Brisbane to beatbox with orchestra!
Announcement posted by Kath Rose & Associates Pty Ltd 18 Mar 2015
Brisbane to beatbox with orchestra!
Four world premieres over two days in new music celebration - QSOCurrent
In a new event Queensland Symphony Orchestra is preparing to throw down some sick beatz, teaming up with international star beatboxer, Tom Thum, and other leading musicians during the cutting-edge 24-hour program titled QSOCurrent.
The inaugural QSOCurrent on May 15 and 16 will shine the spotlight on contemporary music and Australian composers with a fusion of musical styles.
It’s a morphing of modern sounds, technology and talent with the classical heritage and strength of the state’s orchestra, and features not one, not two, but four ground-breaking world premiere events.
The line-up of stars reads like a New Music’s Most Wanted – the exciting and highly applauded Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra; internationally acclaimed beatbox champion Tom Thum; electronic musician and Gotye collaborator Tim Shiel; one of the composing world’s brightest stars in Gordon Hamilton; celebrated contemporary trio Trichotomy, the Rafael Karlen Quartet, The Australian Voices and more.
“QSO is passionate about creating extraordinary musical experiences for people of all ages and all walks of life. We want to share the exhilaration of live orchestral music - everything from baroque to beatbox,” said QSO CEO Sophie Galaise.
“We believe in collaboration with contemporary artists from Australia and across the world; and where the experimental and innovative does not exist, we will create it or commission it ourselves,” she said. “Recent examples include the world premiere performances of Gordon Hamilton’s Ghosts in the Orchestra and our 2014 blockbuster Journey through the Cosmos with Prof. Brian Cox. Our collaborations with Sydney Dance Company and Expressions Dance Company, films in-concert such as Star Trek and The Lord of the Rings, and mega-shows like the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular and Video Games Unplugged: Symphony of Legends are attracting new audiences like never before.”
“QSOCurrent is a major musical coup for us and our audiences, and we call on everyone to get on board!”
World premiere performances for QSOCurrent include Philip Glass’s orchestration of Aphex Twin’s ICCT Hedral with Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra, Gordon Hamilton’s Thum Prints: A concerto contradiction for beatbox and orchestra featuring star beatboxer Tom Thum, and an orchestration of Triple J presenter and Gotye collaborator Tim Shiel’s electronic soundtrack to bestselling mobile game Duet. Brisbane-based contemporary music trio Trichotomy join QSO for the world premiere performance of their original jazz with orchestra, and free events in the South Bank Parklands and State Library of Queensland complete 24 hours of phenomenal new music.
On Friday May 15 South Bank Parklands will host the premiere of Ben Marks’ The Circular Ruins, based on a short story by Jorge Luis Borges and performed by staff and students of Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. On Saturday May 16 the State Library of Queensland will host a series of pop-up concerts for QSOCurrent featuring Kupka’s Piano, The Australian Voices and the Rafael Karlen Quartet.
All tickets at qso.com.au/current