Chamber Made

Last updated

Chamber Made, formerly known as Chamber Made Opera, is an Australian arts organisation based in Melbourne, creating work operating at the intersections of music, sound and contemporary performance.

Contents

Formed in 1988 by theatre director and librettist Douglas Horton, it was Australia's only full-time company exclusively devoted to the commissioning and presentation of contemporary chamber opera by living artists. After taking up the artistic directorship in 2010, David Young commissioned and presented twelve new Australian operas, many of which were created as part of the company's "Living Room Opera" series. In 2013, Tim Stitz was appointed as Creative Director, leading a new company model consisting of four Artistic Associates. Since 2014 an overt focus on chamber opera has evolved into a broader remit of creating works that re-imagine how music and performance can converge. In 2017, the company restructured again and Tamara Saulwick was appointed Artistic Director. [1]

Chamber Made works with established artists and emerging professionals. The company also engages performers from different disciplines and non-traditional music and performance backgrounds. [2] Their productions are highly interdisciplinary, incorporating sophisticated composition and experimental performance practice.

The company has forged partnerships with Punctum, Limerick City of Culture, In Between Time Festival, Arts Centre Melbourne, RMIT University, La Mama Theatre, Aphids, Speak Percussion, Melbourne Recital Centre, the Victorian Opera, the Victorian Writers' Centre, The Wheeler Centre, Fed Square, Bell Shakespeare, Rawcus, Malthouse Theatre, New Music Network, and the Australian Music Centre. [3]

The company has multi-year, re-current funding from Creative Victoria and has an enduring support base from philanthropic and earned income. Chamber Made is based in a studio managed by the City of Melbourne's Meat Market tenancy program.

Company history

Chamber Made Opera was founded in 1988 by Artistic Director Douglas Horton and General Manager Stephen Armstrong. The company quickly established itself as a force in the Australian arts industry, presenting many acclaimed works (see below for list of productions), winning awards, and touring nationally and internationally. Horton was the librettist for many of the company’s works; he stepped down as Artistic Director in March 2009, after 21 years. [4]

In 2010 composer David Young was appointed the role of Artistic Director, a position he held until December 2013. [5] Young lead the company through a period of rejuvenation and transformation, pioneering the innovative Living Room Opera series (see below).

In early 2013 CMO announced a new company structure would be installed following the departure of David Young, headed by new Creative Director Tim Stitz, who appointed a team of four Artistic Associates to join him in the next phase of the company's life. In 2017, Tamara Saulwick moved from the role of Artistic Associate to Artistic Director. [6]

Past staff include Artistic Director David Young, Creative Director / CEO Tim Stitz, Artistic Associate Sarah Kriegler, Artistic Associate Christie Stott, Artistic Associate Erkki Veltheim, General Managers Robina Burton and Geoffrey Williams, Resident Director Margaret Cameron, Resident Conductor Brett Kelly, Caroline Lee, and the late Jacqueline (Jacqui) Everitt, designer.

Productions

Only first productions are listed

Awards

Discography

Living Room Operas

From 2010 to 2014, a series of domestic-scale chamber operas were commissioned and developed for presentation in living rooms of residential houses. [11]

The Living Room Opera Series involved artists and musicians from a range of styles and backgrounds. This series aimed to give the audience new, chamber operas in close proximity. [12]

In 2010 new works by composer Alex Garsden, Rawcus Theatre Company, and the Quiver Ensemble were commissioned and presented in a range of domestic settings with investment by individual donors. The Series represents a mobile and scalable model with support from private philanthropy. [13]

Productions that featured in the series were The Itch (2010), Another Lament (2010), Dwelling Structure (2011), Ophelia Doesn't Live Here Anymore (2011), Minotaur The Island (2011), The Box (2012), PM An incidental Video Opera (2012), Between Lands and Longings (2013), Turbulence (2013), and Wake (2014).

The Venny

From 2012-2018, CMO partnered with the Kensington Adventure Playground (The Venny), to deliver a community outreach program for young people. Each year the company enabled professional artists to work with the children and staff of The Venny to develop and present a creative project exploring the children's interests and teaching them creative skills whilst building a sense of fortitude and community. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opera Australia</span> Principal opera company in Australia

Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, New South Wales, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent at the Arts Centre Melbourne, where it is accompanied by Orchestra Victoria. In 2004, the company gave 226 performances in its subscription seasons in Sydney and Melbourne, Victoria, attended by more than 294,000 people.

David Chesworth is an Australian-based interdisciplinary artist and composer. Known for his experimental, and at times, minimalist music, he has worked solo, in post-punk groups, electronic music, contemporary ensembles and experimental performance. He has also created installation and video artworks with collaborator Sonia Leber, such as Zaum Tractor included in the 56th Venice Biennale (2015) and This Is Before We Disappear From View commissioned by Sydney Biennale (2014).

The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and Documenta, it is one of the longest running exhibitions of its kind and was the first biennale to be established in the Asia-Pacific region.

Peter David Goldsworthy is an Australian writer and medical practitioner. He has won major awards for his short stories, poetry, novels, and opera libretti. He is known for his novels Honk If You Are Jesus, and Three Dog Night. His 1989 novel Maestro is being made into an upcoming film.

Neil Geoffrey Armfield is an Australian director of theatre, film and opera.

Victorian Opera is an opera company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company was founded in 2005 by the Victorian Government as a replacement for the Victoria State Opera. It commenced operations in January 2006 with Richard Gill as Artistic Director. Richard Mills is the current Artistic Director. The company is supported through government funding, patron contributions and corporate sponsorship.

The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in Cabaret, Dance, Theatre Companies, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre, Contemporary and Experimental Performance and Opera in Melbourne.

The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001.

Richard John Mills is an Australian conductor and composer. He is currently the artistic director of Victorian Opera, and formerly artistic director of the West Australian Opera and artistic consultant with Orchestra Victoria. He was commissioned by the Victoria State Opera to write his opera Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1996) and by Opera Australia to write the opera Batavia (2001).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Croggon</span> Australian writer

Alison Croggon is a contemporary Australian poet, playwright, fantasy novelist, and librettist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Pyros</span> British-Australian actor (born 1987)

Richard Pyros is a British-Australian actor, who first achieved fame in the hit Australian Channel Seven TV show, Big Bite whilst still studying at drama school. Pyros was selected to create an array of characters including the memorably disheveled newsreader, 'Tee Pee Moses', and for his impersonation of personalities such as Rob Sitch, Michael Caton, Harry Potter and Detective Lennie Briscoe from Law & Order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamela Rabe</span> Canadian-born Australian actress

Pamela Rabe is a Canadian–Australian actress and theatre director. A graduate of the Playhouse Acting School in Vancouver, Rabe is best known for her appearances in the Australian films Sirens, Cosi and Paradise Road, and for starring as Joan Ferguson in the television drama series Wentworth.

Marshall McGuire is an Australian harpist, teacher, conductor and musical administrator.

The Australian Contemporary Opera Company (ACOCo) is a not-for-profit contemporary opera company, based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was formerly known as "Gertrude Opera".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McAll</span> Pianist, composer, arranger, and producer

John McAll is an Australian pianist, composer, arranger and producer, with experience ranging from jazz, pop, blues, rock contemporary classical, afrobeat and theatre.

Kip Williams is an Australian theatre and opera director. Williams is the current Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company. His appointment at age 30 made him the youngest artistic director in the company's history.

Sydney Chamber Opera is an opera company based in Sydney, Australia. It is a resident company at Carriageworks. The company was founded in 2010 by Louis Garrick and Jack Symonds. Its first production was in February 2011 and it has since produced between two and four 20th- and 21st-century chamber operas each year. Its repertoire typically consists of world premieres of Australian operas and recent international works receiving their Australian premieres, including stagings of song cycles or non-traditional stage works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Knight (musician)</span> Australian musician and composer (born 1965)

Peter Knight is an Australian musician, composer and producer. He was the artistic director of the Australian Art Orchestra from 2013 to 2023 and founding member of Melbourne group Way Out West., 5+2 Brass Ensemble, and Hand to Earth

Tamara Saulwick is a performance-maker, director and dramaturge from Melbourne, Australia. She makes contemporary performance pieces for theatres and public spaces. Since 2017 she has had the role of Artistic Director of Melbourne arts company Chamber Made, who are creators of original works at the meeting point of sound, music and performance.

Fabian Russell is an Australian conductor and music educator.

References

  1. ↑ "Tamara Saulwick's Biography".
  2. ↑ Edgar, Ray (9 March 2012). "Shadow boxing with audio architecture". The Age. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  3. ↑ Gruber, Fiona (19 November 2010). "Pull up the lounge for a night of opera". The Australian. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  4. ↑ "Douglas Horton to step down from Chambermade". Australian Stage. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  5. ↑ Gallasch, Keith. "new director, new opera". RealTime. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Tamara Saulwick steps into Artistic Director role at Chamber Made Opera". 16 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Ophelia Doesn't Live Here Anymore review by Alison Croggon, Theatre Notes, 28 November 2011
  8. ↑ "Nicholas Vines : Represented Artist Profile". Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "2007 Helpmann Award Winners ", australianstage.com.au, 7 August 2007
  10. ↑ "2007 Nominations and Recipients". Greenroom.org.au. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  11. ↑ Gallasch, Keith. "from the living room into the world". RealTime Arts. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  12. ↑ Power, Liza (17 December 2011). "Living room librettos". The Age. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  13. ↑ Furhmann, Andrew. "This is the future of Australian Opera". Arts Hub. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  14. ↑ "The Venny Project".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.