Join us for an insightful a discussion between composer Keyna Wilkins and pianist Dr Jeanell Carrigan AM and a performance of Keyna’s piano music from the newly released CD, Open Horizons.
Biographies
Keyna Wilkins is a pioneering Australian/British composer-musician. Described as a "powerhouse" by Jazz Journal UK and "Arresting, genre-blurring. Disquieting music with massive breadth and high drama." by the Sydney Morning Herald, she was one of three finalists in the Australian nation-wide APRA/AMCOS Art Music Awards for Individual Excellence 2018. Her compositions are performed internationally and published by Wirripang. An innovative solo artist and leader of cutting-edge chamber groups, her music is characterized by a fascination with astronomy, First Nations culture, jazz, and dance forms.
Keyna has freelanced in a wide range of ensembles in many genres such as jazz and experimental live theatre. Stylistically broad, inspired by Debussy and Miles Davis in equal measure, her music embarks on a journey of impressionistic dream-like sequences alongside landscape depictions, existential spiritual quests, and whimsical gestures alongside driving rhythms. In 2016 She founded the breakout space music sensation Ephemera Ensemble, which has been described by Jazz and Beyond as “Full of sonic textures and infinite possibility” and The Music Trust as "a sustained exploration of a certain sonic luminescence". Ephemera was featured at the Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival 2017 and at Extended Play Festival of New Music at City Recital Hall 2018 and future bookings include Melbourne Recital Centre and MONA.
Dr Jeanell Carrigan AM is currently an Associate Professor in Collaborative Piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney. She holds a Doctor of Creative Arts in the area of Australian post-1970 solo piano repertoire and April 2025 released her thirty-sixth compact disc recording of Australian solo piano and chamber music. Her publications include several books: Post-1970 Australian Piano Music (1997); Australian Piano Music of the last Twenty -Five Years (2006); Composing Against the Tide (2016); A Musical Missionary. The Life and Music of Dulcie Holland (2020), (co-authored with Dr. Rita Crews OAM); Australian Piano Music 1850-1950. A Guide to the Composers and Repertoire (2021); The Music of Meta Overman. Queen of Colour and Fantasy (2021); Breaking the Drought. Roy Agnew: Composer, Pianist, Teacher (co-authored with Dr. Rita Crews OAM), (2022); Amayzing May. The Life and Work of May Howlett (2024); A National Treasure. The Life and Achievements of Larry Sitsky (2024) and over ninety volumes of piano and chamber music written by Australian composers published by Wirripang, Australia.
In a review of the CD Reverie Alex Raineri wrote “Jeanell Carrigan has a remarkable and impactful career, particularly as an exponent of historical Australian works.” “A compelling disc that features excellent pianism and artistry from Jeanell Carrigan.” (Music Trust, June 2022).