On this, the Thursday before Easter, the Annandale space will have an Easter Labyrinth in it. And two wonderful soloists - Elsen Price and Mary Rapp - will each perform solos from the chapel floor – in the Easter Labyrinth. The audience will be on the stage. It will be beautiful, and a very good way to prepare for Easter.
Elsen will be performing a reflection of music from his recent trip to India, where he had an opportunity to perform a set of improvised music with dancers at St Xavier's College in Mumbai. This will be an entirely improvised set.
Mary will explore the vast realm of timbre and texture through an improvised solo cello performance accompanied by pedals and intermittent singing. Delving into hypnotic dreamscapes where rich harmonies weave together, creating a tapestry of sound. It will be a blend of easy and challenging listening as the cello and pedals intertwine, offering a dynamic and evocative performance that transcends traditional musical boundaries.
About Elsen …
Elsen Price (born 1989) is an Australian double bassist who performs regularly as a soloist, band leader, side person and orchestral section player. Growing up in rural NSW, Elsen started learning violin at age 5, then started playing double bass at age 8.
In 2008, Elsen won his first professional audition with the NSW Police Band, passing his trial period. Then in 2010, Elsen won a scholarship to study Classical performance at Sydney Conservatorium with Alex Henery (Principal SSO). Elsen also studied with Max Bibeau, Kees Boersma and Andrew Meisel. In 2016 Elsen was offered a Masters in Performance at Amsterdam Conservatorium, though due to commitments, was unable to complete.
Since 2012, Elsen has built a career as an independent musician and producer, with highlights including solo/ensemble performances/tours throughout Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, UK, Czech Republic and India. Festival highlights include BassEurope, National Folk Festival, Vivid Festival and Sydney Festival. Performances alongside international artists Mike Patton, Lee Ranaldo, Josh Groban, Sharam Nazeri, Alireza Ghourbani and Adnan Karim. Recordings including 2019 solo album 'Descent of the Free' (ABC/Universal Music), soundtrack for 'Dead Sunrise' (SHH) (winner Best Soundtrack award - IIFA), feature films, tv series, video game soundtracks and anime soundtracks for both Major and Independent International and Australian studios including Netflix, Blizzard and SBS.
Elsen has lectured in workshops for improvisation and live performance for numerous music schools including Auckland University (NZ), Wells Cathedral School (UK) and The Scottish Bass Trust (UK). Elsen also band leads the Inlay Ensemble, an Australian modern string ensemble, and the Melaleuca Jazz Orchestra, a big band making its debut in 2024.
About Mary.…
Mary says: “I play the cello and the double bass. I also sing. My perpetual curiosity has led me to investigate jazz, classical, experimental, and Korean traditional music. My interests and musical goals lie in notions of digging deep into the body, movement led technique and noisy catharsis.
I am involved in several ongoing collaborations including Folx (with Will Gilbert and Dom Robinson), Napology (with Godriguez, Finn Ryan and Hannah Czaban) and my trio featuring Simon Barker and Carl Dewhurst.
Along with collaborative groups I have been fortunate enough to play with many established ensembles and artists including the Australian Art Orchestra, Ensemble Offspring, The Drip Hards, Wartime Sweethearts, The Whitlams, Bae Il Dong, Matt Keegan, Jon Rose, and Bae Il Dong.
I also study and work in audio and acoustic design at Sydney University. My sound designs and artworks have been featured in both theatrical settings and galleries in Australia, the Middle East, USA and Europe.
There’s more about Mary at maryrapp.com.au/