Claire Edwardes

Credit: Cole Bennetts

Program

MISSY MAZZOLI (b. 1980) Orrizonte
GEMMA PEACOCKE (b. 1984) I Promise Not to Poison You xoxo
Nightshade - Hemlock - Crocus Sativus 
NATALIE WILLIAMS (b. 1977) Emberstrike
CLAIRE EDWARDES (b. 1975) / PAUL MAC (b. 1965) Dual Attractor

About the program

Claire Edwardes OAM is a force of nature in new music. With infectious enthusiasm and the moniker of ‘sorceress of percussion,’ she has built a trailblazing career in new music through extensive commissioning of solo percussion works, championing female composers and gender equity in classical music, and performing around the world for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Drawing inspiration from chaos theory, Dual Attractor explores two gravitational centres pulling in different directions. For Claire, these opposing forces are found in the relationship between performer and instrument and the distinct voices of marimba and vibraphone.

Her unique solo show illuminates these dualities through bold new works. Experience the shimmering textures of Missy Mazzoli’s Orizzonte, Gemma Peacocke’s feminist riff on poison and pleasure, I Promise Not to Poison You xoxo and Claire’s own genre-defying work in collaboration with techno master Paul Mac, Dual Attractor - dreamscapes capturing the creative exchange that has guided Claire’s work over three decades.

Dual Attractor celebrates the vitality of contemporary percussion, drawing listeners into an ever-evolving sound world that reimagines what percussion can be and how it reflects our world today.

About the artist

Claire Edwardes OAM is Australia's ‘sorceress of percussion’ (Canberra City News) and the only Australian to win the 'APRA Art Music Luminary Award’ four times. A charismatic percussion virtuoso, Claire leaps between her role as Ensemble Offspring’s Artistic Director (Australia’s leading new music ensemble), solo recitals and concerto performances with all the Australian Symphony Orchestras including recent premieres of works by Anne Cawrse, Natalie Williams, Elena Kats-Chernin and Iain Grandage. In 2022 Claire was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her enduring contribution to Australian music and in 2023 she was the recipient of the Australian Women in Music Award for Creative Leadership.

Recently described in Limelight as a ‘unique treasure of Australia’s musical community’ and in The Age as ‘an invigorating musical life force’, Claire has hosted Play School, been an ARIA Award finalist twice and has performed as a soloist all over the world – from Vancouver to Amsterdam, the Gold Coast to Malta, and Huddersfield to Alice Springs. Widely known for her genre-spanning solo concerts, plus commissioning and premiering hundreds of new works for marimba, vibraphone, drums and more unusual instruments such as the waterphone, she passionately advocates for gender equity and diversity in all that she undertakes. As a trailblazer Claire breaks down barriers between art music and audiences with her famous on-stage infectious enthusiasm for bringing new music to new audiences.

Visit Claire's website.