Katie Noonan and Brodsky Quartet to Perform at QPAC

Katie Noonan and the Brodsky Quartet will collaborate for the first time ever in With Love and Fury, opening as a world premiere at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC's) Concert Hall tomorrow Thursday 28 April 2016 at 8.00pm, ahead of a seven city national tour.

This unstoppable collision of colossal talent will provide audiences with a spine-tingling experience as the artists re-imagine the words of Australian poet Judith Wright.

The Australian concert tour also includes Melbourne Recital Centre (Friday 29 April) the Canberra International Music Festival (Saturday 30 April), Adelaide's Her Majesty's Theatre (Sunday 1 May), Sydney's City Recital Hall (Monday 2 May) Albany's Entertainment Centre (Wednesday 4 May), and will conclude in Perth's Concert Hall (Thursday 5 May 2016).

An album, With Love and Fury, was recorded in London and released earlier this month.

With Love and Fury will unleash a truly unique and remarkable Australian program featuring some of Noonan's favourite contemporary Australian composers including Carl Vine, Elena Kats-Chernin, Richard Tognetti, Iain Grandage, Andrew Ford, David Hirschfelder, Paul Grabowsky, Paul Dean and John Rodgers in nine especially commissioned pieces and one of Noonan's own.

The title 'With Love and Fury' reflects the typically poetic phrase that Wright used to sign off her correspondence. These new works will be performed for the first time and, in addition, Brodsky Quartet will also perform some of their own repertoire both alone and accompanied by Noonan, including songs by Elvis Costello, Björk and Katie herself.

Katie Noonan's technical mastery and pure voice make her one of Australia's top vocalists. The singer, producer, songwriter and pianist is one of the most diverse artists in the country, taking audiences on many sublime excursions through Jazz, Pop, Indie and Classical music.

"I am so thrilled with the outcome of this project and believe we have created a truly beautiful and significant body of uniquely Australian work and I can't wait to share this new music with you on our World Premiere Australia tour," she said.

"Ever since I first heard the Brodsky Quartet with Elvis Costello on the seminal album 'The Juliet Letters' and then not too soon after with one of my musical idols Bjork, it has been a dream of mine to sing with this incredible string ensemble.

"Since its formation in 1972 the Brodsky Quartet has performed over 2000 concerts on the major stages of the world and released more than 50 recordings. Jacqueline Thomas and Ian Belton are the two original Brodsky members and violist Paul Cassidy joined in 1982. Having had some of the finest violinists in the World in the 1st chair (including current SSO Concertmaster Andrew Haveron), they are now joined by the wonderful Dutch violinist Daniel Rowland. The Brodsky Quartet choose to perform with only an elite few vocalists, having previously collaborated with Björk, Sting, Anne Sofie von Otter, Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney," said Katie.

"We are so happy to be working with Katie Noonan, and are proud to be involved in this wonderful new Australian song cycle in memory of the inspirational Judith Wright," said Paul Cassidy of the Quartet.

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said it is fitting that Queenslanders will be the first in the nation to enjoy this combination of creative powerhouses.

"We welcome the sublime voice of Brisbane's own acclaimed Katie Noonan joining with UK's Brodsky Quartet who are not only at the forefront of the international chamber music scene, but are also renowned for their rich and varied musical collaborations.

"It is significant for Queenslanders that the concert will feature the world premiere of works inspired by the works of poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights, Judith Wright, who lived in Queensland for more than 30 years," said Mr Kotzas.

In addition to the With Love and Fury concert, QPAC will also present a free conversation panel between some of the featured Australian composers; Elena Kats-Chernin, Paul Grabowsky, Andrew Ford and Paul Dean, with Brodsky Quartet's Paul Cassidy and ffacilitated by QPAC Scholar in Residence, Judith McLean, from 6.30pm to 7.15pm in QPAC's Concert Hall.