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Riverside Guitar Ensemble: Curating and directing the premieres of major new Australian works for guitar ensemble

performance
posted on 2024-04-05, 04:53 authored by Karin SchauppKarin Schaupp

This project continues my artistic research in creating and curating new repertoire for large guitar ensemble through my artistic and pedagogical leadership of the Riverside Guitar Ensemble, and through my work with composers and arrangers to create new concert repertoire for the group.

In this series of projects, my research brings together new arrangements, world premiere performances of brand new works, and the Australian premiere of a major new work for guitar ensemble, choir and percussion.

History

ERA Category

  • Curated Public Exhibition/Event - Festival

Eligible major research output?

  • Yes

Research Statement

Background Large guitar ensembles are traditionally formed in pedagogical contexts (often in high schools) where they play music of an intermediate student level guided by a conductor. Riverside Guitar Ensemble is unique in that it engages 17 guitarists to play highly virtuosic music unconducted, based on a professional chamber orchestra model. Whilst employing this model is in itself innovative on the guitar, it brings with it the challenge of finding (and creating) suitable repertoire. The curation of innovative programmes, along with instigating the creation of new work and directing the rehersal and performance preparation of new repertoire ( in the form of arrangements and new works) has been a major and ongoing artistic research interest and has led to the creation of a large body of work for guitar ensemble. Contribution In 2023, I curated 6 Riverside concerts with various guest artists and collaborators and this included the world premieres of 4 new student composer works plus the Australian premiere (in collaboration with Con Singers and Rebecca Lloyd-Jones) of a major new work for guitar ensemble, choir and percussion. The new works created by student composers were premiered across numerous public performances including Noosa Alive Festival (July 24th), Sandgate Music by the Sea (September 2nd) , BLEACH Festival (August 12th) and Queensland Conservatorium Riverside and Friends (May 20th) & Guitar Extravaganza (October 11th). The new works premiered were as follows: Laikuta by Radithya Budy Theomarga Dreaming in Dances by Shelby Devenish Eclipse by Tara Lynam Amor de por Vida by Imogen Ferdinando Richard Charlton’s Tales of Wind and Sail for guitar ensemble, choir and percussion was also given its Australian premiere on October 11th. This was the first time a work using these substantial forces had ever been performed in Australia. Richard Charlton is one of Australia’s most distinguished composers for the guitar and this work was premiered alongside the most outstanding of the student works. Significance My work with Riverside both as curator of programmes and as instigator of new Australian repertoire for guitar ensemble (also working closely with student composers through my colleague in the composition area, Gerardo Dirie) is significant not only for the body of repertoire these new works (and arrangements) create, but also for the dissemination and peer recognition they have gained as evidenced by extensive professional festival and concert series invitations. It is unusual for a new work to be performed more than once in its premiere year, yet almost all of these works gained at least 2-3 well attended public performances in professional settings. Tara Lynam’s work “Eclipse” has just been selected as a finalist in a major international composition competition, using Riverside’s live performance.

Copyright notes

© 2023 This work is covered by copyright. You must assume that re-use is limited to personal use and that permission from the copyright owner must be obtained for all other uses.

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