CLASSICS IN THE CHAPEL
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Austinmer Village Chapel, Moore Street, Sunday, 2pm
Tickets: $20/$15/$10 at the door
ARIA award-winning composer and pianist Sally Whitwell and Coledale singer Karen Cummings will join forces for the Classics in the Chapel series in Austinmer on Sunday.
Both classically trained musicians are known for embracing other genres, merging new and old to create a unique sound.
‘‘Sally and I are interested in music in a broad sense,’’ said Cummings.
‘‘We both have an interest in popular and classical, a lot more cross-fertilisation of genres.
‘‘Where you end up might not have a name. Sally is a specialist in 20th-century classical, but she also writes for allgenres including contemporary, jazz and world music.’’
The pair worked together in 2012 for the ABC recording of No Man is an Island.
They also both work with children. Cummings teaches singing from her Coledale home, while Whitwell works with the Sydney Children’s Choir.
‘‘Sally is amazing. Her career spans so much community engagement and development work with young kids, but she’s also a great recitalist. She likes to really engage with the audience.’’
Cummings said it was the quality of music that mattered rather than the differences between genres and quoted Russian composer Igor Stravinsky: ‘‘The trouble with music appreciation in general is that people are taught to have too much respect for music; they should be taught to love it instead.’’
Classics in the Chapel, which began 18 months ago, aims to make that happen by providing an avenue for the general public to appreciate and love music on a regular basis.
‘‘The recital series has been amazing,’’ said Cummings.
‘‘There’s been a great mix of Sydney musicians and Wollongong performers, which I think creates an important link between musicians.
‘‘It’s also held in a really intimate and immediate environment. What’s exciting is that the audience is growing, which is pretty fantastic because at the moment most music clubs are dwindling. At Austinmer, there are literally people hanging out the door trying to get in.’’
Whitwell, who is also a solo recording artist, won ARIAs in 2011 and 2013 for Best Classical Album.
‘‘Sally refuses to be pigeonholed,’’ Cummings said.
‘‘There’s a joy and openness in her music. I don’t know anyone else like her in the way she performs. She’s also not frightened to say something about the world with her music and she does it in a powerful way.’’
Whitwell is currently working on a number of new compositions, some of which she will play on Sunday.
She travelled to China, Hong Kong and Inner Mongolia earlier this year with the Sydney Children’s Choir. The choir will return to Macau in November for the International Federation of Choral Music World Choral Expo 2015. One of her choir members, who lives in the Illawarra, will also perform on Sunday.