Next month, one of the most talked-about classical music performances in the region is making a much-anticipated return and it’s happening right here in Murrumburrah.
Alexander Yau, the internationally renowned pianist, conductor, and occasional opera singer, will be performing at Ross Memorial Church on Sunday, September 7th at 2:00 pm, thanks to the tireless efforts of local music organisation Silo Sounds.
He’s not just playing piano though his renditions of Liszt, Debussy and Ravel are sure to dazzle he’ll also sing operatic arias by Strauss, Faure and Tchaikovsky. And if last year’s concert is anything to go by, you’ll want to grab your tickets early.
“He was a total hit,” says Deborah de Graaff, founder of Silo Sounds. “People didn’t know what to expect when he walked in he’s this young, easygoing guy but then he starts playing, and it’s like the air changes.”
Despite still being only 30, Yau’s career has taken him across the world. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Australia, he trained at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and has since conducted and performed in major cities across Europe. But last year, it was Harden-Murrumburrah that caught his attention. “He loved it here,” says de Graaff. “He even asked if he could play golf while he was in town. So we took him out to the country club, and he was completely hooked.”
Deborah knows Alex well she taught him clarinet years ago when he was a student at the Con-servatorium. Since then, she’s watched his career blossom across disciplines. He composes, conducts, accompanies, and sings, often all in the same concert.
“After the last performance, he came up to me and said he wanted to sing for my mum,” Deborah re-calls. “She’s an old opera singer and lives at The Grange. So he sat at the piano, asked her what she’d like to hear, and played and sang her favourites on the spot. Everyone else was having tea and cake, and he just made the room go silent.” That spontaneous moment led to this year’s concert being something different a rare blend of piano virtuosity and operatic voice, all in one performance.
Alexander’s visit is part of a bigger story: the rise of Silo Sounds, a grassroots classical music initiative that’s been quietly transforming Harden’s cultural life. When Deborah and her wife Leah moved to the area eight years ago, they saw potential in the quiet town’s charm and its beautiful venues especially Ross Memorial Church. With her background in elite classical performance and music education, Deborah began inviting fellow musicians to come and perform in Harden.
“We wanted to bring serious music here, but without any of the snobbery,” says Deborah. “It’s beautiful music, in a beautiful space, with beautiful people. And then we all have a cuppa and some wine together afterwards.”
The concerts are known not just for the performances, but also for the warm, community atmosphere complete with high tea, wine tastings from local vineyard Freeman’s, and plenty of relaxed conversation.
What makes Silo Sounds different is what happens after the concert. The visiting musicians stay on and work with local children, schools, and elders. “On the Monday after the concert, Alex will play again this time at The Grange for residents who can’t make it out to the church,” says Deborah. “It’s a small upright piano that was donated and restored for just this purpose. And the residents love it.”
He’ll also spend time workshopping with children from Murrumburrah Public School inside the same church where he performed the day before. “When we first started, there were about six kids in the school band barely any instruments,” Deborah explains. “Now, we’ve got a band, a choir, a recorder group, and over 30 kids who get to experience real music, some for the first time.”
Many of the instruments were donated from supporters across the country, and local teachers like Georgie Loiterton have been instrumental in making it all happen. “Some of these kids have held a double bass or tried a trumpet for the first time because of Silo Sounds,” says Deborah.
“It’s all about creating those first moments of connection with music.”
Deborah’s passion for music began when she was just a girl growing up in Sydney, the daughter of an opera singer who toured internationally and counted Joan Sutherland among her friends. But Deborah didn’t follow the same path she picked up the clarinet, against all advice.“They told me girls couldn’t be clarinettists,” she laughs. “So of course I had to prove them wrong.”
– Liam Stuart
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