Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Commissions Acknowledgement of Country 'Pudnanthi Padninthi'

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has announced a specially commissioned Kaurna Acknowledgement of Country, Pudnanthi Padninthi ('The Coming and the Going'), that will be performed at the start of ASO concerts.

This musical Acknowledgement is a collaboration with Kaurna Narungga musicians and composers Jack Buckskin and Jamie Goldsmith, and orchestrator/arranger Mark Simeon Ferguson, and Grayson Rotumah, lecturer at the University of Adelaide's Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music.

After nine months of working with Jack Buckskin and Jamie Goldsmith, Mark Simeon Ferguson arranged Pudnanthi Padninthi for the full 75-piece Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, opening with Section Principal Percussion Steve Peterka playing two Wadnas (boomerangs) with a steady beat.

ASO Managing Director, Vincent Ciccarello, said Pudnanthi Padninthi reflects the musical heritage of the Adelaide Plains and our connection to the land where we work and make music.

"This musical Acknowledgement of Country reflects the ASO's commitment to building respectful relationships and sharing cultures as outlined in our Reconciliation Action Plan," Vincent said.

Composer Jack Buckskin said music, song and dance were an important part of Indigenous culture.

"Music's just another educational tool. It's one thing to be told a story, but you can forget the story very quickly. Song is the next stage of learning," Jack said.

Arranger and composer Mark Simeon Ferguson says "This is about the Jack and Jamie, Kaurna culture and songs. This is about them sharing their Country with us and, and we can't get in the way. And so it's their melodies, and anything I do can't be in the way of what they're doing".

ASO Percussionist Steven Peterka plays the Wadnas in the acknowledgement, he says "The Wadnas make a unique and ancient sound, one we can't produce with standard orchestral percussion instruments. To be entrusted with the role of playing them in the orchestra is an honour, a humbling experience every time I hold them."

Shivani Marx, ASO General Manager, People, Culture and Operations, spoke of the importance of the musical acknowledgement and how it forms part of the ASO's greater commitment to reconciliation. She believes nothing is lost by the absence of words.

"In fact, what I hope is that something is gained by connecting it to what we do as an orchestra. We live and we make music on Kaurna land. And so for us, there's nothing more meaningful than using music to convey the connection to the land and to pay our respects," Shivani says. "And the same can be said for our audience. We have acknowledgements in our programs. Acknowledgements come on in our venues, but I think this connects the acknowledgement more with us as the artists, and the audience who have come together for a shared experience. I hope that the emotional resonance can be even deeper."

ASO wishes to thank the project collaborators including Grayson Rotumah, Jack Buckskin, Jamie Goldsmith and Mark Simeon Ferguson for bringing this project to life.