In 2021, Sally Walker played her flute on the bow of a boat near Port Stephens, to which dolphins emerged from the ocean around her. This program culminates in a regenerative commission from Dharug composer Christopher Sainsbury, drawing inspiration from Walker’s encounter and from the rhythm and lyricism of the Dharug word for dolphin: barru-waluri. Only a few Dharug songs survived colonisation; the original song for the barru-waluri is sadly no longer known. Sainsbury writes his new song with a sense of melancholy and as a kind of reclamation – and ‘something of the feel of an invigorating swim’.

Artists
Jessica Cottis Conductor
Sally Walker Flute, Artist in Focus
CSO Chamber Ensemble

Repertoire
ALICE CHANCE World premiere, new CSO commission
JANE SHELDON Spectre: three attempts to summon her
PEGGY POLIAS COMPOSER IN CONNECTION World premiere, new CSO commission
NARDI SIMPSON Wilga’s Last Dance: Last melody of the area
CHRISTOPHER SAINSBURY World premiere, new CSO commission

Tickets and further information here.