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Of Stars and Birds at the Malachi
July 24, 2025
Ensemble Offspring returned to the Malachi Gilmore Hall on Saturday, July 19, for a concert in the foyer. While this might seem a strange location when there's a big performance space a few metres away, it was actually perfect for this concert as it provided an intimacy between performers and audience that added to the effect.
The
concert was originally promoted as "To Listen, To Sing", based on a
recent album by the group, but a late decision was made to present
"Of Stars and Birds" instead. The change made little difference to
the music to be performed as it was all still by indigenous
composers reflecting the connection to Country and its inhabitants.
For this performance, Ensemble Offspring consisted of Claire Edwardes, vibraphone and percussion, Lamorna Nightingale, flutes and Jason Noble, clarinets. The group is celebrating 30 years of producing wonderful and thought provoking music.
| The Program | |
| Musical Acknowledgement of Country | |
| Lorikeet Corroboree (2015) | Fiona Loader flute, clarinet & vibraphone |
| Mungala (Clouds) (2018) | Brenda Gifford flute & hand percussion |
| Djana (Talk) (2020) | Brenda Gifford flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone |
| Of Stars and Birds (2020) | Nardi Simpson flute, clarinet & vibraphone |
| Simple Truths (2007) | Christopher Sainsbury vibraphone solo |
| People of this Place (2016) | Felicity Wilcox bass clarinet solo |
| Blackbird Song (2018) | Kate Moore alto flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone |
| A Tawny Tale (2024) | Caitlin Yeo flute, clarinet, percussion |
| Beautiful Birds
(flamingos & Hummingbirds) (2019) |
Gerard Brophy flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone |
Claire Edwardes on vibraphone
Lamorna Nightingale on flutes
Jason Noble on clarinets
For an idea if the sort of music performed on the day, here is the first two minutes of "Djana" by Brenda Gifford. If you want to hear the rest you will just have to buy a copy of the "To Listen, To Sing" CD.
This was not recorded on the day but comes from
the "To Listen, To Sing" CD
Ensemble Offspring last performed in Oberon in October, 2023. Again, we all have to thank Lucy and Johnny East for bringing music to the Malachi.
You can find out all about Ensemble Offspring and where you can see them perform at their web site.
The show was supported by a grant from Live Music Australia to help with "Equipment, professional development, artist fees, marketing and production costs to support original Australian live music at Malachi Gilmore Hall, Oberon".
