Drumming Together: East Meets West Australia-China music collaborations in Nanjing and Guangzhou
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Research Statement
Research Background
Collaborative research projects involving Chinese and Australian percussionists within China are rare. No Western percussion ensembles had previously visited the Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA) or the Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou (XHCM), until White led WAAPA’s Defying Gravity student ensemble to these institutions in 2024, in a research trip funded by an NCP grant. The research questions were: 1. Do Eastern and Western ‘classical’ percussionists share technical, musical and aesthetic concepts? 2.Can they collaborate to create new musical paradigms and outcomes? 3. What kind of obstacles exist in such a collaboration? 4. Can they develop new performance practices in the realisation of Australian music created by Michael Askill, Joshua Webster, Catherine Betts and Adam Tan?
Research Contribution
White led a research team of 13 WAAPA percussionists to NUA and XHCM from 17 May-3 June 2024. White designed the project schedule and commissioned the repertoire, and collaborated with Chinese staff and students in masterclasses, lectures, rehearsals and performances – sharing musical, technical and conceptual ideas, and trialling new approaches to performance practice. The project focused on music created by Chinese and Australian composers, and culminated in high-profile public collaborative performances in Nanjing and Guangzhou, featuring world premieres of percussion ensemble music composed by Askill, Webster, Betts, and the Australian/Chinese composer Adam Tan.
Research Significance
The research projects were a success on all grounds: creative, musical, pedagogical and diplomatic. The performances drew capacity audiences (650 and 250 people respectively), and video documentaries on both research projects were filmed and released in China. The research project in Nanjing led to the visit of twenty NUA staff members & students to WAAPA in July 2024. Future collaborations at NUS and XHCM are planned for 2026.
Non-Traditional Research Output
Live Performance
Document Type
Non-Traditional Research Output
Date of Publication
2024
Publication Title
Drumming Together: East Meets West
School
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
RAS ID
82750
Event Dates
May 18, 2024 - June 4, 2024
Event Venue
Nanjing University of the Arts (Nanjing, China), and 'Lang Lang Concert Hall' at Xinghai Conservatory of Music (Guangzhou, China)
Comments
White, T. (2024). Drumming Together: East Meets West Australia-China music collaborations in Nanjing and Guangzhou. [Musical performance and video]. Nanjing University of the Arts (Nanjing, China), and 'Lang Lang Concert Hall' at Xinghai Conservatory of Music (Guangzhou, China).