mikeymoon

Dale Baltrop is the concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Working with him in the Camerata of St Johns last week was amazing. He NEVER seems to make a mistake on that violin of his, and moves effortlessly between roles of soloist, leader, rehearsal director and all-round nice guy. I hope we get to work … Read more

Thanks to Topology for inviting me to play with them up in the Torres Strait. It was great to experience some of the culture up there, and to be a part of an important concert for Christine Anu – returning to her birthplace and singing in the local Saibai and Mabuiag dialects.

This is a particularly dark and lugubrious work. I didn’t really like it at first but it certainly grew on me and there are some great moments such as the opening of the “fifth door” where offstage brass and the mighty organ surprise the audience in a powerful depiction of Bluebeard’s kingdom. After the concert, … Read more

Will Eager, Sam Vincent and I have formed the trio Taraf Tambal. We perform Romanian gypsy music as well as our own original compositions. You can catch us at the Restrung Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse in October, or at the Woodford Folk Festival. BTW this is Will’s new cimbalom. So pretty!

I had a great time on the weekend playing with Laique at the Bellingen Jazz Festival. Thanks to Graham and Alice who hosted Gerard and me. We played 3 gigs over two days and mingled and jammed with some amazing musos, including Peter Baylor, John Delaney, John Maddox, Nigel Date, Nick Haywood and many more. … Read more

Courtenay and I had an amazing time in Hobart, Tasmania last year. I learnt a lot, being the Chapter president of AUSTA and working with great string teachers and composers like Audrey Akerman, Nara Dennis, Anna Maguire, Jenny Thorp, Jeremy Williams, Yuen Yum Williams to name just a few. On the recording front, I have … Read more