Tag Archives: Opera

Apsara_Michaele

Opera Singer Michaele Archer launches new project Apsara

Apsara is an original project of classical soprano Michaele Archer, exploring a sound palate that is rich and raw. Composed with Latin text from Virgil and Roman woman poet Sulpicia, Apsara’s debut EP Galatea intertwines ancient and new sounds.

Leading the Apsara project on harmonium and vocals, Archer is joined by cellist Rachel Whealy, violist Gabrielle Laura Steele and guitarist Giuseppe Zangari.

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It been a journey bringing together the different layers for this project – Ancient Latin text, alto instruments and a vocal approach that blends opera and early music. “Once I had it the music came quickly. The songs almost wrote themselves. They came so fast in a matter of minutes recording on my phone.”

In addition to medieval vocals, ancient Latin text and deep analogue instruments, the flow of water and nature inspires Apsara. In Virgil’s Eclogue 7 there are references to Galatea, a water sprite and the name Apsara also translates as Indian water spirit.

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Michaele has performed opera, song and oratorio in Australia and internationally and has featured in several world premieres of new works by Australian composers.

“Coming from an opera background and having a larger voice type my sound has always been full on opera”. Michaele has recently been performing and studying in Los Angeles with Robin de Haas, a leading voice coach in Europe and founder of a new performance and body work method called Breathing Coordination. Going ever deeper into anatomy and the science of breathing led Michaele to a new vocal style, blending Opera into medieval straight tone.

Discovering the poetry of Roman woman poet Sulpicia struck a deep chord.  “The portrayal of women in opera is often two dimensional and I wanted to depart from that,” says Archer.  Sulpicia was a woman who lived outside the stereotypes of Ancient Roman society in terms of being unmarried, writing poetry and writing explicitly about love. The feel and sound qualities of old Latin text and stories interpreted from a female perspective form a rich layer, built with instruments from the deeper harmonic spectrum.

“I’ve got a thing for the darker sounding instruments so combining the tone of the viola with cello and alto harmonium was a perfect fit.”

Cellist Rachel Whealy has been a muse since high school. The pair met in Year 12 Music class, where Michaele fell in love with Rachel’s playing and the mellow sob of the cello. There were quite a few maths lessons skipped to play Purcell on Balmoral Island with the waves. They have been performing, writing and recording together ever since. “We’ve created some beautiful original recordings, but I kept putting them aside. I hadn’t quite cracked the feel of the sound I knew I was looking for. I wanted to move slightly left of opera with an instrumental foundation that was real and textured.”

APSARA – GALATEA is OUT TODAY August 23 and released through Foghorn/MGM. 

Download or stream 

apsara linkto

Connect with Michaele:

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Flying Free CD single1000

A Talk with Tania De Jong on her early influences and new album Flying Free

Latest News

Flying Free Album Release September 1 (MGM)  CD and Digital(14 tracks)

Album Launch Event Details

Springtime Soirée at Cranlana

Tuesday 19 September 2017
5:30 for 6pm – 8pm

Cranlana, 62 Clendon Rd, Toorak, VIC
Simply  email for an invite.

 

On the eve of the First Single and Title Track from her new Album ‘Flying Free’ (Out on MGM Friday July 21) we have a chat with Tania De Jong (AM)….

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  1. Tell us about the moment you decided to become a singer? What did your family have to say about it?

When I got the lead role in Oklahoma, the school musical – I was 17. Please see question 4. My family were supportive but encouraged me to do a stable degree first as a back up as my grand parents were artists and being an artist is a hard life, especially in Australia. So I did a Law Degree and also went to Opera School, coached tennis (to earn money as I was a top tennis player). Then I set up my group Pot-Pourri in 1987 with another student at Opera School, Jonathan Morton. He sings in a couple of songs on this CD.

2. What inspired you to become an artist and who are your early influences?

My grandmother invented the original foldable umbrella in Vienna in 1929 and my grandfather was an acclaimed sculptor. My great aunt was a renowned actress on the Paris stage. My mother is a writer and creator.

Art, music and invention runs through my family DNA.

See more here:

Visit The Duldig Studio (DGR charitable organisation) where my grandparents’ work now resides (as well as in galleries around the world) and be inspired by their extraordinary story of escape and survival. The Studio (which is my grandparents’ former home often reminds people of the Anne Frank House in Holland.

My mother’s book “Driftwood” telling the story will be launched August 20 2017 a month before my CD launch.

WATCH these short beautiful videos for more background and inspiration:

Against all Odds  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j8HxQrhfyg

Flirt – The Magical Umbrella of the Sculptress https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25gVCAHrBJY&feature=youtu.be

3. Tell us a little about your writing process, how does a song come along? What gets you going creatively?

It’s usually being in a beautiful place connected to divine consciousness, a higher spiritual energy emanating through nature and then transmitting to me in the form of lyrics. Flying Free lyrics came into my head at Macchu Picchu as I was imagining a gathering of all the people who were most special to me. That sense of being connected to all that is. Everlasting Light lyrics came after my first experience with psychedelics in the purest form of psilocybin. I realised that we are all continuing light and felt this amazing, enormous love and connection to the circle of life.

4. Tell us more?

PLEASE be inspired by my TED Talk which tells the below story and much more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_HOBr8H9EM

5. Favourite artists of all time?

Abba, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles and John Lennon’s Imagine, Louis Armstrong, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah

6. Fave Book? Fave pet?. 

I love dogs and had a beloved poodle cross till last year. A favourite book is “Racing in the rain” which sees the meaning of life and human relationships from a dog’s point of view.

7. Fave food or drink and is there a story associated with that?

Superfood junkie – love wheatgrass and maca and coconut oil and aloe vera juice and green organic vegetables. I famously asked for a Bok Choi Burger at MacDonalds when I was on tour with my group pot-Pourri – based on a dare from them!

8. What are your future plans for 2017/2018?

Launching this CD and confirming more singing and speaking gigs in Australia and globally, including concerts, singing at events where people do not expect it, getting the whole audience singing and finding their voice.

I sang in Vienna at the Kursalon the other week and had an awesome response. I hope to do more singing in Europe and USA and Asia. I’ve performed all over the world with my group Pot-Pourri in the past and we still do gigs all over the place

www.pot-pourri.com.au

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FLYING FREE RELEASE DETAILS
Official Worldwide Release Date Flying Free Single July 21(MGM) Digital Only
Flying Free Album Release September 1 (MGM)  CD and Digital(14 tracks)

more at

-Social media links
https://twitter.com/TaniadeJong
https://www.facebook.com/taniadejongam

-Official site 
http://www.taniadejong.com

YouTube channel  
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCo1xm_Sdslk7MytjEHO73Q