Meeting Points Series: Djiribawal

A journey through different sonic environments and a meditation on Country, composed by Yuin woman Brenda Gifford

Djiribawal is a song cycle by Yuin woman, Brenda Gifford for the musicians of the Australian Art Orchestra, originally commissioned for the 2020 Canberra International Music Festival, and adapted to include electronic soundscapes and the voice of the composer speaking in Language, for its Melbourne premiere.

“Djiribawal is a roller-coaster of sonority and musical images ... representing the elements in all their brutality and beauty and played exceptionally well by talented musicians.” - Suzannah Conway, ArtsHub

The work began as a sketch to capture the essence of the elements: Bagan (Earth); Ngadjung (Water); Miriwa (Sky); and Ganji (Fire). In the composer’s own words, “Bagan grounds us, Ngadjung is flowing and renewing. Miriwa is vast and open and Ganji can be fast and destructive.”

As the first concert of AAO’s 2022 Meeting Points Series, Djiribawal will be supported by an improvisation featuring Amos Roach (Didgeridoo and Clapsticks) Adrian Sherriff (Trombone and Shakuhachi). Generously supported by The City of Melbourne.

Premieres at The Malthouse, Beckett Theatre on Sat Feb 19 2022, 7PM.

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ABOUT THE COMPOSER:

Brenda Gifford is a First Nations, Yuin woman from Wreck Bay, NSW. Her country, community and culture are the basis of her arts practice. She is a composer and classically trained saxophonist and pianist, and 2022 recipient of the Peggy Glanville-Hicks Composers House residency.

MEETING POINTS SERIES:

The Meeting Points Series explores the intersections between cultures, genres, and artistic disciplines using improvisation. Funded by the City of Melbourne, the Series explores the notion of Melbourne as a place of convergence and innovation.