In just a few days, the third edition of the Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music (BIFEM) gets underway. BIFEM’s celebration of virtuosic musicianship and innovation in composition is Australia’s newest and most dynamic international musical platform winning international praise for its first two programs.
“Audiences and critics have been overwhelmingly generous in response to this Festival,” said Artistic Director David Chisholm. “The attention and accolades that BIFEM has received during its first two editions drive us to keep moving forward. We are encouraged and humbled by the international recognition we have received.”
The 2015 edition of BIFEM brings the fresh and distinct mood of the previous two festivals, whilst also showcasing works that enhance the audience experience through screen and visual media. Program highlights include:
• The Australian premieres of French modernist Pierre Boulez’s Sur Incises, the Graawemeyer Award-winning work, as the composer celebrates his 90th birthday, and of Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth’s score for the 1914 Belgian silent movie Maudite soit la guerre (War is Hell) as BIFEM’s acknowledgment of the centenary of ANZAC Day;
• The world premiere of Austrian composer Bernhard Lang’s The Exhausted, co-commissioned by BIFEM, the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (Singapore) and Parisian ensemble soundinitiative, kicking off their debut Australasian tour;
• The exclusive Australasian debut appearance by Finnish group defunenesmble in two concerts featuring an exciting array of composers previously unheard in Australia; and
• The BIFEM debut of outstanding New York conductor Eric Dudley, working with Bendigo’s festival ensemble Argonaut.
The 2015 Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music runs from 4 – 6 September. For more information and full programme, visit: www.bifem.com.au for details.
Image: defunensemble – courtesy of BIFEM