Australian Vocal Ensemble: The Long Moment

The program features compositions by Emma Jayakumar, Ruben Davies, Lachlan Skipworth, Aaron Wyatt, Andrew O’Connor and Katie Noonan. With vocal works that respond to Winton’s unmistakable language in music that feels expansive and unmistakably Australian, the ensemble will also pay tribute to the golden age of vocal polyphony with AVÉ’s interpretations of music by Bach and Tomás Luis de Victoria.

Founded by Artistic Director Dr Katie Noonan in 2021, AVÉ is forging a unique and innovative sound world. With over 60 commissions in three years, AVÉ leads one of Australia’s most active commissioning projects for vocal chamber music.

AVÉ, established in 2021, showcases Australia’s stories through new vocal music, exploring and celebrating the voices, languages, and stories that shape contemporary Australia. AVÉ is a vibrant blend of tradition and innovation, acknowledging the origins of a cappella chamber music singing while championing 21st-century Australian vocal works and composers. The ensemble engages with the world’s oldest living culture through language revitalisation projects, while seamlessly intertwining these perspectives with the contemporary sounds of Australia’s finest living composers.

Featuring Katie Noonan (soprano), Hannah Fraser (mezzo-soprano), Louis Hurley (tenor) and Andrew O’Connor (bass-baritone), the ensemble brings together four of Australia’s most distinctive vocal artists whose varied musical backgrounds make them ideally suited to interpreting AVÉ’s distinctive approach to vocal chamber music.

With a commitment to commissioning, creating, and collaborating, their approach to programming is refreshingly unique, placing contemporary voices at the forefront and reimagining classical works, all delivered with a warm, inclusive, and inviting demeanour. Since its founding, AVÉ has commissioned more than 60 new Australian vocal works and continues to expand the repertoire through recordings, performances and collaborations with leading Australian composers.