My Australia
A fanfare for orchestra commissioned in 2020 by The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Premiered October 12 15 & 16 2022 at Sydney Opera House performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pietari Inkinen.
“CHARODY SHOWED TOTAL COMMAND OF THE ORCHESTRAL FORCES AT HER DISPOSAL”
Programme Notes
A significant part of Australia’s history is marred by discrimination not only against Australia’s first people, but in recent years against those simply seeking a safer life away from war, poverty and famine.
As a nation we have said sorry to Australia’s First People, yet the lyrics to the Australian National Anthem still stand almost unchanged since they were first written by a Scotsman in 1878 - a time when genocide against Australian’s First People was rife.
As we look to the future of the world, war, poverty and famine continue to destroy countless lives. It is our responsibility as a progressive nation to look after these people, help them heal and to create a rich life by embracing them into our multicultural society. This is something we have already done for so many, but have failed to do for so many others.
I ran a project in schools across Australia and asked Australian children (Indigenous children, children from immigrant families and refugee children) to each write a paragraph about what Australia meant to them.
Their heartwarming responses inspired me to write lyrics to this fanfare as an offering for a fresh Australian National Anthem.
I believe if we have a National Anthem that is relevant to ALL Australians, we as a nation can look toward a progressive future filled with optimism, hope and unity.
“IF EVER THERE WAS A PROGRAM TO SHOW OFF THE SHARPER, DEEPER, MORE CLEARLY BALANCED ACOUSTICS OF THE SONICALLY REFURBISHED CONCERT HALL IN THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, IT WAS THIS LINEUP. BERLIOZ, THE MOST IMAGINATIVE ORCHESTRATOR OF THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY, WHO PUBLISHED A BOOK ON THE SUBJECT; RAVEL, ARGUABLY THE GREATEST ORCHESTRATOR OF THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY, AND CHLOÉ CHARODY (B. 1984), AN AUSTRALIAN COMPOSER WITH AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION, WHO REALLY KNOWS HER WAY AROUND THE ORCHESTRA”
