WASO is proud to work alongside schools and communities across Western Australia, as well as Australia’s finest Indigenous artists to share powerful cultural content through the creation and performance of both original compositions and new realisations of existing repertoire. These collaborations provide an incomparable connection for both our Orchestra and audiences, as well as unique music education experiences, where learning truly is a multi-dimensional and intergenerational process.We are proud to showcase these at significant events including at Perth Concert Hall and WASO's biggest end of year outdoor concert spectacular, Christmas Symphony. As our collaborations continue to grow, WASO looks forward to building relationships which empower us as we listen, learn and create, to reflect the rich culture in which we share.
In 2020 we are honoured to welcome Deborah Cheetham AO (Yorta Yorta) to the Perth Concert Hall alongside the full West Australian SymphonOrchestra, joined by soloists Linda Barcan and Don Bemrose (Gungarri), the Dhungala Children’s Choir and WASO Chorus to perform Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace^. Combining moving poetry, two choirs, orchestra and the platform of the Requiem mass, a history of heartbreak and horror is revealed in this monumental new work. With a fusion of Western classical tradition and First Nations culture, Eumeralla soars with resilience and reconciliation.
^ Presented by WASO and Short Black Opera. Sung in dialects of the Gunditjmara people of southwestern Victoria. The Gunditjmara translation was the work of senior Gunditjmara language custodian Vicki Couzens and linguist Travers Eira.
WASO’s Indigenous Creative Collaborations are supported by Bendat Family Foundation.