This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.
Human dissection transformed our understanding of anatomy, and the body became the subject of scientific and artistic fixation. Of The Body marries a major new song cycle by Dan Walker with some of the most rabelaisian examples of Renaissance repertoire. Drawing on Buxtehude’s masterpiece, ‘Membra Jesu Nostri’, each movement of Walker’s Of the Body is devoted to an anatomical part: the eyes, the hands, the mouth, the feet, the blood, and finally, the heart. A musical dissection of sorts, Of the Body traverses sex, sensuality, the senses and more, exploring what it means to be embodied in a digital age, our relationship to our corporeal form; our flesh and blood.
… A triumph of sheer excellence … a concert of rare depth.
Repertoire
LYNOTE Dominique Phinot (1548)
Text: Clément Marot
MON COEUR, MON CORPS Adriaen Willaert (1545)
SOSPIRI MIEI D’AHIMÈ Adriaen Willaert (1545)
OF THE BODY I: INTROITUS Dan Walker (2023)
Text: Francesco Petrarca
DER NASENTANZ Orlande de Lassus (1576)
OF THE BODY II: SARA SARA Dan Walker (2023)
Text: Matsuo Bashō
YOUR SHINING EYES Michael East (1618)
OF THE BODY III: CALIGAVERUNT OCULI MEI Dan Walker (2023)
Text: Sarah Teasdale
IN MANUS TUAS DOMINE Thomas Tallis (1575)
Text: Psalm 31:6
OF THE BODY IV: YOUR FEET Dan Walker (2023)
Text: Pablo Neruda
SKINNY LOVE Justin Vernon arr. Roland Peelman (2007)
OF THE BODY V: REBEL BLOOD Dan Walker (2023)
Text: Andrea Aguilar Ferro
THE BODY BREAKS Devendra Banhart arr. Roland Peelman (2004)
OF THE BODY VI: ODE TO A MOUTH Dan Walker (2023)
Text: Alexander Cook
CON LA SUA MAN Luca Marenzio (1591)
PINK EDGES IV Gerard Brophy (2002)
Text: Pietro Aretino
OF THE BODY VII: HOW TO HOLD A HEART Dan Walker (2023)
Text: Malia Wollan/Dr Kathy Magliato
Artists
AJ America, mezzo-soprano/artistic director;
Dan Walker, tenor/composer;
Rachel Mink, soprano;
Veronica Milroy, soprano;
Lucien Fischer, baritone;
Alasdair Stretch, bass;
Conducted by Roland Peelman AM
Few musical experiences can compare to the sound of unaccompanied human voices. These singers showed that the voice reigns supreme in the world of music.
Tickets
Meet the Artists
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Luminescence Chamber Singers
Comprised of six professional singers, Luminescence Chamber Singers is a virtuosic vocal ensemble based on Ngunnawal and Ngambri country [Canberra, Australia]. Performing music that spans Medieval chant and Renaissance polyphony as well as folk song, pop, and contemporary art music, Luminescence has rapidly emerged as one of Australia’s leading ensembles.
Recent performance highlights have included appearances at the Sydney Opera House (2023), City Recital Hall (2018), major collaborations with the National Museum of Australia (2022) and the National Gallery of Australia (2023), and Four Winds Festival (2019, 2020, 2022). Since 2017, Luminescence has appeared annually at the Canberra International Music Festival, performing in more than 16 festival programs including collaborations with many of Australia’s leading musicians: Ensemble Offspring, Bach Akadamie Australia. Luminescence presents an annual concert program in Canberra, Sydney and surrounding regions as well as appearing for a range of festivals, collaborations, and special events.
Luminescence works closely with conductor and director Roland Peelman AM, a regular guest conductor and artistic mentor for the ensemble.
