Music on Tubowgule

A powerful double-header showcasing bold First Nations contemporary classical music

Thursday 26 & Friday 27 June 2025
STUDIO, SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Sydney – Wednesday 30 April 2025. The Sydney Opera House today announced Music on Tubowgule, a double-header celebrating the vibrant evolution of First Nations expression through bold new works by esteemed composers and performers, and their collaborations with some of Australia’s most innovative music ensembles. Held in the Studio on 26 and 27 June, the line-up features Eric Avery, followed by Nardi Simpson, Melanie Mununggurr and Netanela Mizrahi with Ensemble Offspring and Arafura Music Collective, in a powerful meeting of ancestral knowledge, modern composition and shared experience.

Opening the evening is Eric Avery, a Kabi Marrawuy Mumbulla man, violinist, vocalist, dancer and composer from the Ngiyampaa, Yuin and Gumbangirr peoples of New South Wales. Known for intertwining violin and voice in the Ngiyampaa language, Avery’s performances draw on his family’s custodial songs, creating sonic landscapes that speak to Country and cultural memory. As a fast-rising international artist, Avery embodies a new wave of First Nations expression that fuses classical form with cultural truth, sharing deeply personal stories through bold contemporary work. His collaborations span from Yo-Yo Ma to Tina Arena, with commissions from Australia’s top ensembles.

Eric Avery said: “It’s such an honour to perform as part of Music on Tubowgule at Sydney Opera House. I feel so lucky to be able to create work, to collaborate, and to share.”

The second performance, Stories of Water and Earth, is a groundbreaking collaboration led by the virtuoso Ensemble Offspring and the Northern Territory’s Arafura Music Collective, featuring Yuwaalaraay woman, composer and performer Nardi Simpson (of the acclaimed duo Stiff Gins) and Yolŋgu woman, poet, storyteller and spoken word artist Melanie Mununggurr. This hour-long journey blends instrumental chamber music, beat poetry and dreaming stories, exploring the music and language of the land alongside the deep relationships between language, Country and experience. The program also features a new work by Mununggurr, co-created with violinist and composer Netanela Mizrahi, who will perform alongside her.

Simpson’s compositions honour the beauty and strength of Yuwaalaraay women’s cultural practice, while Mununggurr’s poetry delves into her Yolŋgu identity, exploring the intersections of motherhood, neurodiversity and queerness. Together, their work pushes the boundaries of First Nations expression and reflects the diverse voices across remote, regional and urban Australia.

Ensemble Offspring’s Claire Edwardes said: “Stories of Water and Earth is a truly one-of-a-kind project, where together, we are able to share important female stories through music, Country, place and culture. Ensemble Offspring feels incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to develop this work in collaboration with Yuwaalaraay woman Nardi Simpson, Djapu woman Melanie Mununggurr and Arafura Music Collective in Darwin. We can’t wait to share this rich weaving of cultures, instrumental music, beat poetry and dreaming stories with Sydney audiences.”

EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: Music on Tubowgule
Eric Avery

        Melanie Mununggurr + Nardi Simpson
        (with Ensemble Offspring/Arafura Music Collective)

WHEN: Thursday 26 and Friday 27 June, 7:15pm
WHERE: Studio, Sydney Opera House
TICKETS: $60 + booking fee
Insiders pre-sale: Wednesday 30 April, 9am AEST
What’s On pre-sale: Wednesday 30 April, 10am AEST
General public on-sale: Friday 2 May, 9am AEST