COMPOSER
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Keyna Wilkins is a pioneering Australian/British composer-musician. She was one of three finalists for the Australian Art Music Awards for Individual Excellence in 2021 and 2018 (APRA/AMCOS). She has written over 60 art music works that are performed internationally and published by Wirripang, has released 9 albums of original music, has been featured on ABC, and writes music for film and theatre. Stylistically broad, her music embarks on a journey of impressionistic dream-like sequences alongside landscape depictions, existential spiritual quests, and whimsical gestures alongside driving rhythms, characterised by a passion for human rights, a fascination with astronomy, Indigenous First Nations culture, jazz, dance forms and intuitive improvisation. Her latest album, "Set Me Free" was a collaboration with a 9 year detained refugee poet-artist, Jalal Mahamede, held in an Australian detention centre which they made via zoom from his prison cell (he was released 2 weeks after the launch, his release widely believed to be linked to the album). Her music have been described as by The Sydney Morning Herald as "arresting, genre-blurring. Disquieting music with massive breadth and high drama" and by Limelight Magazine as "Debussy, Miles Davis and flamenco in equal parts...an irresistible mix". Wilkins is an Associate Artist with the Australian Music Centre and has five tunes in the Australian Jazz Realbook. Her largest work to date is a didgeridu concerto, "Celestial Emu", which she wrote in collaboration with leading didgeridu soloist, Gumaroy Newman, and was performed by The Metropolitan Orchestra in 2020. Sydney Arts Guide describes the premiere: "To hear the unmistakable reference to First Nations song so well pitted against TMO’s Western Art Music instruments creating such evocative cells of expression with humility and sincerity in new music devoid of borrowings from tribal repertoire was a touching, inspiring and admirable step forward. it received an extended and hearty standing ovation and will add tremendously to our orchestral music canon."
SELECTED WORKS
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