Spic- Spontaneously Performed Interactive Composition Fellowship Award.

Performances Sat 31st Jan 7th 14th 21st February 3pm-6pm

With much thanks for the generous support from the Canshester Foundation the Merri-bel City Band is very excited to announce Dure Dara as its recipient for the inaugural MCB Fellowship.

The fellowship is a $20,000 grant that goes toward enriching the local music community through mentorship, collective endeavour and the sharing of experiences old and new.

This project will involve the development of a new work through regular rehearsals, interactions and conversations.  The development of the work will also be open to the public through four concert performances in February and an album release of a recording of the work.

The grant is awarded to any individual with an improvised music performance background.

As the inaugural recipient percussionist Dure, will work together with longtime associate Ren Walters (guitar) and four young improvisors from the Melbourne music community. 

Ava McDermott (voice,poetry), Abby Sundborn Reeves (cello), Dean Kalaitzidis (saxophone) Ashley Ballat (trumpet)

Although the shape of this project will only take form through it’s process here are some words to help get the idea across.

As people, we will strengthen and grow from expressions of care, gratitude and interdependence. Improvised music has the potential to strengthen our minds, hearts and bodies to respond with grace, care and rigor to critical situations throughout life. Now’s the time to gather, in witnessing making music, taking risks together, building trust and intimacy, in each other and in self.

The Canchester Fellowship has generously provided a chance for the inaugural recipient Dure Dara, to bring four young improvisors together with her collaborator of decades, Ren Walters to surrender to process and experience over 70years of history, knowledge and practice of improvised music from Naarm. This is a weaving of fabric with the past and now.

Dure Dara is an improvising percussionist in her early 80s and has been a stalwart of Naarm’s improvised music for decades. Dure is a beacon of artistry, she is the antithesis of the fast paced, individualistic, death drive contemporary culture. She demonstrates that to play is to live, and for people to witness Dure through the fellowship, exemplifies the longevity and commitment of an improvised music creative life.