A Behind-the-Scenes Look at OUR 2024 Season
This month, I’m thrilled to dive into the creative process behind programming our 2024 concert series. Artistic programming is the perfect opportunity to devote time to one of my favourite activities—discovering repertoire to learn and perform.
When Tresna and I established Mirabilis Collective, we had clear ideas about how we wanted to connect with our audiences at our concerts. Our approach is distinctive—each concert is a 60-minute, narrative-driven experience featuring music exclusively composed by women, performed by an ensemble of women from different generations. Each performance is packed with an eclectic mix of styles and genres that range from medieval and baroque to 19th-century impressionism, and even sambas, folk-rock, and dance-pop.
It hit me the other day—this past year, we've brought to life pieces from 31 astonishing women composers hailing from 14 countries. These women have enriched our musical understanding, allowing us to share with our audiences their cultural and musical styles and their unique compositional voices.
Our 2024 season is set to build on this momentum. As Artistic Director, I treasure taking time to unearth and select these pieces. It's rewarding scouring through historical archives, streaming playlists, and fascinating, lesser-known corners of the musical world. Here, I’d like to give a huge shout-out to the Australian Music Centre— they're an absolute gold mine for music written, published, and recorded by Australian composers. For me it’s more than finding music; it’s about uncovering those pieces that have something to say, that tug at the heartstrings or make your spirit soar.
The selection process for 2024 has been terrifically rewarding, beginning with a wide range of works, then refining our choices to align with our Season ’24 theme and the Mirabilis concert format. Each piece, concise yet impactful, is carefully chosen to stand on its own while connecting to the overall theme of the concert. Achieving this balance is essential—our aim is to create programs that simultaneously celebrate the diversity of women’s music and resonate with our audience on a personal level.
I believe what makes our concerts special is the narrative thread we weave through the music. For the 2024 series, we are focusing on themes that are both timeless and timely, reflecting the shared human experience through the lens of women composers and songwriters. This narrative approach elevates the concert from a series of performances to a cohesive story, with each piece acting as a chapter, contributing to an overarching message.
Collaboration is the heartbeat of our programming process. Currently, Julia Nicholls and I are arranging the music for our ensemble. Julia’s role is pivotal, reimagining pieces to highlight our ensemble's unique strengths and sounds. This year, we’re excited about blending different musical elements—we’ve particularly enjoyed presenting Taylor Swift’s song Begin Again as an instrumental piece infused with Baroque flourishes. (Tresna’s brother Mark said it was one of his favourite Mirabilis Collective moments!) These creative arrangements challenge us musically and provide our audience with a new perspective on familiar songs.
As we finalise the music and gear up for the upcoming season launch, I’m filled with anticipation and excitement. Our concerts are more than a platform for women’s compositions; they are a celebration of the rich, diverse, and often unspoken stories of women in music. Our aspiration for 2024 goes beyond entertainment; we aim to inspire, to forge connections, and to leave our audience with a sense of wonder and a deeper appreciation for the remarkable musical contributions of these extraordinary women.
Our sincere gratitude to these 31 women for creating the music which has been a cornerstone of Mirabilis Collective's 2023 performances: Barbara Strozzi, Emilie Mayer, Anna Bon, Nadia Boulanger, Regina Spektor, Cécile Chaminade, Hildegard von Bingen, Julia Nicholls, Joni Mitchell, Emily Wurramara, k.d.lang, Emily Saliers, Clara Schumann, Madi Colville-Walker, Emily Lau, Ingrid Stolzel, Kate Bush, Miriam Makeba, Katie Noonan, Emília Duque Estrada de Farias, Carmel Dean, Lili Boulanger, Rina Sawayama, Emily Doolittle, Elena Kats-Chernin, Taylor Swift, Loreena McKennitt, Valerie Coleman, Pauline Viardot-Garcia, Alyssa Morris, and Emily Gelineau (our 2023 International Women’s Day commission).
And now, we warmly invite you to join us on Monday, 11 December, at our concert The Ties That Bind, where we will reveal the 2024 Mirabilis Collective concert season. We can’t wait to share these new experiences with you!