Claire Edwardes
Program
MISSY MAZZOLI (b. 1980) Orrizonte
GEMMA PEACOCKE (b. 1984) I Promise Not to Poison You xoxo
Nightshade - Hemlock - Crocus Sativus
NATALIE WILLIAMS (b. 1977) Emberstrike
CLAIRE EDWARDES (b. 1975) / PAUL MAC (b. 1965) Dual Attractor
About the program
In chaos theory, an attractor is a state towards which a system naturally evolves; a Dual Attractor suggests two such states - two centres of gravity pulling in different directions. For me, these opposing forces are the relationship between performer and instrument, the distinct pull of the marimba and vibraphone, each instrument vying for my affection, as well as the tension between decades of creative work and the unknowns of what comes next.
From the shimmering textures of Missy Mazzoli’s Orizzonte and the darkly playful twists of Gemma Peacocke’s I Promise Not to Poison You xoxo, each piece on this program illuminates a different facet of my beloved marimba and vibraphone. And the final piece, Dual Attractor, created in collaboration with Paul Mac track for drums and electronics, captures that spark of creative exchange that has kept me commissioning and creating for three decades.
Featuring tracks from my most recent solo album, this program weaves together collaborations and bespoke new percussion solos that are somewhat of an arrival point for my career to date. These works are all by composers from around the world who I deeply admire. I am so grateful to each of them for creating such bold, imaginative new works - and entrusting me with reimagining existing works with such openness and generosity.
About the artist
Claire Edwardes OAM is Australia's ‘sorceress of percussion’ (Canberra City News) and the only Australian to win the 'APRA Art Music Luminary Award’ four times. A charismatic percussion virtuoso, Claire leaps between her role as Ensemble Offspring’s Artistic Director (Australia’s leading new music ensemble), solo recitals and concerto performances with all the Australian Symphony Orchestras including recent premieres of works by Anne Cawrse, Natalie Williams, Elena Kats-Chernin and Iain Grandage. In 2022 Claire was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her enduring contribution to Australian music and in 2023 she was the recipient of the Australian Women in Music Award for Creative Leadership.
Recently described in Limelight as a ‘unique treasure of Australia’s musical community’ and in The Age as ‘an invigorating musical life force’, Claire has hosted Play School, been an ARIA Award finalist twice and has performed as a soloist all over the world – from Vancouver to Amsterdam, the Gold Coast to Malta, and Huddersfield to Alice Springs. Widely known for her genre-spanning solo concerts, plus commissioning and premiering hundreds of new works for marimba, vibraphone, drums and more unusual instruments such as the waterphone, she passionately advocates for gender equity and diversity in all that she undertakes. As a trailblazer Claire breaks down barriers between art music and audiences with her famous on-stage infectious enthusiasm for bringing new music to new audiences.