We are honoured to host the premiere of the song cycle 'Love, the Rover' for our celebration of Burgmann College's 45th anniversary on Saturday, 3 September 2016.
Commissioned by former Principal Dr Philip Dutton on behalf of the College, Burgmann alumnus and acclaimed musician Bradley Kunda (2005–2012) composed the song cycle, which features poetry by Austalian writer and bush poet Henry Lawson.
We look forward to the performance of the piece by Bradley Kunda and accomplished soprano Rebecca MacCallion.
Highlights from Burgmann's 45th anniversary celebration:
Biography of Bradley Kunda
Bradley Kunda is a musician of extraordinarily diverse talents who believes in the classical ideal of the complete musician, devoted to performance, composition, teaching, and writing about music.
Kunda is a Doctor of Music Performance at the Australian National University, where he trained as a classical guitarist. He has since become a long-standing member of Australia's premier guitar quartet Guitar Trek, performing alongside his mentor Timothy Kain AM. Kunda has performed in major festivals and concert series throughout Australia, including the Adelaide and Darwin International Guitar Festivals, the Canberra International Music Festival, and the ABC's Sunday Live series. A passionate exponent of new Australian music, Kunda has premiered works by Peter Sculthorpe, Robert Davidson, Marc Isaacs and Richard Charlton.
It is perhaps a natural consequence that Kunda's own compositional output is dedicated largely to the guitar. His creative process often involves exploring other art forms. For example, his recent suite for flute and guitar, Spirit of the Plains (2015), draws on the sound world of the Belle Epoque to evoke the sinuous curves of Sydney Long's Art Nouveau-styled Australian bush. By contrast, his guitar duet Waterlilies (2007) attempts a sonic representation of Monet's multi-layered colour palette, achieved through the blurring of musical lines in a strict canon that resembles a live delay effect.
As both performer and composer, Kunda is largely involved in collaborative acts of music making. He has performed with a number of Australia's foremost instrumentalists, including William Barton, Anthony Garcia, Goetz Richter, Teije Hylkema, and Nicole Canham. Maintaining a devoted interest in vocal music, Kunda accompanies soprano Rebecca MacCallion in rejuvenating the repertoire for voice and guitar with new compositions and arrangements. His duet, the Brew Guitar Duo, has also made significant contributions to the repertoire and is a well-established part of the Australian guitar scene.
Kunda has been a finalist for the Music Council of Australia's Freedman Fellowship for Classical Music. Among his many awards are First Prize in the Córdoba International Guitar Competition (Spain), a Canberra Critic's Circle Award (Australia), and the audience prize in the Nikšić International Guitar Competition (Montenegro).
As an educator, Kunda has taught in the degree programs at the Australian National University and the University of Newcastle. He is now privileged to be mentored by Australia's most esteemed musical educator, Richard Gill OA, in conducting, composition and piano accompaniment.
In July 2016, Kunda was made an Associate Artist of the Australian Music Centre, which publishes his works. Kunda's recordings are available on ABC Classics (Australia) and Soundset Recordings (USA).
Biography of Rebecca MacCallion
Rebecca MacCallion studied singing with internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Irene Waugh before completing a bachelor's degree in Music at the Australian National University, studying under Stephen Bennett and Christina Wilson. During her studies, Rebecca took masterclasses with Barbara Bonney, Gerhard Kahry and Louise Page.
Rebecca is a diverse performer at home in both classical and music theatre repertoire. She made her music theatre debut with the National Theatre Company in its 2000 production of Les Misérables. She went on to perform featured roles with Metropolitan Players in productions of Annie (2002) and My Fair Lady (2003). Rebecca's first opera appearance was in Gillian Sullivan’s production of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro (2004). Since then, she has featured as a soloist with Melbourne Opera’s touring production of Tosca, and was invited to sing the role of Musetta in Melbourne Opera’s Italian Opera Gala concert in Canberra, performing alongside Joanna Cole and Roy Best.
In 2011, Rebecca was nominated for the Canberra Area Theatre Award for 'Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical' for her portrayal of Velma Kelly in Chicago. She has also performed the role of Phelia in 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' to critical acclaim. In 2013, Rebecca played the role of Maria in West Side Story with Sydney Youth Musical Theatre and in 2014 she sang the role of Christine in Strathfield Musical Society's production of The Phantom of the Opera. Rebecca was recently hailed as 'a delightful Cinderella, singing beautifully and nailing the role with a lovely mix of charm, sweetness and determination' in Rockdale Musical Society's production of 'Into the Woods' (Stage Whispers, March 2015). In October 2015, Rebecca will perform the role of Belle in Strathfield Musical Society's 'Beauty and the Beast'.
A strong supporter of new Australian music, Rebecca featured in a leading role in the world premiere of young Australian composer Joshua McHugh’s 'Grim and the Blue Crown Owl', which went on to win 'Best New Opera' in the 2009 Canberra Area Theatre Awards. She is also the dedicatee of a number of chamber works by composers, including Richard Charlton and Robert Shearer.
As a recitalist, Rebecca has given nationwide broadcasts in ABC Classic FM’s Sunday Live series, where she premiered a new version of Joaquin Rodrigo’s 'Cuatro Madrigales Amatorios' for voice and two guitars. In April 2012, Rebecca travelled to Italy to give two concerts for the Accademia l’Ottocento (Lecce). In 2010, Rebecca toured Europe with duo partner Bradley Kunda, giving concerts at the Nikšić International Guitar Festival (Montenegro) and the Project Cancíon Español in Granada (Spain). Rebecca was a featured soloist in the Australian National University’s inaugural Musica Antica festival, where she participated in a live internet broadcast concert of chamber music, as well as singing Mozart’s motet Exultate Jubilate with the ANU Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Carlo Barone.
Rebecca is a recipient of The Australia-Britain Society Award for Voice, which enabled her to travel to the United Kingdom in 2012 to pursue her singing. She holds a Masters degree in Speech pathology from The University of Sydney and has a particular interest in the human voice in performance contexts.
