Elevenses – Art + Music Insights 2020

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Elevenses - Art + Music Insights 2020 cancelled until August 2020

Wednesday 11 March 11am – The Milestones and Mayhem of Opera. (Dr Paul Smith, Lecturer of Music, University of New England. With guest soprano Sarah Ampil) Held at Malcolm Borland Foyer

While opera conjures a specific image of grand choruses, large orchestras and thrilling voices, the history of opera paints a chequered and constantly shifting picture. In different parts of the world and at different times the way an opera looked and sounded could be surprisingly stark. While a common practice developed in the late 19th century, over the past half a century many artists have toyed with the form and stretched it to its limits. This talk covers the main milestones of opera from the 17th century and considers the changing roles of the singers, conductors and directors of operas.

Wednesday 8 April 11am – Margel Hinder: Modern in Motion (Denise Mimmocchi, Senior Curator Australian Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales) Held at Allan Mullins Studio

Margo and Gerald Lewers, whose heritage property and art collection was bequeathed to Penrith for the Penrith Regional Gallery, home of the Lewers Bequest, were great friends with Frank and Margel Hinder. Margel’s striking sculpture in the garden of PRG will be travelling to the AGNSW to be included in this retrospective. Margel Hinder (1906–95) initially worked in woodcarving in the 1930s but by the early 1950s she shifted to an abstract sculptural language that explored form, space, light and movement. She created commanding kinetic works whose slow rotations encapsulate a sense of the world in perpetual motion Denise will share her insights and wealth of knowledge on Margel, one of the most dynamic yet underrated artists in Australian art.

Wednesday 13 May 11am – Silenced Voices: Musical Censorship and Orchestral Protests (Dr Paul Smith, Lecturer of Music, University of New England) Held at Malcolm Borland Foyer

Many composers across Europe, America and Australia have had their music banned at different points in time. This talk looks at specific examples of why governing powers have taken a keen interest in art music and sought to silence the voices of certain composers whose work, they felt, had the ability to rouse anti-national urges or speak out against power. Some composers obeyed, some disobeyed and others found ways to navigate these tricky waters producing music that requires more investigation. This talk will look at the music of Scarlatti, Prokofiev, Blitzstein, Mozart, and Shostakovich.

Wednesday 10 June 11am – Grace Cossington Smith: Australia’s first Post-Impressionist painter (Sheona White, Penrith Regional Gallery Director) Held at Allan Mullins Studio

“Grace Cossington Smith (1892–1984) is one of Australia’s most important artists; a brilliant colourist, she was one of this country’s first Post-Impressionsts. She is renowned for her iconic urban images and radiant interiors. Although Cossington Smith was keenly attentive to the modern urban environment, she also brought a deeply personal, intimate response to the subjects of her art. Among the recurring themes are the metropolis and Sydney Harbour Bridge, portraits, still lifes, landscapes, religious and war subjects, theatre and ballet performances, and domestic interiors infused with light.” – National Gallery of Australia

Wednesday 8 July 11am – Development of Musical Notation over the past 4000 years (Andy Bromberger, Musician and Lecturer of Classical Music) Held at Malcolm Borland Foyer

We can understand past civilisations by reading text from the period. This is not been the case for music where musical notation was not invented until the end of the first millennium- meaning our understanding of music from the distant past is very limited. Then in the late 900 AD, a rogue monk named Guido made three incredible inventions – including notation. The ramifications of this invention completely changed the concept, structure and importance of music and still does today. This is from my website – For 4000 years there was no musical notation. A monk named Guido changed this in about 1000 AD. In this class we trace music’s development without formal notation and look how notation impacted on music afterwards.

Wednesday 5 August 11am – Inspiring women artists of the Renaissance (Lorraine Kypiotis, Senior Lecturer Art History and Theory, the National Art School) Held at Q Theatre

There were great women artists in the Renaissance though we have rarely heard of them. . During this time art played a critical role in society, especially in disseminating the fame of the artist. In this respect, portraiture, a new and burgeoning genre was of great importance in defining the role of the Renaissance virtuosa. It is testament to the artistic passion of these Renaissance women that they managed to work as artists at all and now their stories are more and more being revealed and revered.

Wednesday 16 September 11am – Film Music; the Most Amazing Music You Barley Notice (Dr Paul Smith, Lecturer of Music, University of New England. With guest cellist Clare Kahn) Held at Malcolm Borland Foyer

If asked what the main melody sounded like from the most recent film at the cinema, one might have trouble recalling exactly what the music sounded like. Claudia Gorbman, one of the first film music researchers, argued that film music should be ‘unheard’ and that it guides the audience through the emotional narrative of film but never upstages the visual spectacle of the film. Film music has developed and moved through many different forms and this talk will examine the origins of film music in early 20th century America, into the golden age for film music in the 1980s and 1990s and look at some current trends and experiments as well as some of the extensions into television and video games.

Wednesday 14 October 11am – Margaret Preston: An Australian Vision (Sheona White, Penrith Regional Gallery Director) Held at Allan Mullins Studio

“One of Australia’s most significant artists, Margaret Preston was a key figure in the development of modern art in Sydney from the 1920s to the 1950s. Renowned for her paintings and woodcuts of local landscapes and native flora, she was an outspoken public voice on Australian culture and championed a distinctly Australian style, based on the principles and motifs of modernist, Aboriginal and Asian art.” Art Gallery of new South Wales