Feel the waves of gong sounds reverberate through your body. Hear the soaring melody of Shah Kaman or Persian violin like a bird in flight. Be moved by the lament of a Kayan warrior.
Join acclaimed Parap & Takna’ performer Adrian Jo Milang (Malaysia), iconic Australian percussionist Dr Michael Askill (Australia), Persian Violinist Greta Kelly (Australia), and a team of gong players for a stirring music experience under the night sky.
Song to the Earth is classical composer Dr Corrina Bonshek’s imagining of the voice of the earth. Inspired by cycles and patterns in nature, it speaks to the ecological challenges faced today. The Parap sung by Adrian and his elders brings a message of loss of ancestral indigenous knowledge.
This event is 30-minutes long and is suitable for all ages.
Acknowledgements
Music Composition & Artistic Direction: Dr Corrina Bonshek
Parap Composition: Adrian Jo Milang
Performers (Australia): Dr Michael Askill, Greta Kelly
Performers (Sarawak): Tukang Parap – Adrian Jo Milang; Tukang Habe (Chorus) – Hulo Laing, Anye Emut, Mujan Nyeigok; Gong Players – Ashly Nandong, Innochi Austin, Abednego Sherrif.
Performers (Kuala Lumpur): Souls Impact Percussion – Chin Chun Ket, Zac Tan & Tiong Jun Ying
Producers: Corrina Bonshek, Juvita Tatan Wan (The Tuyang Initiative)
Special thanks to The Tuyang Initiative (representation for Adrian Jo Milang, Tukang Habe and Gong Players from Sarawak).
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, it’s arts and funding and advisory body. It is also supported by the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and the City of Gold Coast Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
Song to the Earth was originally co-commissioned by City of Gold Coast, Bleach*Festival and the Queensland Government through the Regional Arts Development Fund and the Office of the Commonwealth Games and other funding sources, and had first stage creative development as part of Inherit the Wind, a collaborative and community-engaged performance project directed and produced by Meredith Elton.
Song to the Earth Featuring Kayan Parap Production History
2019 | Rainforest Fringe Festival July 11 & 12, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Selected Media
Interview with Corrina Bonshek in The Blank Gold Coast
Interview with Juvita Tatan Wan in Dayak Daily
