The next concert in the Christ Church Concert Series series will be Saltbush presenting a program titled ‘The Italian Affections’. The concert is on Saturday 15 October at 2.30pm at Christ Church Anglican, 54 Central Springs Road, Daylesford.

Formed in 2017 in Melbourne, long time musical collaborators and friends Reidun Turner and Ryan Williams reunited after many years abroad, forming the Saltbush Ensemble to showcase the range and depth of Early Music in Australia.

Ryan Williams (recorder) and Reidun Turner (Viola da Gambas, recorders) collaborate with various Early Music artists developing unique and varied programs for an Australian audience and responding to an increasing insatiable thirst for historical or Early Music.

The name of the ensemble was inspired by the native Australian Saltbush plant which grows in many varied environments and is particularly renowned for its
rejuvenating properties in salt ravaged landscapes. Like a Saltbush, the rekindling of Early Music in Australia is rejuvenating the traditional classical music scene
bringing new perspectives and repertoire into the fold.

The Italian Affections – Saltbush Ensemble is presenting the best of the Italian Baroque from when instrumental music found its voice. During the early to late baroque, the Sonata blossomed as a vehicle to deliver each of the human emotions in bite sized form within a movement to a rapt audience. Each of these emotions were commonly referred to as an Affect. From the very beginnings of the Sonata to the greats like Corelli and Vivaldi, Saltbush, along with guest Joy Lee, will take you through all the Affects in a whirlwind of Italian virtuosity.

Ryan Williams is a recorder player, improvisor, interdisciplinary-performance maker and arts producer. He has performed at major Australian and international festivals including Falls Festival, Setouchi Triennale, Peninsula Summer Music Festival, Antwerp Fringe Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, Four Winds Festival and Tilde New Music Festival. He regularly performs with leading arts companies from around Australia including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, ELISION Ensemble and Snuff Puppets. He teaches at the New Music Studio, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and co-directs the Melbourne Recorder Academy. Ryan has a strong connection to Japan through regular artistic collaborations with communities and musicians and he contines to develop new cultural links between Australia and Japan through leading international projects and artistic curation.

Reidun Turner completed her studies in viola da gamba at the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen, Germany under the tutelage of Hille Perl. Since returning to
Australia, Reidun founded the Saltbush Ensemble along with recorder player Ryan Williams and performs with Baroque ensembles across Australia including Australia’s preeminent Viol Consort, Consortium. She has played major local and international festivals including the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Castlemaine Arts
Festival and Musicadia; performed live for ABC Classic and 3MBS and was recorded in 2009 as part of the ABC’s ‘Rising Stars’ program – while regularly
teaching and tutoring around Australia.

Joy Lee is a harpsichordist and pianist, living in regional Victoria on the land of the Wadawurrung people. With a special focus on contemporary music, Joy
collaborates with a number of Australian and international composers in realising new works for piano, harpsichord and clavichord. As a harpsichordist her repertoire spans the breadth of the late Renaissance and Baroque eras to music written this year. Her flexible approach and wide musical interests have led her to perform with the Astra Chamber Music Society, the Arcko Symphonic Ensemble, Homophonic!, the INLAND performance series and others. She is a founding member of Prog- Baroque quartet Croissants & Whiskey, an ensemble giving new energy to old instruments. Joy studied piano and fortepiano at the University of Western Australia and the Australian National University, gaining First Class Honours and Masters degrees in performance. She studied harpsichord with Ann Morgan, surfs along the Victorian coast and rides her bike whenever she can.

Christ Church Concerts are proudly supported by Community Bank Daylesford District, Biggin Scott and The Daylesford Museum Reserve Committee. Tickets are $30. Bookings can be made online at: https://www.trybooking.com/CAUME