nyilamum song cycles
Melbourne Recital Centre, 31 Sturt Street, 3006 Southbank Directions
Wed 02.09.2026 19:30
nyilamum song cycles is a concert experience featuring string quartet and voice that intertwines ancient stories and a celebration of language with contemporary reflections on land, identity, and resilience showcasing music from Yorta Yorta Dja Dja Wurrung Dr Lou Bennett AM, and Paul Stanhope.
Two works composed and performed by Dr Lou Bennett AM open this concert with an exploration of the deep connections between people, music and the land. jaara nyilamum is a sacred story of life, loss, and rematriation after 99 years of separation from Country. baiyan woka, which translates from Yorta Yorta language as ‘singing for country/land’, is birthed from the understanding that we are all connected.
Dirrari Lament comes from Paul Stanhope’s String Quartet No.3 From the Kimberley, written after a multi-year collaboration with the Bunuba Community in the central-west Kimberley region of Western Australia. The work incorporates a Bunuba song "Dirrari Lament", with kind permission from the song’s custodians June Oscar and Patsy Bedford, which describes a mother Black Cockatoo grieving for the loss of her baby.
This program culminates with nyilamum song sycles, a collaborative First Nations-led work by Dr Bennett and Paul Stanhope. Through this work, the Quartet becomes the voice of Country, guiding nyilamum home to her final resting place amongst the treetops. Experience this significant collaboration for the first time in Melbourne.
nyilamum song cycles debuted at the prestigious 2024 String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam and garnered fivestar reviews from its Australian Premiere at the 2025 Adelaide Festival. It has since won a 2025 CreateSA Ruby Award (Outstanding Collaboration) and the 2025 Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize, and was a finalist in the 2025 APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards (Chamber Music Work of the Year).
Content Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned the subject matter of this performance includes stories of the deceased.
Praise for nyilamum song cycles
‘…the earth seemed to rip open and turned the Muziekgebouw into an enchanting universe…’ - De Nieuwe Muze
‘The standing ovation that greets nyilamum song cycles is justly deserved, and one must hope this mesmeric work will soon weave its magic around the entire country.’ - 5 stars, Limelight
‘…compelling and atmospheric across an absolute language barrier…’ - The Guardian
Performers
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Australian String QuartetThe Australian String Quartet (ASQ) is Australia’s pre-eminent organisation dedicated to string quartet music and Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music.
Defined by excellence in performance and the joy of musical expression, our DNA comprises three inseparable parts. At the centre is our Quartet—four full-time musicians, each a creative force in crafting the world’s most dynamic and intimate music. Surrounding the Quartet is an innovative production company that presents, tours, records, and promotes exceptional artistry. Sustaining this, is a vital community of partners including our national Board, visionary Patron—Maria Myers AC, Major Partner—The University of Adelaide, Instrument Partner—UKARIA and Government Supporters.
Together, we celebrate music from the past to the present, from near and afar, and strive to reflect contemporary Australia through our performances, collaborations, advocacy, learning programs, and development of new work. Our landmark ASQ Richard Divall Australian Music Fund, supports our ground-breaking Australian Anthology project that proudly champions the work of Australian artists.
In our 40th year, we are energised by our purpose to create chemistry and amplify intimacy through experiences that engage people across regional and metropolitan Australia and around the world.