a simple idea of connecting artists from Australia and Scotland grow into something global with nearly 100 acts from around the world involved.

“During these last few months, we have purposefully created initiatives that will develop and thrive beyond these times. Global Music Match perfectly encapsulates our mission to connect Australian industry and talent to the world, whether it’s in-person at a showcase event or online.”

Global Music Match is supported by the following export organisations: Catalan Arts (Spain), ECMA (Canada), English Folk Expo, FOCUS Wales, Folk Alliance International, Iceland Music, LUCfest Taiwan, Music Estonia, Music Finland, Music Norway, Puglia Sounds (Italy), Showcase Scotland Expo, Sounds Australia and Spectacle vivant Bretagne (Brittany, France).

 

 

This week, Sounds Australia and the Australian Music Centre were scheduled to be in Rotterdam, along with the international classical and art music community, for Classical:NEXT 2020. The coronavirus outbreak has meant the conference has had to be postponed until 2021 – however, it’s not stopping the program entirely.

Currently, Classical:NEXT is running a series of online panels, talks, events and meet-ups, and the annual Innovation Award will be streamed online for the very first time. You’ll be able to watch it Wednesday May 20 at 9am (USA ET), 2pm (UK BST), 3pm (CEST) and 11pm (AEST).

We are very excited that Liza Lim and the Composing Women program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music has been shortlisted for this year’s Innovation Award. To celebrate we asked Liza, as well as four composers involved in the program – Bree van Reyk, Georgia Scott, Peggy Polias and Josepheine Macken – to select four tracks of music important to them, also including their own work.

Keep reading to find out what they chose – and you can hear their selections on Apple Music, Deezer, Spotify and YouTube.


Liza Lim

Liza Lim is a composer, educator and researcher whose music focusses on collaborative and transcultural practices. The roots of beauty (in noise), time effects in the Anthropocene and the sensoria of ecological connection are ongoing concerns in her compositional work.

Here are 4 tracks of mine. A playlist about love in many forms – human, spiritual and ecological – aren’t these all ultimately related?

‘Weaver-Of-Fictions’
Genevieve Lacey, recorder, plays a song about erotic longing

‘Speak, Be Silent’
Sarah Soviet, violin; Riot Ensemble conducted by Aaron Holloway Nahum – the title comes from Rumi’s poetry:
The command comes to speak, and you feel the ocean moving through you.
Then comes, Be silent, as when the rain stops, and the trees in the orchard begin to draw moisture up into themselves.

‘Our embraces are a banquet of revolving time’
The last movement of Tongue of the Invisible. Omar Ibrahim, baritone; Uri Caine, piano & bass melodica, Ensemble MusikFabrik conducted by Andre de Ridder – A song about divine love

‘Pollen’
From How Forests Think. ELISION Ensemble conducted by Carl Rosman. the sound of fertility, abundance and ecstasy.

 

Bree van Reyk

Bree van Reyk is a drummer, percussionist, composer and sound artist who makes unconventional and tradition-challenging performance works. Her music resides in the intersection between contemporary classical, indie-rock and performance art and is equally warm-hearted, celebratory, and focussed on issues of equality.

Bree van Reyk – ‘Light for the First Time’ (performed by Ensemble Offspring)
I wrote this piece while pregnant. We arrived at the point where our baby could see external light whilst still nestled safely inside my uterus. I was so struck by the enormity of that experience and attempted to sound that first instant in extreme slow motion. The piece relies on a free and open interpretation of the quasi-improvised score by the musicians and it’s a joy to hear some of my dearest friends and colleagues from Ensemble Offspring perform so beautifully here.

Gurrumul – ‘Waak (Crow)’ from Djarimirri
Gurrumul’s music, voice and dreaming touched audiences in Australia and around the world in an incredible way and I’m thankful to have heard these ancient songs through his work. I was lucky enough to play percussion on this seminal album, and will hold the experience as a life highlight always. Erkki Veltheim’s orchestral arrangements offer a very inspiring and innovative avenue for bringing together these diverse and rich traditions.

Dirty Three – ‘Some Summers They Drop Like Flys’ from Whatever You Love, You Are
I’ve recently finished recording my debut instrumental album and was honoured to have Jim White and Mick Turner from Dirty Three contribute their beautiful playing on drums and guitar respectively. They are among my favourite instrumentalists ever and I fell in love with Dirty Three as a teenager and am in love with their music still for its unique ability to be at once intense, sprawling, rich, desolate, uplifting and melancholy.

Mary Finsterer – ‘Silva’ (performed by Ensemble Offspring)
Mary’s music is wonderfully rich, fluid and glowing. This piece seems to me to never start or end. It twists and turns and offers multitude possibilities, but no finite conclusions.

 

Georgia Scott

Georgia Scott is a freelance composer, orchestrator and arranger. Georgia has had works premiered in venues such as The National Portrait Gallery, London, The Dulwich Picture Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, National Sawdust and the Sydney Opera House.

‘Fire’ by Aidan Rosa performed by Viet-Anh Nguyen
Escapisms is a take on alchemy, transmuting “borrowed” material into something new. Each movement is named after one of the five classical elements. Each element emphasises a different form of transformation in each movement.” – Aidan Rosa

‘Spin’ by Alexis Weaver 
“Spin belongs to a larger suite of pieces, each of which feature the evocative sonorities of much beloved, mechanical toys from childhood. All the sounds in this work are derived from a single sound source, a spinning top.” – Alexis Weaver

‘Tardigradus’ by Melody Eötvös commissioned by Ensemble Offspring and performed by Claire Edwardes and Lamorna Nightingale
“This work accompanies the Tardigrade as we delve into the microscopic world of moss and lichen to observe its detail as well as follow this remarkable slow stepping warrior through its paces.” – Melody Eötvös

‘Lake Ice (Missed Tales No. 1)’ by Mary Finsterer performed by Kees Boersma and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
“Lake Ice sits at the apex of a series of orchestral works I aim to create called Missed Tales, based on the conceit that an anonymous collection of stories has been found after thousands of years in the recesses of a cave in Northern Europe. It searches for ways to bring the solo double bass to the fore and highlights the many strange and beautiful sonorities it can produce.” – Mary Finsterer

 

Peggy Polias

Peggy Polias is a composer and music typesetter based in Sydney. Polias prepares scores, instrumental parts and other print music materials for some of Australia’s leading composers. Polias explores the influences of Javanese Gamelan, minimalism, feminism, fractals and handicrafts in her music, and takes a keen interest in the possibilities for music in the online space.

These are some eclectic solo and chamber works I’ve composed over a range of about 10 years. A common theme seems to be “air”: in Little Secret, the “airing” of sounds long hidden; Hive is about bees, creatures that fly; “Time III” evokes a spiritual, aethereal dimension; in Electro Fractal Gamelan the percussionist on vibraphone responds to a backing track generated from sine tones, evoking just one fragment of a larger, possibly galactic entity.

Little Secret (2019) for flute, backing track and gate effect
Performed by Lamorna Nightingale (flute)

‘Buzzing’ from Hive (2016), for clarinet, viola, piano (and voice)
Performed by The Nano Symphony: Catherine Thompson (clarinet, voice), Neil Thompson (viola, voice), Lee Akinsanya (piano)

‘Time III’ from Picnic at Hanging Rock Suite (2009), for piano
Performed by Philip Eames (piano)

Electro Fractal Gamelan (2011) for vibraphone and backing track
Performed by Kaylie Dunstan

 

Josephine Macken

Josephine Macken is a composer and improviser based in Sydney, Australia and co-founder of SPIRAL Ensemble and the lost+sound collective. Both performatively and compositionally, Josephine’s compositional process is deeply collaborative, straining to reconcile the ungainly distinctions between the performer’s voice and the voice of their instrument, examining breath as gestural language and facilitating occurrences of psychoacoustic phenomena in performance.

Georges Lentz, Ingwe (2003-18) for solo electric guitar, extract: bars 113-79
“Ingwe is on the one hand the radiant night sky in the silent vastness of the desert – on the other hand, and in this piece more importantly, the ‘night within’: darkness and pain in my own life at the time I was writing the piece, depression, loneliness, the suicide of one of my closest friends. It is also the night surrounding us in the world every day – hatred, violence, greed, disease, the wilful destruction of our planet…” -Lentz

Lisa Illean, Januaries (2017) for ensemble of 12 instruments
“[Illean] shows an extraordinary sensitivity to colour and timbre and creates an absorbing sound-world which lingers after listening.” – Australian Art Music Awards, 2018

Chris Dench, Ik(s)land[s] (1997-98) for mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, guitar, percussion, violin & cello
A gorgeously erratic setting of the prose of Berni Janssen; in the words of Paul Griffiths, “a wonderful example of Denchian swirl and wildness in an atmosphere of floating.”

Kate Moore, Canon (2013) for piano quartet
Written for and recorded by pianist Saskia Lankhoorn, this piece is a mesmerizing listen, drawing remarkable richness out of simple processes.

 

Australia’s national music export program, Sounds Australia, is thrilled to partner with Tourism Australia to present world-class homegrown music talent who have showcased on global stages and were due to appear at international events showcasing Australian music this year.

Tourism Australia were slated to partner with Sounds Australia at this year’s SXSW – celebrating and promoting the richness of this country’s culture and stories to international markets. As circumstances have drastically changed, and local artists and industry find themselves grounded at home, Sounds Australia will continue to align with Tourism Australia to shine a light on some of our greatest musical exports, offering music lovers at home and worldwide another reason to be enticed to experience this beautiful country once borders reopen.

Sounds Australia Sunday Session as part of Live From Aus will feature the extraordinary talents of Jack River and Emily Wurramara in some of their favourite locations around the country this Sunday night at 9pm AEST LIVE on Tourism Australia’s Facebook page to a potential audience of over 13 million.

The segment will capture live performances, accompanied by byte size interviews exploring what makes “home”, why it’s such a completely unique part of the world, and intimate insights into their favourite parts of Australia.

In addition, on Saturday May 16 at 6pm AEST, Sounds Australia has curated a soundtrack to compliment a spectacular sunset LIVE streamed from Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, featuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists*. Head to Sounds Australia’s playlists after the event to listen back to the beautiful tunes any time.

*Note: Each Aboriginal nation has their own language, customs, art and music. The music being played during this session is from nations across Australia and is not intended to be representative of Anangu culture at Uluru.

Sunset Session: Live from Uluru curated by Sounds Australia

Saturday May 16
1:00am Los Angeles PDT
3:00am London BST
4:00am New York EDT
5:00am Sao Paulo GMT-3
4:00pm Singapore GMT+8
6:00pm Sydney AEST

Sounds Australia Sunday Session

Sunday 17th May
4:00am Los Angeles PDT
6:00am London BST
7:00am New York EDT
8:00am Sao Paulo GMT-3
7:00pm Singapore GMT+8
9:00pm Sydney AEST