At a time when the world is becoming an increasingly uncertain place, Compose Queer x Queerstories comes with a sense of celebration and affirmation. Just as promised, what we heard were “stories of resilience, resistance and fierce queer pride, set to music and sung in soaring harmony”.
With Maeve Marsden, director of Queerstories, seated decorously on what she called “the lowest chair in Melbourne”, we heard about the genesis of the project and, as the evening progressed, information about the 12 LGBTQI+ writers and 12 LGBTQI+ composers whose works we were about to hear. Marsden also included some of her own story. The offspring of “two mothers”, her warm, embracing personality and welcoming words of inclusion (the packed house appeared to comprise a wide range of age, gender and pairings, although the emphasis was on youth) ensured a relaxed, positive atmosphere.
She told us how thrilled she was when entrepreneurial pianist extraordinaire Coady Green and Divisi’s co-director Alex Gorbatov approached her about project two years ago; securing the requisite financing takes time, and contributing organisations were certainly given enthusiastic acknowledgment on opening night. Any representatives would have been equally thrilled with their investment by the end of the night, which means, hopefully, that there will be regular iterations of this project.
The twelve composers drew inspiration from non-fiction narratives written by twelve queer writers to create their compositions. Some are established others emerging, but all deserve mention. The line up is best as listed in the publicity material: “a who’s who of both music and literature, with composers Sia Ahmad, Lucy Blomfield, Gabi Cadenhead, Connor D’Netto, Olivia Diamant, Leila Harris, Lillian Hearne, Cameron Lam, Caerwen Martin, James Rushford, Alex Turley and Sally Whitwell, and writers Fiona Kelly McGregor, Omar Sakr, Liz Duck-Chong, Teddy Dunn, HANDSOME, Dmetri Kakmi, Paul Kidd, Joe Levitt, Tommy Misa, Bastian Fox Phelan and Fletcher Quilty”.
From the initial piece, “This Story”, by Hearne and Duck-Chong, it was clear that this would be a remarkable evening. The six Divisi singers: Marjorie Butcher, Monika Harris, Alex Ritter, Alex Gorbachov, Alex Owens (yes, a whole three of them!) and Bailey Montgomerie, were, as ever, a finely-tuned ensemble in every sense of the word. What was perhaps most surprising was that much of the music seemed to have been memorised. And there was a lot of it. And it was new. And it was challenging. It also required the ability to convey the meaning of the words with sensitivity and exuberance as required. Although their diction is as good as it gets, texts projected onto the wall behind the singers were a most helpful component of a skilfully lit presentation.
Liz Duck-Chong’s poignant exploration of identity and female transitioning was also chosen by Leila Harris in a fuller version for “Knowing and Unknowing”. A very different version, it was partly accompanied by Green on the piano and included an alto solo and one of the most dramatic climaxes of the evening.
Caerwen Martin’s setting of Paul Kidd’s “How I Got Laid At My Boyfriend’s Funeral” was an ingenious evocation of how grief and laughter can mingle. Beginning and ending with an almost despairing “Ha, ha ha… “ and encompassing strains of plainchant along the way, this was a complex rendering of tender caring in the face of a lover dying from AIDS as well as an assertion of life to be lived.
Some pieces were excerpts from longer works that you longed to hear more of, a “History of Suits, VI Birthday Suit” (Turley/Dunn) being one. It was very funny and made even more so by Montgomerie’s light touch in highlighting the more humorous passages. In the second half we were confronted with the marvellously outrageous “Of Porn, Parties, and The Perils of Censorship” (Whitwell/ McGregor) where music stands were strategically placed for the work’s climactic moment after a party where drugs of all descriptions were sniffed, snorted, swallowed and smoked. It was absolutely frenetic, and we were with Maeve Marsden in appealing to someone in the audience willing to fund its further development. Whitwell is one of the most talented and well-known young composers around, so – here’s hoping.
One of the outstanding features of the evening was its variety. While several pieces were a capella and sung in close harmony, there were many solo passages and the piano was an important contributor to several. Tempi, mood and even movement all played a role in guaranteeing a riveting experience. There was even a sing-a-long to send folks on their merry way to the bar before interval. Audience participation was led by Alex Owens – no mean feat as he had just been moved to tears by the incredibly poignant “Love You, I Do” (Blomfield/Levitt) about dancing with a beloved Parkinson’s disease sufferer. I’m sure that would have had a similar effect on many in the audience, including myself. However, Alex O did manage to lead us, in true campfire style, for the introduction to “Your Grief is My Grief” (Cadenhead/ Misa), which ended with Alex G singing the last lines over the vocal snap and crackle of the fire.
Along with the modesty music stands, we saw different configurations of movement, most notably in “I Would Rather Be” (Rushford/Kakmi). In two rows, upper voices faced the three lower voices, the latter playing little toy whistles as the other three sang in the softest of pianissimos.
It is difficult to give every piece in this program its due, but the drama of “Stove Photography, III I Wanted to be a Writer” (D’Netto/ Phelan) does deserve a special mention. A movement from a published 25-minute work, it begins gently with the piano, followed by ensemble and solo singing and an explosive crescendo reflecting almost suicidal anxiety before subsiding to a hushed ending.
The end of the evening was the much more upbeat “Mind Explosions of Memories” (Diamant/HANDSOME) with its insistent disco beat – an essential component of LGBTQI+ party time.
This was an astonishing virtuosic display on the part of Divisi singers and a moving celebration of LGBTQI+ creative talent. Don’t miss it!
Photo credit: Simon Fazio
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Heather Leviston reviewed “Compose Queer x Queerstories” presented as part of midsumma festival at fortyfivedownstairs on February 6, 2025.
