Janet McKay: Dreams, Layers, Obsessions

Overview

When is a flute recital not just a flute recital? Stick with us here. Brisbane-based flautist Janet McKay is dedicated to bringing new music to a wide audience, and her latest performance — Dreams, Layers, Obsessions — does just that.

The award-winning contemporary musician takes the works of three fascinating and diverse young American composers, turning them into a triptych. It’s not just the sounds of their arrangements that take centre stage, nor the high level of collaboration between composer and performer. In their world premieres, each piece also goes on a visual and electronic journey.

Then there’s the diversity of themes, topics and styles, in an eclectic mix if ever there was one. Jen Wang’s composition riffs on concepts of time derived from novel Einstein’s Dreams, Nomi Epstein’s piece plays with textured looping effects, while Jenny Olivia Johnson’s arrangement takes the perspective of an '80s sitcom fan. That this is no ordinary flute recital couldn’t be more clear.