Pecan Summer is an opera written and composed by the Indigenous Australian singer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, who also sang in every season. It was orchestrated by Jessica Wells.[1] It is the first opera written by an Indigenous Australian and involving an Indigenous cast. It is based on the February 1939 Cummeragunja walk-off,[2] in which Cheetham's grandparents were involved.
| Pecan Summer | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon | |
| Librettist | Cheetham |
| Language | English and Yota Yota |
| Premiere | 8 October 2010 WestSide Performing Arts Centre, Mooroopna |
Pecan Summer was commissioned for the Olympic Arts Festival held in association with the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[3]
The libretto was written by Deborah Cheetham during a short stay in Lucca, Italy. The opera had its official world premiere at the WestSide Performing Arts Centre, Mooroopna, Victoria, on 8 October 2010, where it was presented by the Short Black Opera Company[2] and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra under David Kram.[1] It had an unofficial preview performance in Melbourne in July 2010.[4]
With his agreement, Cheetham used a recording of then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's February 2008 parliamentary apology to the "Stolen Generations" as part of the work.[4]
The timeline of the opera moves from the Dreamtime to July 2006, on the banks of the Yarra River near Federation Square in Melbourne; to 1939, on the banks of the Dhungala (Murray River) near the Cummeragunja Mission; to several months later in winter 1939; to Shepparton at an unspecified time; to Federation Square on 13 February 2008, the day of Kevin Rudd's apology.[1]
The world premiere performance was broadcast by ABC Classic FM on 28 November 2010.[1] Short Black Opera company has produced four seasons of Pecan Summer: Mooroopna 2010; Melbourne 2011; Perth 2012; Adelaide 2014;[citation needed] Sydney 2016. The 2016 season was performed in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House[5] and was recorded by National Indigenous Television and ABC Classic FM.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Australian Music Broadcast Highlights - PECAN SUMMER". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ^ a b [1] [dead link]
- ^ "'Stolen Generation' singer debuts landmark Aboriginal opera" (AFP) The Independent, 21 July 2010
- ^ a b "Landmark Aboriginal opera debuts with 'Stolen Generation' soprano". Archive.today. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Pecan Summer gets ready for their first performance at the Sydney Opera House". Sbs.com.au. 8 September 2016.
- ^ "ABC Classic FM - Sunday Opera - Pecan Summer". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
External links edit
- Pecan Summer at Deborah Cheetham's website
- Pecan Summer rehearsal at Art Nation, ABC