Carnivals of Voice, Musical Playgrounds: Music from Text in Works of Andrée Greenwell

In this chapter, I describe my pursuit of unique hybrid music expressions and artistic forms, that are usually voice-led. I reflect upon seminal influences, and challenges that arise as an artist whose music language blends diverse genres and instrumentations. Referring to three works, I reflect upon my evolving approaches to voice, pleasure, invention, meaning, and the significance of the writer, through my formulation of project-specific artistic methodologies: in the song cycle The Backdoor Songs (1988) for soprano chamber ensemble and tape, set to texts by Melbourne writer George Franklin; the music theatre work Dreaming Transportation (2003) adapted from Jordie Albiston’s verse history Botany Bay Document (1997) for five amplified voices, seven-piece instrumental ensemble and triple-screen projections; and the radio broadcast, podcast and concept album Listen to Me (2018) made from commissioned and sourced texts, with further anonymous contributions, involving ten vocalists, eleven musicians, electronic and virtual instruments, and creative audio.