Flute, Folk and Feelings Sydney Premier 2022

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The End of Torpor is a poignant flute and cello duet composed by disabled musician, The Emerald Ruby.

Torpor is defined as the physiological changes an animal undergoes as they enter a state of hibernation. Although I am human, every year as the sun sets earlier and the temperature cools, I experience torpor. This mental and physical shift marks my yearly unavoidable transition into a state of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

As Winter turns to Spring, I exit this state of depression, emerging from a type of hibernation. This piece was composed in the July/August period of 2021, Winter into Spring, musically capturing the end of torpor.

This show will also feature performances from The Emerald Ruby's solo set, Naomi Dart's solo set, Sister Ursuline and Gallia.

About the musicians:

Sister Ursuline is a Sydney-based singer-songwriter and cellist. Dubbed a 'sonic historian' by performance artist Betty Grumble and 'found-object artist of musical influences' (The Beauty Between Her Thighs, Dirge Magazine 2015), she draws on historical sources and folk stories to create otherworldly narrative songs: asylum-bound nuns, shape-shifting witches and iron-willed aristocrats inhabit 'echoing, off-kilter tale[s]… of madness, illness, obsession and suffering…' (Brian Ennis, 2015).

In 2015 she independently recorded and released her debut EP, Dramatic, Grim and Humorous - '…accomplished, heady stuff…' (Ibid), a collection of six songs spanning hundreds of years. The same year, she joined cello-rock ensemble Rasputina on their North American tour as first chair, alongside front woman Melora Creager and pianist Luis Mojica.

Since then, Sister Ursuline has headlined as a solo performer on Australia's East Coast as well as contributing to a number of albums as guest cellist - notably Luis Mojica's Wholesome and How A Stranger Is Made. In live performance, she uses effects and looping on the fly to create a multi-cello ensemble and vocal harmonies. She was nominated for the Newcastle Fringe Festival's Artistic Integrity Award and is currently working on her debut album release.

Gailla creates homemade electro folk pop songs about climate, construction and corruption. Each idea is powered by joy and hope. Each story is to help imagine the future ahead of us - one with twisting green vines in the city and calm in the forests

Naomi Dart is a versatile cellist playing any style from folk to classical and musical theatre. Her Classical training, combined with experimental music philosophies merge together in her live performances, bringing every audience on a wild, improvised journey.

The Emerald Ruby weaves a delicate musical tapestry from an on-stage forest of flutes and ukuleles. Voice like a siren, intricate melodies sprout from her classical training, gently manicured by her love of Folk music and Jazz.