Luminescence bringing Drawing Breath to Wellington, Stuart Town

Luminescence will be performing Drawing Breath in Wellington and Stuart Town on November 8 and 9, respectively.

The vocal ensemble, comprised of AJ America, Alasdair Stretch, Veronica Milroy, Dan Walker and Rachel Mink, will bring together themes and repertoire spanning nearly 1000 years.

"We like to make sure that whatever people think vocal ensembles sing, we do something a little left field - renaissance music next to pop music, new Aussie compositions next to French medieval music," artistic director AJ America said.

"Over the course of 60 minutes, Drawing Breath reflects on the bushfires of 2019/2020, COVID-19, the sighs of unrequited love, as well as joy of speaking, singing, and new life; from the 'troubled breath' to breath as the essence of life and of music."

Ms America said her two favourite pieces from the show were I Heard You Sing by Jess Green, which she said was "kind of art-pop inspired", and a work by the group's tenor Dan Walker called Listen, Are You Breathing Just A Little and Calling It A Life.

The tour is being held through Music in the Regions. The organisation connects classical musicians to regional towns.

Those under 18-years-old can attend Drawing Breath for free.

"I hope young people hear (and enjoy) something they might never have encountered before. Whatever kind of music people think of as their own wheel house, I hope that they come to a Luminescence show and find both something familiar and something fresh," Ms America said.

"Sometimes young people tell me that it feels like they're not really invited to the party when it comes to art music - that they're supposed to know a lot about the classical canon to be allowed to attend or engage with these kinds of 'heritage' art forms. I hope that at Drawing Breath they feel absolutely a part of the art-making and meaning-making, that the boundaries between genres or between the old and the new are all a bit blurry."

For more information or to book tickets, visit musicintheregions.com.

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