Excitement is building for one of the most unique collaborations Tamborine Mountain Orchestra (TMO) has presented.
Renowned local didgeridoo player Russell Smith will join TMO for Earth – Wind – Water – Fire Concerto for Didgeridoo composed by Sean O’Boyle and William Barton.
Russell said he is honoured to have been given the opportunity to join TMO to play the only concerto featuring a didgeridoo ever written.
“I’m very grateful for the Tamborine Mountain Orchestra to let me play with them,” Russell said.
“It’s going to be a really important piece to play. William Barton is one of the prominent didgeridoo players in Australia and for me I’m walking in his footsteps and I have to do justice to the piece.”
The audience will be enraptured as they are taken on a musical journey capturing Australia’s spirit.
“It’s a moody piece, an emotional piece,” TMO president Sanne Kreijkamp-Kaspers and Russell said.
“It will be extremely unique,” Sanne added.
“We had the plan lined up and Russell lined up and then I discovered we couldn’t buy the music, it’s not published, so I emailed the composer, Sean O’Boyle who kindly gave it to us.”
Then Russell had to source a didgeridoo in E flat.
“I scoured the country for one. It took three weeks to put feelers out for one,” Russell said.
“I had a custom-made didgeridoo by Brad Hagestien flown in for the concert from New South Wales.
Russell first performed with TMO at the Southern Cross Soloists Chamber Music Festival with composer Sarah Hopkins last year.
“Doing the first piece with Sarah Hopkins, that was really important. I had played that piece in Melbourne with a cello player,” he said.
However, this concerto will be Russell’s first time playing a concerto and with a full orchestra.
Earth – Wind – Water – Fire Concerto for Didgeridoo is on June 21 at 2:30pm at Tamborine Mountain State High School.
Tickets are available at www.ticketebo.com.au/tmo.
