Creative team - Inspiring Creativity
Stephen O'Connell: Composer and Saxophone
Graham Sattler: Text and Voice
Jennifer O'Hara: Visual Art Projection
Tim Podesta: Choreography and Dance
Peter J. Adams: Director
Out of Chaos comes Beauty
Dr Graham Sattler
Graham began his musical career as a trombonist, playing with the major orchestras of Sydney and Melbourne. As a singer, he has worked as an ensemble member of the Australian Opera (1990 - 1994), soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia and the Symphony Orchestras of Sydney, Tasmania and West Australia. Graham has created lyrics for the SOQ show in which he performs as a vocalist.
Peter J Adams
Peter is creative deviser, director and producer of live events and radio and has devised and staged productions for David Attenborough, Brian Cox, Michael Palin and Louis Theroux. He has also directed and produced for Bear Grylls, William Shattner, Kevin McCloud and Julie Andrews.
Tim Podesta
Tim is a graduate of the Australian Ballet School and as a dancer worked with numerous companies internationally.
In 2006 Tim founded PROJECTion Dance and he has recently had works premiere in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe including ‘From the Shade’ for Royal Ballet Principal Artist, Mara Galeazzi in honor of her contribution to the arts.
Jennifer O'Hara
Jennifer works across a range of visual art media and has animated artwork combined with film to create an interactive projection for the SOQ show. Jennifer works as a visual artist, flautist and is General Manager of the Murray Conservatorium in Albury.
Stephen O'Connell OAM
Stephen is a composer, saxophone player and CEO of the Murray Conservatorium in Albury. He has composed music for the SOQ Collective show, which has been arranged for string quartet, voice and saxophone by arranger Kevin Barker. He has also released 3 CDs and performed on over 50 commercially released CDs.
CLASS ACT: Out of Chaos Comes Beauty's Stephen O'Connell, Jenny O'Hara and Peter J Adams ahead of the world premiere.
Picture: MARK JESSER
Border Mail article by Jodie Bruton
David Attenborough producer Peter J Adams to direct Out of Chaos Comes Beauty in world premiere in Wodonga
ONE of the Border’s most immersive arts experiences this year is coming to the stage in Wodonga.
Presented by Murray Conservatorium, Out of Chaos Comes Beauty by SOQ Collective is a story of beauty expressed through music, movement, art, film and projection at The Cube Wodonga on October 28.
The world premiere show incorporates original live music (voice, saxophone and string quartet), dance and projected visual art.
The director for the show, Peter J Adams, is also the producer/director for David Attenborough, Louis Theroux, Michael Palin and Bear Grylls.
Adams devised and staged Michael Palin’s Australian /New Zealand Tour, celebrating his work with Monty Python and as a Gentleman Adventurer, and worked extensively with David Attenborough, devising and staging three national tours.
Murray Conservatorium general manager Jenny O’Hara said the collective was incredibly lucky to work with Adams.
“We are fortunate to work with him and he has been incredible in his creative capacity,” she said.
Nine regional Australian artists inspired by contemporary Australian culture, place and relationships perform in Out of Chaos Comes Beauty.
They celebrate relationships of people to land and each other through dance, songs and visual art that challenges, disrupts and celebrates the emergence of beauty as a cyclical and seasonal response to chaos.
The performance/touring team comprises vocalist, saxophonist, dancer, visual artist, string quartet and technical director/stage manager.
Adams said Out of The Chaos Comes Beauty was an important immersive arts experience.
“This is a compelling narrative where art forms combine to comment on the fragility of life, its humour and intrinsic beauty,” he said.
Murray Conservatorium chief executive Stephen O’Connell has composed music for the SOQ Collective show, which has been arranged for string quartet, voice and saxophone by arranger Kevin Barker.
O’Connell is committed to advancing the notion that all art forms are vital for the ongoing health of communities.
Choreographer and dancer Tim Podesta is a graduate of the Australian Ballet School and as a dancer worked with numerous companies internationally.
In 2006 Tim founded PROJECTion Dance and he has recently had works premiere in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Britain and Europe.
Border Cafe article by Robyne Young
Australian Artsong finds harmony in China
Jenny O'Hara and Stephen O'Connell have returned from performing in China.
Photo: TruPics
Two Border musicians have returned from China where their outback inspired music not only crossed cultural boundaries, but also had some unexpected outcomes.
Robyne Young caught up with the pair at Murray Conservatorium where Stephen O’Connell is executive director and Jenny O’Hara, general manager.
There’s almost 9,000 kilometres between Albury and the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province, Chengdu, so a performance by members of a collective of composers, musicians and artists is something rare. However, in this case it appears to have been destined.
“Last year I was visiting one of my sons in Chengdu and as a member of Rotary went to a Rotary Club meeting,” Stephen said.
“I met a local visual artist, Antonio Wehrli, and from there was put in touch with Umberto Mele, a philanthropist of the Sichuan Conservatorium of Music and it all came about from those meetings,” he said.
The SOQ Collective is made up of Stephen, Jenny, lyricist Dr Graham Sattler; composer, Kevin Barker and Albury Wodonga based choreographer/dancer, Tim Podesta.
The music and accompanying projections had their genesis six years before the China performances. In 2011 Stephen and Jenny visited Illara Creek, about 170 kilometres south west of Alice Springs where Stephen wrote the music and Jenny started to create images for what the two say is a real collaboration.
“It’s a case where one art form doesn’t lead the other,” Jenny said.
“We are each responding to the same landscape rather than me creating the art and the music being written or the other way around. I see my work in the project as being an interpretation – to interpret colour, dynamics and tempo,” Jenny said.
Stephen’s music has been arranged by Kevin Barker for three versions of the project: full symphony orchestra; string quartet, voice and soprano saxophone; and dance and visual art projections.
For Stephen the arrangements of ‘contemporary art song’ give him the flexibility he needs.
“There’s the space for me to improvise even in the orchestral version so that I don’t feel like I am just floating around the edges. This is rare in orchestral music, but if I didn’t have that I think I would go mad.”
In China, Stephen and Graham performed with the Sichuan University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by China’s first female conductor, Maestro Zheng Xiaoying to a sold out audience of 1,000 people, and Stephen performed with a number of Chengdu jazz musicians.
Not everything went to plan, but Jenny said there was an unexpected response to Stephen and Graham.
“They were treated like rock stars!” she laughs. “People were taking photos of them.”
Stephen, Jenny and Graham also presented masterclasses and lectures at the Sichuan Conservatory, reputed to be the largest music school in the world, and had a meeting at the Australian Consulate in Chengdu.
For Stephen the China trip is another highlight for 2017. On Australia Day he was awarded an OAM for services to the performing arts. Stephen’s work includes being integral to the formation of the Association of Regional NSW Conservatoriums which annually delivers music education to approximately 30,000 students statewide. On May 4 he received his medal at a ceremony at Government House in Sydney.