Jandamarra – Sing for the Country
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music Orchestra and Choirs in collaboration with the Bunuba people who own the story, present Jandamarra – Sing for the Country. Composed for massed voices and orchestra, it tells the story of a young Bunuba Aboriginal man from the Kimberley in Western Australia, who was a warrior and courageous leader for his people. He grew up at the time when white pastoralists were first laying claim to Bunuba country. It was the frontier; a time of violence and great upheaval. He was only in his mid twenties when he was gunned down, but in his short life he created a legacy that will never be forgotten.
Jandamarra’s extraordinary position – poised between the white and black worlds – makes him a compelling tragic hero. And it makes this story one of the most dramatic of all the tales of the 19th Century conflict between Aboriginal people and white settlers.
This dramatic cantata, written by librettist Steve Hawke and composed by the Conservatorium’s Associate Professor Paul Stanhope, includes narrative and danced elements, while threading traditional song into the musical fabric. The Conservatorium has invited alumna Elizabeth Scott to conduct and Sydney Children’s Choir and VOX, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, to join forces for this momentous occasion.
PROGRAM: Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) – Sinfonia da Requiem/ Oliver Beard (born 1998)* – The Drake Equation
* 2019 Conservatorium Composition Division Student Competition
Conductor – Roger Benedict
Interval
Paul Stanhope (born 1969): Traditional music used with permission of the Bunuba People, texts by Steve Hawke (born 1959), with the Bunuba People, who own the Jandamarra story. Jandamarra – Sing for the Country: Ngalanybarra Muwayi.u /Conductor – Elizabeth Scott
