“Inspired by Buxton Contemporary and the nightshifts exhibition, students from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music’s Concert Curation subject, led by Dr Joseph Lallo, developed their understanding of the artistic, audience and administrative elements of the concert experience. Students spent time in conversation with the nightshifts curators and in the gallery, researching the development, delivery and broader framework of a contemporary art exhibition. This engagement culminated in a public concert performance, Sona Eterna, which took the audience through the sleep cycle, and the gallery itself.
Reflections from subject coordinator Joseph Lallo:
nightshifts was a powerful and inspiring exhibition and the perfect catalyst for musical creation.
Listening to the curators discuss the themes and ideas underpinning the exhibition provided invaluable insight for our students in how they frame their own performances and connect with audiences.
The gallery became a meeting place for ideas and discussions between Curators, Artists, Producers, Performers and Composers. Working with both creative and production professionals equips our students with the skills to realise their own artistic projects.
This collaboration offered an immersive, real-world learning experience culminating in a sold-out public performance.
The concert included the world-premiere performances of six new compositions written especially for Sona Eterna.
Student Feedback
‘This subject challenged the way I view creative projects and the way I approach rehearsal schedules and situations. I found this subject artistically invigorating, and it gave me an opportunity to explore performance avenues and develop a skillset not usually available to undergraduate students.’
‘This subject gave each of us a large amount of freedom and agency to produce a creative product, and to think about the nature of our art, rather than focusing on technical craft like most of my University experience.’
‘All of our time in the space was so inspiring. Our first sound check and rehearsal where we workshopped ideas was a huge highlight.’
Student Highlights
‘The concert and the opportunity to speak with the gallery curators.’
‘Formulating ideas and metanarratives which informed our programming and concert order and movements. Hearing other people’s creative ideas was really inspiring.’