News

Below is a link to further information about Chant.

Enjoy!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzXLttyix-YMWU9kaWo4aEFiams

So in the spirit of not spamming everyone to death about my various roles in the Festival of Voices, I thought I’d agglomerate all the info into a single, fun-filled page.

Queer Narratives: Story to Song special redux showing

Saturday July 4, 5pm, Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Arts Centre

So proud to be able to present this incredible programme again – all original material, inspired and often written by members of Tasmanian LGBTIQ community, brought to life by an all-Tasmanian songwriting team, and documents our lives, loves, challenges and triumphs. I’m directing, also playing, singing, and had a hand in arranging or composing a fair bit of the material. Get your ticket here.

Gregorian Chant for Novices

Wednesday July 8, 3:30-5pm, long gallery, salamanca Arts centre

Come along and get a crash course in reading Chant notation – and in a really fabulous and unexpected twist, get to actually lay hands on an actual page of Chant manuscript, painstakingly hand-transcribed onto actual vellum. This has been made possible by the generosity of early music enthusiast Chrissie Berryman – the manuscript’s provenance in unknown, but its history brought it as far as a local tip shop, where it was espied and snapped up as a gift for Chrissie by a canny friend!  How cool a Tassie tale is that??

Sign up here.

Tarkine in Motion – Vocal Commotion

Wednesday July 8, 7:30pm, peacock theatre, salamanca arts centre

This incredibly special concert is one of a number of events which are part of the Tarkine in Motion project, a long-range push to raise awareness of the unique beauty and terrible threat to the Tarkine Wilderness, with the ultimate goal of having the area protected as a National Park.  The music you will hear is fresh, wild, and full of variety, a snapshot of many voices with the common thread of having been inspired by a recent Tarkine retreat which was attended by over 50 artists.  Don’t miss catching this beautiful work in the raw; I’ll be singing, randomly harmonising, and if you listen carefully, those crunchy harmonies in the final number are courtesy of meself.

Tickets can be got here.

The Bonfire

friday july 12, 6pm, Salamanca Place, Salamanca

This is the iconic Festival of Voices event, showcasing some of the headline acts and featuring a procession which will begin with a piece composed by me and sung by a gorgeous boy soprano and mirrored by Co-cheòl, a gorgeous quartet of women specialising in Celtic song.  Free event – just show up!

And if you’re around that afternoon before the bonfire, I can really recommend going to MONA: between 3 and 5pm, Sarah Penicka-Smith, who among other things directs the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir, will be curating choral installation soundscapes to accompany some of the MONA artworks.  She’ll have a crew of her own SGLC choristers, augmented with some QTastrians past, present and future.  In 2013 at the Out and Loud festival, QTas was involved in a similar event, and it was magic.  Get along if you can!!

And last but not least:

Haydn: The Creation

Saturday July 11, 2:30pm, Farrell Centre, Friends’ school

Haydn’s Creation.  It’s HUGE. The choir that comes together each year for the major choral workshop is excellent, and will be particularly so under David Lawrence‘s expert direction.  The Hobart Chamber Orchestra is also an exceedingly creditable outfit  And I’ll be there, pulling out all the diva stops, frock and all, and singing a staggering number of solos, duos and trios.  Should be a hoot!

Tickets available here.

… and in case anyone wonders what I’ll be doing the week after this extravaganza, here’s a sneak preview:

(Except I’ll likely be a bit more asleep than that.  And we have two dogs… but you get the gist.)

Helen is now offering singing tuition in Cygnet and Hobart!

Click here for more details.

Helen Thomson’s first fully-fledged self-composed CD, recorded with Grand Master of Shakuhachi, Riley Lee, takes its inspiration from Zen Meditations, Gregorian Chant, and their creative collision within a digitally manipulated soundspace created in real time.

Find out more here.

Helen is now accepting contracts for the 2012 Australian season.  Extracts of some of Helen’s work can be found here.  Contact Helen for more information.

Helen is also happy to consider compositional commissions for 2012, depending on other work pressure. Examples of Helen’s composition are here, and her CV is here.  Contact Helen for more information.

Recent Classical work

Zerfliesse, mein Herze from JS Bach’s St John Passion

performed with Musica Poetica and Coro Ars Nova

Ich folge dir gleichfalls from JS Bach’s St John Passion

performed with Musica Poetica and Coro Ars Nova

Benedictus from Mozart Requiem

performed with Musica Poetica

Other solo work

De Monte Lapis

Melismatic organum, performed with Riley Lee

Ensemble work

Kyrie

Q Vocal Ensemble

Credo

Q Vocal Ensemble

Agnus Dei

Q Vocal Ensemble

Electroacoustic / Composition

Kyrie xv

Based on Gregorian Mass xv, composed by Helen Thomson performed with Riley Lee

Jubilate Deo

Gregorian Chant with sound design by Helen Thomson

Suzuru

Based on Zen Meditation, sound design my Helen Thomson, Performed by Riley Lee