STUDENTS MINE HISTORY FOR MUSICAL INSPIRATION
TWO classical music students at the University of Tasmania say their ancestral pasts, which feature mining and convict links, helped them clinch a prestigious prize.
Sophia Mitchell and Jamie Willson were awarded the Ossa Music Prize and People’s Choice Award for 2022 after their performance of three
pieces at the Recital Hall at the Hedberg in Hobart on July 14.
The third-year students impressed judges with their uncommon chamber ensemble featuring an amalgamation of French horn and percussion – specifically vibraphone, marimba and junk percussion.
The pair will now go on a statewide tour, which kicks off at
Queenstown’s Paragon Theatre on August 30.
Ms Mitchell and Mr Wilson said they drew inspiration from American composer Steven Snowden’s work, Profiles. They decided to commission two up-and-coming Tasmanian composers to write works for percussion and French horn, looking to bring to life the people who have helped make
Tasmania the unique place it is.
Ms Mitchell said Profiles had inspired her to look at her ancestry, which traces back to one of the first convicts to come to Van Diemen’s Land, and another convict ancestor, Samuel Free, who became a successful landowner.
These connections formed the foundation for a piece by third-year composition student Emily Knight,
called Samuel Free.
Mr Willson also looked to his family roots, which included grandparents who were tin miners in the South West of the state, where they worked closely with Deny King.
That link has been transformed into Tinny, a composition by UTAS PhD student Dominic Flynn. It tells the story of King, who was a miner and environmentalist at Melaleuca.