A new work by composer and AAO Artistic Director Aaron Choulai with the Australian Art Orchestra.
Saltwater, Sugar is an epic new work from Papuan-Australian composer and Artistic Director of the Australian Art Orchestra, Aaron Choulai. It is a story he tells from within the communities who carry it, touching on the interconnectedness of Chinese, Papua New Guinean and Indigenous people during the time of the Gold Rush in Victoria and Blackbirding in North Queensland.
Composed for the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) as a 16-piece ensemble alongside Australian music luminaries Ngaiire and Joelistics, this hour-long musical work is built around themes of racial injustice, survival, friendship and often overlooked pockets of resistance during Australia’s colonial past.
A scored fictional narrative that draws on historical events, Saltwater, Sugar is set in the sound world of Duke Ellington, through the distinct voice of the Australian Art Orchestra. Performed in English and Tok Pisin, the piece moves between spoken dialogue, sung melodies and adventurous improvisation from some of Australia’s most important instrumental artists today.
An ambitious musical composition of scale, Saltwater, Sugar traces the friendships and resistance that formed across the very divisions colonial Australia depended on.
Ensemble
Australian Art Orchestra
Aaron Choulai - Composer & Musical Director | Ngaiire - Voice | Joelistics - Voice | Scott Tinkler - Trumpet | Eugene Ball - Trumpet | Cinzia Posega - French Horn | Aryo Hall - Trombone | Adrian Sherriff - Bass Trombone | Holly Moore - Soprano Saxophone | Ralema Fairhead - Flute | Julien Wilson - Tenor Saxophone | Andrew Saragossi - Clarinets | Lizzie Welsh - Violin | Meg Cohen - Violin | Biddy Connor - Viola | Zoe Barry - Cello | Paul Grabowsky - Piano | Tamara Murphy - Bass | Dave Beck - Drums
Commissioning partner: Bunjil Place
