BRONZEWING

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ABOUT

"truly exceptional... seamlessly transitioning from baroque improvisation to 80s synth pop and back again, with joyous flybys of experimental sound, head banging metal, and a baroque viola put through a wall of effects pedals."
Miranda Hill, classikONBronzewing weaves old and new together in a spectacular, raucous combination. Donald Nicolson (harpsichord and synths) and Katie Yap (baroque viola and vocals) are two of Australia's foremost period musicians, and together they catapult their ancient instruments into modern soundworlds.Their music draws on influences from Hildegard von Bingen, JS Bach, and 70s electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre. Their debut work, Black Cockatoos is a 13-minute tour-de-force based on Judith Wright's poem of the same name, evoking the unsettling moments before a storm, and the heavy wildness of the black cockatoo’s wingbeats.

DONALD NICOLSON

Listed among Australia’s best classical performers by the ABC in 2019, New Zealand-born harpsichordist, organist, synth artist, composer and arranger, Donald Nicolson is a prominent figure in performance and research of the music of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe, and in high demand as a keyboardist, composer, and arranger.A Ph.D. in Musicology at the University of Melbourne in 2018, and an avid reader of the classics and ancient rhetoric, Donald teaches historically-informed performance practice at the University of Melbourne and gives regular talks and lectures on music and history. Donald maintains a busy performing schedule in the early music scene and on the orchestral platform, with Van Diemen’s Band, Latitude 37, Pinchgut Opera, the MSO and ACO among many.In between his busy performing and teaching schedule, Donald enjoys immersing himself in the world of video games - particular favourites being Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Assassin's Creed.

KATIE YAP

Based in nipaluna/Hobart, Katie is known for her deeply personal performances as modern and baroque violist; a flair for thoughtful, narrative-driven programs as a curator; and her work in collaborative composition across diverse styles.She is the recipient of a number of fellowships - the Freedman Fellowship, the Musica Viva Australia artist development program FutureMakers, and the ANAM/Ian Potter Emerging Performer Fellowship. All of these have resulted in projects that push the boundaries of what it means to be a western classical musician, and celebrate the patchwork of identities that come with living in the world today.Katie was the founding Artistic Director of 3MBS’ festival ‘Music, She Wrote' from 2021-24, and is co-Artistic Director of crossover baroque/folk group Wattleseed Ensemble. She plays with an array of chamber music groups, including Croissants & Whiskey and the Gryphon Baryton Trio, and with Australia’s top orchestras, from Van Diemen’s Band to the Australian Chamber Orchestra.In her spare time, Katie furiously rotates hobbies - gardening, knitting, sewing, wok cooking, reading, bush walking... please don't introduce her to any more!