Nyilipigdi
The Foundation has a long history of supporting both student and professional musicians in a variety of ways. The most significant project in this arena has involved provision of early-stage and development funding for the establishment and operation of the Monash Art Ensemble, led by Professor Paul Grabowsky. Since formation in 2012, the MAE has established an enviable reputation for performance, innovation, and collaboration, and has ably fulfilled its core purpose by providing dozens of talented music students with the opportunity to rehearse, play and record with seasoned, professional musicians from Australia and overseas. The Foundation’s support has been acknowledged as a key catalyst for the success of this initiative. However, the excellent reputation the MAE now enjoys means that it has access to many sources of finance, and the Foundation will now direct resources to other projects aligned with this objective. In 2023/24 the Foundation will continue to provide resources to several organisations that provide opportunities for young and established musicians to develop and share their passion.
Between 2012 and 2017 the Foundation supported the establishment, development, and operations of the Monash Art Ensemble, which is a collaboration between the music department of Monash University and the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) designed to share the extensive experience of both groups on an ongoing basis. The Monash Art Ensemble places various AAO players, each an acknowledged leader in their field, with students, chosen each year by audition, working together in the group, and working with visiting artists and musical directors to create performances which explore the notion of what a 21st musician could be – a true global citizen in sound. This will become a reason for talented young musicians to choose to continue their education in Australia. Each year’s program features new Australian compositions, specifically commissioned for the Ensemble. Commissions are provided to established Australian artists. These kinds of performances, with their exploration of the communicative power of music to establish meaningful linkages across traditions, form the basis for various important research projects. The ensemble performs and records these commissioned works, engendering strong community engagement with Australian music and young musicians.
The ensemble has enjoyed enormous success since its inception, including numerous sold-out performances at the Melbourne Jazz Festival in each year, and collaborations, concerts and recordings with legendary Australian and international jazz artists including Dave Douglas, Eugene Ball, Mark Helias, George Lewis, Mary Finsterer, Django Bates, Barney McAll, Tomasz Stanko and Carla Bley. Recording of works commissioned by the MAE is a key activity, and the inaugural self-titled album and ‘Hexis’, with George Lewis won the “Best Australian Contemporary ‘Avant-garde’ Jazz Album” at the 2014 and 2015 Australian Jazz Bell Awards respectively. The CD of ‘Fabliaux’, composed by and featuring Dave Douglas was released at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival in 2015, ‘Histories’, featuring the music of Robert Burke and Marc Hannaford, will be released at Wangaratta 2016, and ‘Zephyrix’, composed by Barney McAll, was recorded in May 2016.
A highlight of the 2015 Melbourne Jazz Festival was the sold-out performance of Nyilipidgi, in which the MAE joined forces with the Young Wagilak Group of South-East Arnhem Land to premiere a new multi-movement suite by Paul Grabowsky. Blending the musical heritage of Australia’s first people with contemporary composition and improvisation, this collaboration celebrates the reconciliatory power of music, showcasing master musicians from the world’s oldest living culture alongside some of the country’s finest jazz artists. This piece has also been performed at the 2016 Wangaratta and 2017 Stonnington Jazz Festivals. The initial funding provided by the Foundation to establish the MAE has played a key role in its success. Now that the ensemble has a strong professional reputation it is effectively self-sustaining, with access to numerous alternative sources of funding, and the Foundation will turn its attention to other projects in need of risk-based support at the conclusion of the current funding round.