Take a walk through a sea of musicians and awe-inspiring light installations in Song to the Ocean at HOTA this May.
Based on the contemporary classical music composition by award-winning Gold Coast composer Dr Corrina Bonshek, Song to the Ocean will be performed by acclaimed Australian string ensemble DeepBlue, master percussionist & south-east Asian gong expert Michael Askill, soloist Greta Kelly on Persian violin, and vocal powerhouse & multi-instrumentalist WHAIA, Maori sonic weaver.
They will be joined by 30 talented young local musicians, primordial whalesong, accompanied by marine-inspired visual art by local artists exhibited in the light sculptures.
Audiences will also get the opportunity to experience the beauty and majesty of Living Sculptures, a collaboration between local Indigenous dance company The Yugambeh Dancers (led by Luther Cora), and the world-class acrobatic performers of Arc Circus.
Luther Cora’s interpretation of the dreamtime story of How The Birds Got Their Colours is a very specific story to the area of the Gold Coast. The piece features local birds of the area and is told in a unique way through live acrobatic performance, dancing, and music.
Composer Corrina Bonshek has toured her creation Song to Earth all over the world to great acclaim. This latest sea-worthy incarnation is set to makes waves with Gold Coast's culture vultures and music lovers alike. Corrina answered some questions for us ahead of the show on 13 May.
Song To The Earth (and now Ocean) just keeps on going! When you created it, did you imagine this extended life for it?
Right from the beginning, I was really hoping for a long touring life for this work. This was no easy task as it has a core team of 15 performers, which expands to 50 with talented young local musicians joining us for workshops and performances in each area we visit, plus 18 large light sculptures that pulse and change colour in response to the music. Back in 2017, even with no shows yet booked beyond the premiere at Bleach* Festival 2018 and 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Arts & Culture Festival, I was trying to figure out how to take this show on the road. I was so convinced that this was going to happen that I asked visual artist Mimi Dennett to make the light sculptures collapsible, which was no easy task!
This show invites the audience to enter a circle of light sculptures, and walk in between the performers, with music and nature sounds all around them. There’s nothing quite like experiencing music this way. We’ve performed the show as far north as Rockhampton and south to Sydney, where we performed a concert version on the stage of Sydney Town Hall.
A big surprise for me has been how suited this show is for adaptation with new collaborators. In 2019, for Rainforest Fringe Festival Sarawak, Malaysia we made a new version featuring Kayan Parap with Adrian Jo Milang and the Tuyang Initiative. Then in 2021, we made another version - Song to the Ocean - with WHAIA Maori Sonic Weaver, and the incredible whale song recordings of The Oceania Project for Hervey Bay Whale Festival (with support from Festivals Australian and Regional Arts Development Fund). In 2024 and 2025, we are planning new adaptations with musicians and festivals in New Zealand, Indonesia and Canada, all of which involve cultural exchange with non-western traditions. I love learning about music and the values of living traditions, and coming up with ways to hold space for everyone.
Tell us about some of the collaborations involved in this HOTA production, and how they came about.
There are so many collaborators on this show, four of whom have journeyed with me from the start. Musician/producer Greta Kelly, who was key to the forming of Corrina Bonshek & Collaborators company, performs a deeply moving Persian violin solo in this show and is the brains behind the string players’ whale calls. DeepBlue, a string orchestra who dance with their instruments, bring incredible performing, community engagement, and producing skills to this show (DeepBlue are co-producers of our 2022 and 2023 RISE funded seasons). Australian percussion icon, Michael Askill and his incredible gong collection still feature. The gongs are a great fit with the majestic whale song (recorded by conservationist The Oceania Project). Tiffany Beckwith-Skinnerwho created wearable illuminated art for the first show, has devised a workshop for local artists to contribute silhouette art to display inside the 2m light sculptures.
A big part of what makes Song to the Ocean unique is Whaia, a powerhouse vocalist who literally sings Whale calls and performs on Taonga Puroro, traditional Maori instruments, of clay, bone, stone, and wood. I first started working with Whaia in 2000 on another show called Tower Divas which will finally premiere later this year. We’re up to three shows together now!
This HOTA presentation brings a new mix of collaborators and a unique combination of events.
Luther Cora and Arc Circus will perform How the Birds Got Their Colours within the Song to the Ocean circle of lights. There is a natural synergy between their show and ours, with nature inspiration, and strong alliance with First Nation voices. Their performance, which premiered at Swell Sculpture Festival, is effortlessly engaging and overflows with beauty.
At 5pm on show night, Whaia is launching the Mana Waka, a 40ft touring bus and mobile studio, with the unveiling of the ‘Living Canvas’ created on the side of the bus whilst in residence at the HOTA lake. This is an incredible initiative that brings together community and values First Nations’ knowledge and culture. Drop in and meet her team including Gold Coast based Maori artist Kimiora Ratana.
Tell us about some of the intersections between Song to the Ocean and How the Birds Got Their Colours.
I think the pairing of these two shows is going to be really great. Sonically, Song to the Ocean is like luxuriating in deep-time of a slowly unfolding sunset. How the Birds Got Their Colours accelerates that rhythm with storytelling and dynamism of dance-circus. So the pairing feels good, like riding a big wave! There are many points of connection between birds and the ocean, which Luther will tell you more about. Also, I’m excited to see and hear Whaia and Luther sing together again. At Bleach* Festival 2020, Whaia and Luther were the talk of the festival with their morning sound sessions at Burleigh Heads. You’ll get to hear them together again as part of this event.
You’re travelling again, how exciting! Tell us about that.
Yes! The Song to the Ocean production and the Mana Waka are travelling to Townsville for the Northern Australian Festival of Arts. Whaia and I will be in residence at Big Eye Theatre where we’re finishing a new show called Singing Waters with local first nations singers and performers. We’ll be presenting three performances of Song to the Ocean alongside a program of workshops that include Gong Sound Bath, the Mana Waka Song & Dance workshop, Kids’ Illuminated Art Workshop and more.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know?
Song to the Ocean is a free, family friendly event. Bring your children to the kids illuminated art workshops before the show and they can parade their creations during the show.
Big thank you to HOTA - Home of the Arts, and Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund - an Australian Government Initiative, for making it possible for us to bring this work to the Gold Coast once more and share it in this new, ocean-inspired form.
Song to the Ocean hita HOTA on Saturday 13 May. Event info is here. Follow Corrina Bonshek & Collaborators on Facebook or Instagram.