Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace

Just a little over 4 hours drive from Melbourne there is a battlefield haunted with the memory of war and loss of life. When you walk on this land, you are surrounded by restless warrior-spirits. It is a powerful feeling and a fearful one. It is inescapable.

The name Eumeralla is unlikely to be among the theatres of war that you could name. The history of battles fought and the lives that were lost is almost unknown to anyone outside the Aboriginal community. It is more than 170 years since the last shots rang out in the country of the Gunditjmara but the land is not silent. The voices of those who lost their lives in defence of their country ring in your ears when you stand amongst the lava flows of south-west country Victoria. Unlike other theatres of war such as Anzac Cove and the Somme, where peace was declared and relationships restored with the Turks and Germans, no such peace was declared in the resistance wars, no such restoration.

Whilst the Gunditjmara uphold the memory of their warriors slain, most Australians have been denied access to this history and denied resolution – and so the land remains haunted.

I first walked on this battlefield in 2013. I felt it right away. I was moved and I was disturbed. Given the chance to camp on that land I could not sleep or find rest. The voices of those lost were so loud I couldn’t stay for more than one night. It woke something in me and my immediate response was music. A song, A Requiem. A War Requiem. It would be called Eumeralla and named in honour of one of the most brutal resistance wars fought on this continent. It would be sung entirely in the language of the Gunditjmara people and it is designed for non-Indigenous Australians to sing along-side Indigenous brothers and sisters. We need a way to ease the troubled spirit of the battlefields of the Eumeralla.

It is my hope that this song, this war requiem will help the spirits of those who fell – those who resisted and their aggressors, to find a lasting peace and that we their descendants might find our way to deeper understanding of the legacy of these battles. For you, for me, for all who were lost in a war Australia has yet to find a way to talk about. Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace will break the silence of so many decades and serve to amplify the importance of our nation’s shared history.

One day I hope to walk on that country and feel no restless spirit - just the strength of two thousand generations of lives lived and culture sustained.

Deborah Cheetham AO

Image credit: Wayne Quilliam

Benjamin Northey
Conductor

Australian conductor Benjamin Northey is the Chief Conductor of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the Principal Conductor in Residence of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Previously Resident Guest Conductor of the Australia Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra (2002-2006) and Principal Conductor of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra (2007-2010), Limelight Magazine named him Australian Artist of the Year in 2018.

Northey also appears regularly as a guest conductor with all major Australian symphony orchestras, Opera Australia (Turandot, L’elisir d’amore, Don Giovanni,
Così fan tutte, Carmen), New Zealand Opera (Sweeney Todd) and State Opera South Australia (La sonnambula, L’elisir d’amore, Les contes d’Hoffmann). His international appearances include concerts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, the Malaysian Philharmonic and the New Zealand Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia and Christchurch Symphony Orchestras.

With a progressive and diverse approach to repertoire, he has collaborated with a broad range of artists including Maxim Vengerov, Julian Rachlin, Karen Gomyo, Piers Lane, Alban Gerhardt, Johannes Moser, Piers Lane, Amy Dickson, Slava Grigoryan & Marc- André Hamelin as well as popular artists Tim Minchin, KD Lang, Kate Miller-Heidke, Barry Humphries, Kurt Elling, James Morrison and Tori Amos.

Northey is highly active in the performance of Australian orchestral music having premiered numerous major new works by Brett Dean, Peter Sculthorpe, Elena Kats-Chernin, Matthew Hindson and many others.

In 2022, he conducts the Christchurch and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras and all six Australian state symphony orchestras.

© Patrick Togher Artists’ Management 2022

Image credit: Laura Manariti

Deborah Cheetham
Soprano

Deborah Cheetham, Yorta Yorta woman, soprano, composer and Artistic Director of Short Black Opera, has been a leader and pioneer in the Australian arts landscape for more than 25 years. In the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, Cheetham was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

Deborah Cheetham’s list of commissions for major Australian ensembles including works for the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and West Australian Symphony orchestras, the Australian String Quartet, Rubiks Collective, The Sydney Philharmonia, Plexus Collective, the Flinders Quartet and the Goldner Quartet.

Awards and acknowledgements include; Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award for service to music in Australia, the Merlyn Myer Prize for Composition, induction onto the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll and Women’s Honour Roll of Victoria, Melbourne Recital Centre Life Time Membership, 2019 Melbourne Prize for Music, Limelight Magazine’s Critics Choice Artist of the Year and The Helpmann JC Williamson award for life time service to the arts.

In 2020 Deborah Cheetham was the Composer-in-residence for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and commenced her appointment at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University as Professor of Music practice. Inspired by the work of Chi-chi Nwanoku and Chinese!, Deborah also established Ensemble Dutala, Australia’s first Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Chamber Ensemble. Ensemble Dutala emerges from Short Black Opera’s One Day in January project, established in 2019 and is designed to increase the visibility and status of ATSI orchestral musicians in Australia.

In 2021 Deborah Cheetham began a five year appointment as First Nations Chair of Melbourne Symphony orchestra.

Image credit: Kristina Kingston

Linda Barcan
Mezzo soprano

Lyric mezzo-soprano Linda Barcan studied at the Conservatorium of Newcastle, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).

Following professional engagements in France, including a two-year engagement with the Opéra de Lyon, Linda returned to Australia to perform for many years with Opera Australia. Linda’s affinity for 20th and 21st century opera has seen her appear in several Australian premieres: Christina’s World (Sydney Chamber Opera), Abelard and Heloise (Opera Hunter), Pecan Summer (Short Black Opera), The Emperor of Atlantis (Lost & Found Opera) and Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace (Short Black Opera).

Known as a dedicated and passionate art song interpreter, Linda has appeared in recital around Australia and in France, Germany, and South-East Asia. Linda was previously Lecturer in Music (Voice) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and is currently on staff at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

Don Christopher
Baritone

Don Christopher is a Gunggari man and has worked hard to become Australia’s foremost male Aboriginal Classical opera singer. Don works for the ACT Government as Assistant Director for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Arts Engagement within artsACT.

In 2021, Don sang in the world premiere of Parrwang Lifts the Sky for Short Black Opera and Victorian Opera. Other significant roles include Pecan Summer for Short Black Opera Company 2010; From a Black Sky for The Street Theatre 2013; Don play the role Bob Crab in 2016 in the world premiere of Tim Winton novel, Cloudstreet for State Opera of South Australia. Don is honoured to continue as a soloist in Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace alongside mentors and friends, Deborah Cheetham AO and Linda Barcan.

Don recognises it is his path to take a passion for classical music and the operatic voice and infuses it with his strong cultural heritage and positive thinking to educate, inspire and entertain.

Dhungala Children's Choir

Dhungala Children’s Choir is an award-winning ensemble for Indigenous children established in 2009 by Yorta Yorta soprano, composer and educator Deborah Cheetham AO. In 2019, the choir celebrated its 10th anniversary and continues an ancient tradition of passing on language, dreaming and culture through song. Core members of the choir are based in Shepparton and Geelong, coming together for high profile performances and the annual Dhungala Choral Connection program.

DCC toured with Short Black Opera Company nationally for all five seasons of Deborah Cheetham’s opera Pecan Summer. In 2017, their Sydney Opera house performance was recognised as an “Outstanding performance by a children’s choir” in the prestigious Broadway World Awards. Dhungala Children’s Choir has performed with A.B. Original and Paul Kelly at the ARIAs and were featured on Archie Roach’s album Let Love Rule. The choir performed in the on-country premiere of Deborah Cheetham’s latest work, Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace in Port Fairy in 2018 and again with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Hamer Hall in June 2019 and the Queensland University orchestra in October 2019. In 2022, members of the choir will tour to Perth to present Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace with West Australian Symphony Orchestra. In 2023 the choir will perform in Deborah Cheetham’s latest opera Parrwang lifts the sky at Arts Centre Melbourne.

Deborah Cheetham AO
Conductor

Jess Hitchcock
Assistant Conductor

Toni Lalich OAM
Accompanist

WASO Chorus

The WASO Chorus was formed in 1988 and consists of around 100 volunteer choristers who represent the finest form of community music making, bringing together singers from all walks of life. They regularly feature in the WASO annual concert season, and are directed by Andrew Foote.

The Chorus has built an international reputation for its high standards and diverse range of repertoire. While its main role is to perform with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra the Chorus also maintains a profile of solo concerts, tours and community engagements.

The Chorus sings with the finest conductors and soloists including Asher Fisch, Simone Young, Stephen Layton and Paul Daniel. Recent highlights have included Brahms’ German Requiem, Mahler’s Second Symphony and Verdi’s Requiem. In 2019 the Chorus performed at the Denmark Festival of Voice and in 2018 toured China with performances of Orff’s Carmina burana. In 2020 they performed two Gala events on the Kalbarri Skywalk.

Andrew Foote
Chorus Director

Gladys Chua
Répétiteur

UWA Symphonic Chorus

The Symphonic Chorus of UWA is the Conservatorium of Music’s largest choir, open to all students studying at UWA. Directed by Dr Andrew Foote (Chair of Vocal Studies and current Director of the WASO Chorus), members are drawn from the UWA Vocal Program, the wider Conservatorium student-body and a growing number of non-music majors, who participate as volunteers or as students enrolled in one the Conservatoriums Music Ensemble units.

The choir regularly collaborates with the UWA Symphony Orchestra, UWA Wind Orchestra, schools and WASO to perform a wide range of repertoire at venues across Perth, including the Perth Concert Hall, St Mary’s Cathedral and Winthrop Hall. Recent highlights include: Elijah with West Australian Opera, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with the UWA Orchestra, UWA Choral Society and the Aquinas College Schola Choir, the WA Premiere of Lili Boulanger’s Psalm 130: Du fond de l’abîme and Dvořák’s Mass in D with the WASO Chorus.

1. O Pernmeeyal

o pernmeeyal wooka-tyeen leenan toota
moongay wata keenanpa nganang walawa-tyeen
leerpee–wanoo-ngoo leerpee-yt ba yoonggama-yt
makatepa wanga-kee leerpee-wanoong,
yareeyaree-wanoong

2. Deen Nganang warrakeeleek

deen nganang warrakeeleek
ngami ngami kooknawak meerreeng palayn-ee
pang kooyeen-nganeen
poongpoong-oota-eeya
deen tamboort-eeyt wata-n woongoora-teepa
takoort parpanee-pa yangteeyt-oo

3. Wanga-n-wanoong

wanga-n-wanoong ngamee ngamee woonggaroong
yanda-na keelkarteen moorookan-tyeen ngalam
meen-ngeeye-ngat
karta-wanoong kaleengkat moot-moot
takoort meerreeng parpa koolang-na
nammereeng-oota takoortmaar
pang-wang-eeyt mayapa-n-tyeen nammereeng

4. Kooyeen-wanoong

kooyeen-wanoong yang–teeyt-ngeeye
leenyoong ba marnmarn kooweetpa
pangyangteeyt marrangmara-n deen malayeeto-kooweetpa
meerreeng-moongay tyama-wanoong ngootyoong
takoort yooloowa-na pang-yooloowa-mayapa
takoortakoort tyama-k-wanoong

5. Tyookyong-ee

ngalam meen-ngeeye nhoomapee yoondapoora-na-yoota tyookooyong-ee
moongay wata moorroop-tyeen tamboora toota
ngalam meen-ngeeye nhoomapee yoondapoora-nayoota tyookooyong-ee
moongay wata moorroop-tyeen tamboora leenan toota

6. Tarrameek-tarrameek-kee-ngeeye

tarrameek-tarrameek-kee-ngeeye pang-wang-eeyt –oo
makatepa ba nhoonpee ngameengamee nganang-ee
meerreeng moongay takoort meerreeng
wang-wangga-ka
kaneekanee tyama-ka ngathoongan
poongpoong-oota ba kooneenp-oota-ngeeye
manamanakooweeya-wanoong kaneengootyoong
pangat yana-na
meerreeng moongay takoort meerreeng wangwangga-ka

7. Nganya Laka-wangoong

nganya laka-wanoong
ngarra protekatar kooweeya-wanoong
ngeetoong katyook thookay pang-ngootyoonayt

8. Deen ngootyoong meerreeng

deen ngootyoong meerreeng
mana-n parta-na koong-ngeeye
wayapa-wanoong ngalam meen-ngeeye
thoombook-nganang-deepa

9. Pang ngutee-kee-weeng

pang ngutee-kee weeng
ngathoonganeen nhaka pooree tharn ngooteen
yanda-n-warr-ngeeye katakee pang-tyama
wata-n-warr wanggat-oota nyeepma
karta-n-warr parpanee-yt-oota tamboorawanangeenyee
wata-n-warr ngootyoong-oota watan leek
pangat kooweeya-n noombapee
wamba-n-warr nganang tamborteeyt

10. Ngarnda-wanoong

ngarnda-wanoong nhoonampee wana-woot kalngpa kapeeyang
wanyoo parpanee-yt-ngooteen kalng kapeeyang
deen ngootyoongeeyt pang-ngootyoongayt
ngakee-wanoong nhoonampee noombapeengooteen
ngamee koona-ngooteen wananga-ngeeye
manamana-wanoong manakooweeya wampeemayapa
nhoonampee pang-nhakee ngooty-ngeeye
pang weerakaleek waloong
ngamee ngamme kooknawa-ngeeye pang-kapoo weeyn-a
yangee yangee ngameentyarr-mayapa-n
woorangkeel ngathoonganeen
yangee yangee ngameentyarr-mayapa-n taytmeerreeng
pang-wooka-n-warr-ngeeye meerreeng

11. Tamboorawananga-n-eeye

tamboorawananga-n-eeye ngal koorrook-eeyt-een ba
ngameeleemoo-teeyt-een
yoonggama-n-eeye peeneeyt torrowan-oo
karnda-kee-ngeeye yakeeneeyt-eeyt-ee
yookapa-n-wanoongpang ngool-ngool teenyan eeyt
ngooyt tamboopa-n
yookap-eeya-wanoong deen meerreeng

12. Deen nganang weerakaleeyt

deen nganang weerakaleeyt
meert-ook-warr palayn-oo
nhoonampee tamboora-ngooteen marn kalng kapeeyang
deen mayapa-ngooteen noombapee-ngeeye malangeepa
noombapee-kee
wooka-tyeen toota

13. Yakeen-aya meerreeng

yakeen-aya meerreeng
walata-kee moorroop-tyeen ngalam meen-ngeeye-ngat
manamana-kee-ngeeye karrakee-yt-ngoo
kooneentamboora -kil
pang-wang-ee-tyeen-oo
nhoonampee wata-n pang pang wanga-n
tarrameek-tarrameek-kee-ngeeye
takang-nyoong-oo deen ngamateeyt-ngat
wananga ngal koorrook-eeyt ba markap-eeyt
pang nganata-ngeeye
wananga nhoonpee wamba takoort nganang
maar-ngeeye-ngoo
wata-pa-kee-ngeeye tyamateeyt-oo
Yoonggamoongoo-n-ngeen ngathoonganeen ba
koorrookee ba ngapoon-ngeeye
mayapa-kee wangangooytyoong

14. Pernmeeyal, kaneepoorreewooka -wanoong-ngooteen

Pernmeeyal, kaneepoorreewooka -wanoong-ngooteen
mayapa karweeyn ba leerpeen
mana-kee nhoonampee-yee
pang-nguteeweeng-wanoong-tyeen makatepa
Pernmeeyal, nhapa-kee nhoonampee
kalpeerna-kaloo-ngoo poondeeyt-oo
Yoonggamoongoo-n-ngeen ngathoonganeen
ba koorrookee ba ngapoon-ngeeye
mayapa-kee wangangooytyoong

15. Paman Paman

paman paman, paman paman, paman paman
moorroop ngathoo-nganeen-ee
meerreeng ba moornong ngooyt-oota
kaneepoorreewooka-wan Pernmeeyal

16. Ngatanwarr

ngatanwarr, wata-kee, ngakee tyamateeyt-ee
kaneepoorreewooka-wan Pernmeeyal

Paman Paman (reprise)

paman paman, paman paman, paman paman
moorroop ngathoo-nganeen-ee
meerreeng ba moornong ngooyt-oota
kaneepoorreewooka-wan Pernmeeyal

17. Moongay wata keenanpa nganang walawa

moongay wata keenanpa nganang walawa ngalam meen-ngeey-ee
kooweekoowee-tyeen meengkeel-ee
moongay wata ngameekooteen moorroop-tyeen
tamboora leenan toota
moongay wata keenanpa nganang walawa ngalam meen-ngeey-ee
kooweekoowee-tyeen meengkeel-ee

18. Noombapee-ngeeye

noombapee-ngeeye kaleekeetoo
noombapee-ngeeye malangeepa
noombapee-ngeeye kaloo

19. O Pernmeeyal

o pernmeeyal wooka-tyeen leenan toota
moongay wata keenanpa nganang walawa-tyeen

Tom Day

Tom Day is a Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta and Wemba Wemba man and multi-disciplined artist based in Shepparton, Victoria.

“Capturing the essence of country is everything to me! As a younger Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta and Wemba Wemba man, it is always the essence of country I remember most. The intricacy of it all, when the seasons are on the verge of changing and the effect it has on that place, everything changes except its essence.

I paint it like I see it, through Aboriginal eyes, imagining the spirits living in harmony with the people and animals. Merging the old and the new moving towards a bright future by using traditional and contemporary art forms seamless throughout my work, giving it a visual voice whilst acknowledging where we come from.

Country has certain magic; its elusive quality can transform the landscape in just a matter of seconds. I strive to convey that sense of place by capturing this magical essence.”

“Deborah Cheetham’s Requiem Mass was a response to a request from a Gunditjmara Elder to write and compose a work honouring the Eumeralla Wars, fought on my homelands during the first encounters of the colonial invasion in the early 1800’s.

At Deborah’s request, in partnership with Kris Eira, Linguist, Composer and Musician, we undertook to translate the Work. This translation process into Gunditjmara language was an exciting and powerful experience. For myself this Project presented a great challenge to my skills and knowledge base and to the language that we have available. Our languages are in revival mode and so are not full and fluently spoken languages. We are in the process of language reclamation and revitalisation and this requires extensive research and innovation to develop language capacity to address translations of this scope. So translating the text for this work provided a great opportunity to create new words and explore grammatical processes that has expanded Gunditjmara language capacity. It has given my community much to build upon.”

- Vicki Couzens
Keerray Woorroong Gunditjmara Community Linguist and Senior Knowledge Holder for Language and Possum Cloaks

Vicki Couzens

Possum skin cloak maker and prominent multi-media artist Vicki Couzens is a Gunditjmara Keerray Woorroong woman from the Western Districts of Victoria, who plays an active role in the revitalization and continuance of the culture of her people. Vicki has distinguished herself with her interdisciplinary artwork, or as she prefers, ‘creative cultural expression’ - painting, installation, visual arts, printmaking, mixed media, performing arts, language, ceremony and teaching - but is best known for her central role in the revival of the possum skin cloak making tradition which began in Victoria and is now established across south-eastern Australia.

Vicki has worked in the Aboriginal community for over 40 years, serving on the Boards of Victorian Housing, Koorie Heritage Trust and the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL). She is considered a Senior Knowledge Holder of Language and worked with the curatorial team on the First Peoples Exhibition at Melbourne Museum. She continues to teach extensively across Victoria and south-eastern Australia.