Toby Wren – Songs for Dead Sailors
ABOUT THE SHOW
This special concert, presented as part of ΩHM Festival, celebrates the launch of Toby Wren’s seventh album, Songs for Dead Sailors.
A psychological exploration of love and loss in the era of tall ships, Songs for Dead Sailors unfolds through a series of evocative compositions performed by extraordinary vocalist Merinda Dias-Jayasinha and a sextet of Brisbane’s finest improvising musicians. This poignant song cycle narrates the journey of leaving home and loved ones, embarking on a voyage with no guarantee of return. Interweaving philosophy, psychology, and artistic reflections on sea life, loss, tragedy, and suicide, the work is richly layered and profoundly moving.
The concert is enhanced by live projections and animations from Valentine Koch, illustrating the narrative’s progression—from land to sea, calm waters to tempestuous storms, and eventual submersion.
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind musical and visual experience.
Both Songs for Dead Sailors and its companion album, Black Mountain (2018), will be available for purchase at the launch on digital, CD and vinyl.
FESTIVAL OF OTHER MUSIC
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Toby Wren is one of Australia’s most compelling and original artists. He started playing professionally at 15, in a variety of jazz, blues, pop, and classical music ensembles. At the Queensland Conservatorium, he studied composition, performance and ethnomusicology, gaining a doctorate in 2015. Along the way, he has explored various world music ‘obsessions’, and passed on his love for music to countless students.
Toby is known to many as a mainstay of the jazz scene in Brisbane, including teaching jazz guitar at the Queensland Conservatorium. Jazz is an important part of his style, but he also has an ongoing love of contemporary classical music, and he has been a composer affiliate of the Queensland Orchestra, and been commissioned by many Australian new music ensembles. Since 2005, Toby’s collaborations with South Indian Carnatic musicians have led to performances in India and Australia and have also made an indelible mark on his aesthetic sensibility.
The album that synthesised Wren’s diverse influences into a satisfying whole is Black Mountain (2015), an album that explores Wren’s darker side with some moody and gut-wrenching guitar playing. As John Hardaker observed, the cover image, Louthenbourg’s A Shipwreck off a Rocky Coast (1760) at first seems incongruous, but in some intangible way, the colour palette seems to be reflected in the music. Songs for Dead Sailors is the second in the shipwreck series, exploring the themes of ocean travel in more depth, including through lyrics. The album features an expanded ensemble and a singular musical vision, with music that ranges from intricate and introspective set pieces, to off-the-hook virtuosic interplay.
PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES
VENUE
TICKETS
DURATION
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Suitable for ages 12+
Children under the age of two are not permitted; all other ages must hold a valid ticket
Contains adult themes
